The photos below are from my Faces of Character Project, which I created in 2010 and 2011. This series features portraits of my family, friends, and other remarkable individuals I had the privilege of knowing and meeting. The most meaningful part of this project was the time I spent getting to know each person and hearing their stories. I started this project after creating a black-and-white Christmas card (the first image below) and being inspired by its detail. I wanted to create a collection of close-up portraits of people with great stories—all of whom were wiser than me. Looking back, I miss many of these faces, but I will always cherish the memories and conversations we shared.

Cowboy Santa portrait, also known as Marv A., created for a Christmas Card that started the black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Grandpa from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Image of Aunt Maxine from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Image of Uncle Rodney from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Image from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Jack W. from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Jack A. from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of JoAnn from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Garth from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Jim D. from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Byron the Rodeo Clown from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Francis from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Vern from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Byron from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Close-up portrait of Grandpa from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Grandma I. from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Close-up portrait of Uncle Rodney from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Grandma B. from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.
Portrait of Fred from our black and white portrait project "Faces of Character" in 2010.