We’ve been completely enamored with the Faces of Orlando project since we first discovered it earlier this year. We asked the creator of the project if we share some of her fantastic images and stories with our readers. She happily agreed.

From the creator:

“Inspired by Humans of New York (#HONY), I wanted to go out in my home town of Orlando, Florida to see who I was living with. I have lived in Orlando for almost my entire life and never really taken the time to get to know my fellow Orlandoans.

The intention of #FOO is to display even just a tiny bit of a human life through his or her photo and quote. Orlando is filled with a beautiful tapestry of unique individuals that are from all over the country and the world and each one has a story to tell.”

Photos by Faces of Orlando https://www.facebook.com/facesoforlando
“I have a fear of death. It’s not really a fear of dying, itself, but a fear of not achieving my full potential before I die.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“That’s what I do is dance. I can’t help it. All my life I’ve been dancing.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“Can I take a picture of you two?” “Of course, baby. I need to find me a boyfriend! Put us on YouTube; put us on the internet. Tell ’em we’re single! And we’ve got jobs!” Credit: Faces of Orlando
Her name was Christine Sixteen – an homage to the KISS song. “I’m about cool, I’m about rock & roll, I’m about vintage.” “Do you have any wild stories to tell?” “I once had a girl come in [to my store] who said she had dated Jim Morrison from The Doors. We sat down out front and talked for like two hours. She was a Sharon Osbourne look-a-like and she talked about how she had met the Osbournes and spent a lot of time at their house with Ozzy and everything. People come in here a lot and relive the good old days.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’ve been shining shoes for a while now.” “What’d you do before this?” “I washed dishes.” Why’d you decide to go into shining shoes?” “So I can be my own boss. I’m good at what I do and I like what I do. I like making people happy. This guy’s shoes, right here – he didn’t dye them very well so I’m fixing them up for him. Looks like you need your shoes taken care of, too, ma’am.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’m a tattoo artist… but I got into painting not long ago. It’s good when you’re stressed or depressed or whatever. Like when I need to get out of the chair for a quick minute.” “Well, your work is awesome.” “You paint?” “No, I just take photos. I wish I could paint.” “Well, I wish I could take photos. If you teach me to take photos I’ll teach you to paint.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered in your life?” “I have a problem with thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Like, I go back and forth between France and Orlando a lot because I’ll think it will be better.” “What have you learned from going back and forth between the two places?” “I’ve learned a lot about people. And that there are cool people everywhere and there are assholes everywhere. There are a lot of assholes. That’s a lot of why I move back and forth, I get annoyed with the people and what I’m doing so I leave. But I’ve realized that you can leave and go somewhere else but you’ll always be you. The people and your surroundings will change but you will still be you inside. You can’t run from yourself.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What’s Iron Order?” “It’s a biker group. We go around and help protect the community. Like if a kid is getting bullied we try to help him and give him and ride home, safely. The police love us.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“You have a really unique look. Do you model?” “I actually auditioned for America’s Next Top Model. I’m waiting to hear back from them. My goal is to model.” “How do you think it went?” “Well, I didn’t see many white girls and there was only one redhead and her hair was long and wavy. So, I think I stood out.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“He and I met at a gay campgrounds about 40 minutes from here.” “I didn’t know we had those.” “Yeah, don’t go there. You’ll get attacked by lesbians… and not the good kind.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
He and his wife were sitting on the front porch of a house. I asked to take a picture of the two lounging and realized they didn’t understand or speak much English. “Where are you from?” Husband: “Colombia.” “Can I take a picture of the two of you.” Wife: “No, no, no.” She got up and walked away shaking her head. Husband: “Sure, sure, sure.” He stayed seated and smiled for the camera. Credit: Faces of Orlando
She didn’t speak much English, but she did manage to tell me her name, that she was from the Dominican Republic and how many coins go in each machine. Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What is that called?” “This is called a dragon’s staff.” “Is it supposed to be lit on fire?” “Yeah.” “Do you do other fire tricks?” “Yeah, I do a lot of different fire tricks.” “What made you want to do this?” “I don’t know. It’s just something I picked up. It’s one of the first things that’s made me happy in a long time.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
This man had four birds with him and was letting people hold them and take pictures with them. “What’s the little ones name?” “Hungry.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What’s your name?” “Buddha Tom.” “Why do they call you that?” “Well, in high school they said I looked like Jesus, but that was kind of weird calling me Jesus so they went with Buddha.” “Do you follow Buddhism?” “No, I don’t follow anything, but Buddha means awakening and I think everyone has a little Buddha in them, so I think it fits.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“Who has been the most influential person in your life?” “I’d have to say… God.” “Why?” “Well, when I was younger I struggled with depression and then my friend told me to come to her church with her and that’s where I met, basically, my second family. The friends I made there have become my family and He brought us together.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
He spent at least half an hour taking photos of a unique car sporting graffiti in front of a colorful graffiti mural. I approached him and asked if that was his car. He didn’t respond. I repeated the question a little louder and, noticing my presence, he looked up and pointed to his ear and said, “Deaf.” I pointed at the graffiti art on his car and then back at him in an attempt to ask if he was the one who painted the car art and he quietly said, “No. Friend.” I stood there in silence trying to figure out how I would communicate the questions I had developed in my head to ask him before I realized it would be a little more difficult to communicate than expected. But as I watched him resume taking photos of the car and the mural I just stood back and embraced what would normally be an awkward silence. I typed on my phone “Can I take a photo of you and your car?” and showed it to him. He smiled and nodded. Credit: Faces of Orlando
