This Photographer is Trying to Capture 8,000 Portraits of Strangers

A collage of black-and-white portraits features a diverse group of 20 people of different ages and backgrounds. Each person is pictured from the shoulders up, wearing various expressions. The background in each image appears to be an urban or street setting.

A photographer has endeavored to capture 8,000 faces of strangers mainly in the Boston area.

Gregory Katsouis began the project with the initial goal of taking 100 portraits of strangers and before long he decided to expand the parameters.

“I’ve always been fascinated by faces and the stories they tell,” Katsouis tells PetaPixel. “When I first moved to the city, I was overwhelmed by the number of people I would see each day and by my understanding that each one of them had their own rich story that I was briefly glimpsing.”

A black and white photo of a young woman with long dark hair, smiling broadly. She is wearing a dark coat with a fur collar and looking directly at the camera. The background is out of focus, emphasizing her cheerful expression.

A person with closely cropped hair is smiling broadly. They are wearing large, round, rhinestone-studded glasses, hoop earrings, and a choker necklace. The background is blurred, featuring buildings and trees. The photo is in black and white.

A woman with long dark hair stands in front of a blurred background filled with circular light patterns. She is wearing a dark coat and a leopard print scarf, and she is smiling slightly. The image is in black and white.

A person with short dark hair smiles at the camera. They are wearing a colorful shirt, a rainbow-patterned scarf, a chunky necklace, and have detailed, vibrant face paint featuring glitter and rhinestones extending from their forehead to their cheek. The background is a blurred outdoor setting with greenery and bokeh lights.

A grayscale portrait of a person with short, wavy hair featuring light-colored highlights. They are wearing a t-shirt with a graphic design. The background is dark and out of focus, drawing attention to their face. They look directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Katsouis sees the project as a way of connecting with society that can seem increasingly cold as interacting with one another shifts to the online domain.

“I do hope that something in the juxtaposition of so many random, disparate people creates something humanizing,” the photographer says.

“I would love for the people in this project to suddenly see themselves as others see them, without the self-criticism we all seem to bring to photos of ourselves. In a broader sense, I want to help engender empathy in an increasingly polarized society.”

Black and white portrait of a young woman with light hair. She is smiling softly and looking directly at the camera. She wears a delicate necklace and has her hair partially pinned back. The background is out of focus.

Black and white portrait of a smiling man with short-cropped hair and a beard. He is wearing a light-colored, textured sweater. The background is blurred, suggesting he is outdoors in an urban area.

Black and white photo of a young person with curly hair, slightly tilting their head and smiling at the camera. They are wearing a patterned sports jersey with the number three and a logo on the chest. The background is plain and light-colored.

A woman with braided hair and wearing a tank top is seated and smiling at the camera. She rests her chin on her hand. The background is blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting. The image is in black and white.

A young woman with long, dark hair styled in two braids is standing on a street. She is wearing a pink, sleeveless top with a front tie detail and denim shorts. She smiles at the camera, with trees and a fence blurred in the background.

A black and white photo of a man with a short, curly beard and afro-textured hair. He is wearing a checkered jacket over a solid-colored shirt, looking directly at the camera with a slight smile. The background is a blurred urban setting.

Though the project is called 8,000 faces, that number is actually quite arbitrary.

“The username I wanted was taken,” Katsouis explains. “But 8,000 faces was available as both an Instagram handle and a website domain.”

In fact, Katsouis thinks that he will “probably keep going” once he hits 8,000 faces (he is currently on 4,992).

A man in a beanie and scarf stands on a city street, looking wide-eyed and surprised. He has a mustache and is wearing a "Rock & Roll Rumble 2024" shirt. The background shows an out-of-focus building and a street sign.

A black and white photo of an elderly woman with short white hair, smiling warmly at the camera. She is wearing a collared shirt, holding a purse strap over her shoulder, and appears to be pointing or gesturing with her right hand. Blurred outdoor background.

Black-and-white photo of a smiling individual with long, wavy hair blowing in the wind. The person is wearing a sleeveless top and stands against a blurred outdoor background of foliage.

A black-and-white photo of an elderly man with a bald head, wearing round glasses, a denim jacket, and a dark shirt. He has a white beard and is looking directly at the camera with a slight smile. The background shows blurred outdoor elements, suggesting an urban setting.

Black and white photo of a young woman with long, straight hair. She is looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. She is wearing a thin-strapped top and a delicate necklace. The background is out of focus.

The project is mainly shot in black and white. Katsouis says he enjoys the flexibility of monochrome portraits that flatter a diversity of people when processing from a RAW color photo into black and white.

A woman with short hair is smiling widely or laughing while looking directly at the camera. She is wearing a sleeveless top and a necklace with a circular pendant. The background shows a city street out of focus, indicating an outdoor setting. The photo is in black and white.

Black-and-white photo of a person wearing a naval uniform, inclusive of a cap with an anchor emblem. The background shows an urban setting with blurred buildings and vehicles. The individual looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

A black and white photo of a young child sitting in a stroller. The child is wearing a striped shirt and has a playful expression, with one hand covering their mouth and the other hand resting near their chest. The stroller seat has mesh sides.

Black and white image of an older man with a beard wearing a "Boston" cap, layered jackets, and sunglasses hanging from his shirt. He is standing outdoors, gesturing with his middle finger raised. The background appears to be steps leading to a building.

Black and white portrait of a woman with long dark hair and a serious expression, standing outdoors. She is wearing a light-colored sleeveless vest over a T-shirt. The background is blurred, with faint details of a street or urban setting.

The bulk of the project is on his website but to make it more accessible, he began an Instagram account which gives him a bit more creative license.

“Instagram strongly favors a square image,” he says.

“I decided I could give myself more freedom to share multiple images and the occasional color image.

“I do this when I find something compelling about the color image, like the incredible autumnal colors of the background, a bright pink top that says something about the playfulness of the subject, or the rainbow colors worn by someone giddy from participating in a Pride event.”

A black and white portrait of a man wearing clear-framed sunglasses. He has short curly hair and a slight beard. He is dressed in a white shirt and a denim jacket. The background is an urban street scene, slightly blurred to put the focus on the man.

Black and white image of a young woman with long dark hair and bangs, smiling softly at the camera. She is wearing a white top and a delicate necklace. The background is slightly blurred, featuring outdoor furniture and foliage.

Black and white photograph of a person with curly hair wearing a zip-up jacket that has a "BC High Basketball" logo and a Nike swoosh on it. The background is blurred, with faint outlines of trees and buildings. The individual faces the camera with a neutral expression.

Black and white portrait of a young man wearing a suit, tie, and striped shirt. He is looking slightly upward and smiling. The background appears to be an outdoor urban setting with blurred buildings.

Black and white portrait of a person with curly hair, a mustache, and a unibrow, smiling at the camera. They are wearing a dark-colored shirt with text partially visible on the front. The background is blurred, with trees and light filtering through.

Black and white portrait of a man with curly hair and a full beard. He is wearing a dark-colored shirt and is smiling slightly, looking directly at the camera. The background is blurred, focusing attention on his face.

Katsouis likes to shoot wide open on a Canon R5 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 or a Canon 5D Mark IV with a 50mm f/1.4.

“It’s also notable that the 50mm lens is smaller and thus less intimidating which may put some folks more at ease,” he adds.

A man with long wavy hair and a full beard smiles while standing outdoors. He is wearing a patterned jacket over a button-up shirt. The background is blurred, showing hints of trees and a building, indicating an urban setting. The image is in black and white.

Black and white photo of an older man with light, short hair, a mustache, and an earring, wearing a sleeveless jacket over a collared shirt. He is smoking a cigar and looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. Background is blurred.

Black and white portrait of an elderly man wearing a flat cap and a buttoned-up jacket. He has a mustache and is looking slightly upwards with a reflective expression. The blurred background suggests an urban setting.

A black and white portrait of a person wearing a hooded jacket and a bonnet. The person has a nose ring and is looking slightly off to the right with a neutral expression. The background is blurred, emphasizing the subject's face.

Speaking of putting folks at ease, it can be intimidating for both the photographer and the subject when carrying out this type of street photography.

“I get a pretty full range of human reactions from utter delight to nervous excitement to occasional disdain,” Katsouis notes of his experiences approaching people in the street.

“I think it is important for people to feel comfortable with their answer, whether it’s a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ Because my project is, at its core, about empathy, I keep in mind that I don’t have any idea where the person I’m talking to is coming from.”

Black and white portrait of a young person with long, dark hair, looking directly at the camera. They are wearing a jacket with a zip-up collar. The background is out of focus, featuring an urban setting with blurred buildings and lights.

A close-up black and white photo of a person looking directly at the camera. They are wearing a knit headband, a hoodie, and have multiple facial piercings, including a nose ring and a lip ring. The expression on their face is serious and contemplative.

A black and white close-up photograph of a woman with long, straight hair, making a playful, surprised face. Her eyes are wide open, and her lips are puckered as if blowing a kiss. She is wearing a fur-lined jacket and a necklace with a small cross pendant.

Black and white photo of a person smiling broadly at the camera. They have short, straight hair and are wearing a light-colored, textured top. Glasses are visible hanging from the collar. The background shows blurred buildings.

A black-and-white portrait of a person with light hair, wearing a jacket with a high collar. The person is looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The background is blurred, emphasizing the person's face.

Katsouis says he has had people reveal personal details of their lives to him, such as that they are going through a breakup or that they’ve just gotten engaged.

“Who says ‘yes’ and who says ‘no’ can be surprising so it is important to try and approach everyone with an open mind,” he adds.

“That said, I have some rules about who I will ask. No one who is arguing. I rarely approach anyone who is on their own. I try not to bother people when they are eating. The biggest factor in deciding who to ask, though, is if they are in or near good light.”

Katsouis’ 8,000 Faces project can be found on his website and Instagram.

Image credits: Photographs by Gregory Katsouis.

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