Little girl’s mother: “I don’t even know what kind of dog it is. I got her from a woman on the street who was asking for $50 to get food for her dog and I was like, ‘You don’t need that much to feed a dog like that, you need that for your habit.’ So I asked her if I could buy the dog from her for $50 and she gave me the dog for the money. Before I left she said, ‘Oh, by the way, the dog hasn’t eaten in days.’ I was so glad I got her out of there.” “What’s the dogs name?” Little girl’s mother: “What did you name her, sweetie?” Little girl: “Flower.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I was going to the grocery store one time and I had my son in the back seat and we were in the parking lot and a bunch of cop cars swarmed around my car and pulled their guns.” “What’d you do?” “Well, they told me to get out of the car but there was no way I was going to move and give them any reason to shoot so I stayed still and eventually they came and got me out.” “Why were the cops there?” “Apparently an old lady in the grocery store had her purse stolen and the guy who robbed her had the same car as me.” “Were you OK?” “Yeah, I was fine. The thing is I didn’t even care what happened to me. I’m fine. I was just worried about my son. That kind of stuff is traumatic. He was three at the time, so I don’t know how much he’ll remember but I just hope it doesn’t stay with him.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
I saw this guy wielding a sword and shield on the UCF campus. He looked like a modern day Viking. “What are you doing?” “Practicing Historical European martial arts. I’m president of the club Knights Blade.” “What made you want to get into this?” “I have Scandinavian and Nordic heritage and this is the martial art of my ancestors.” “What’s your name?” “Thor.” “Seriously?” “Yep. It cost me a lot of money to get it.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“A lot of people want to take my photo and I’m very hesitant to let them.” “Why?” “Because people take but they don’t give.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
Pants: “I practice Brazilian Capoeira.” Shorts: “I just got bored with strength training.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“This is Lucy and that’s Lionel. Lucy’s more outgoing than Lionel.” “How long have you been into snakes?” “I’ve handled snakes all my life. I like to come out here almost every Sunday and educate people on snakes. They have such a bad rep. I try to help people understand them better.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“My grandmother was a model in the 50s. I’m influenced a lot by her.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“It’s going to take you guys so many showers to clean all of that off.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“My husband and I moved down here a few years ago but I don’t like it. I want to move back to Nantucket.” “Why do you want to move back to Nantucket?” “Well, he’s buried there. He died about five years ago, but I still have dreams about him.” “How long were you two married?” “About 37 years. He was a university professor and he would come home for lunch every day even though he wasn’t supposed to.” “So what made you move to Florida?” “We moved down here because he couldn’t handle the cold.” “Yeah, the cold can be tough.” “Well, the cold isn’t that bad. He didn’t even leave the house very much, so I don’t know what he was complaining about.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What’s the biggest struggle in your life right now?” “Deciding the next chapter in my life. My boyfriend lives in Atlanta and I need to decide if I want to move up there to be with him. I’m just starting to get a clientele as a barber here and I’m not sure if I want to move out there and leave what I have here or not. He’s a barber, too. We met at a barber convention.” “How long have you two been together?” “Since August. I know it’s a big change but I’ve had a lot of bad stuff happen in my life and this is finally something good. Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I wore this at a wedding 34 years ago.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’m from Sao Paulo, Brazil. I’m doing a theme park college exchange for three months.” “What’s a big difference you’ve seen between the U.S. and Brazil?” “Everything here is so easy. Food is already made; it’s easy to get around. Americans seem lazier because everything is so easy. Like, for example, at the park, where I work, people will use wheelchairs to get around the park and they don’t even need them. I’m like, ‘Why are you doing that? What’s wrong with walking?'” Credit: Faces of Orlando
Sunday Best. Credit: Faces of Orlando
“Is there a story behind that tattoo on your arm?” Necklace: “It’s actually just a cover up tattoo.” Beanie: “If you look closely you can see the old tattoo of a girl.” Necklace: “It was a bad tattoo. I got it when I was 14.” “How’d you get your tattoo when you were 14?” Necklace: “I got it done by some guy… in a trailer.” Beanie: “It was a bad decision.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“That squirrel really wants your attention.” “Oh, he wants some food. I feed them all the time.” “Wow, they eat right out of your hand. Do you come here a lot and feed them?” “Yeah, I sit on this bench every day.” “Can you tell some of them apart?” “Yeah, I’ve been feeding them for so long in this spot I can tell the difference between some of them. There’s one guy who is missing an eye. I call him ‘one-eyed Jack’.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What’s the best thing about your daughter?” “She has the most genuine heart. She loves unconditionally. Whether you’re the richest person in the world or the poorest person, she loves everyone.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“This isn’t a Halloween costume. I’m a part of something called Super Joy Riders. It’s where a bunch of us dress up as superheroes and ride bikes and help the community. We hand out sandwiches and volunteer and stuff like that.” “So you just do this in your spare time?” “No, this is my job. I work for the Urban Think Foundation. I get paid to do this kind of stuff.” (Our calendar editor, Brendan O’Connor.) Credit: Faces of Orlando
“What inspires you?” Green sweater: “I’m inspired by writing. It’s usually poetry, mostly, that’s inspiring to me. I read and write a lot of poetry.” Jean jacket: “I’d say helping others learn. I’m a math tutor for younger kids, so when they learn a concept it’s really inspiring.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I sit here almost every day during my lunch break and take photos.” “What do you like to take photos of?” “There’s three things I take photos of: something beautiful, something unusual and something in action.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“We’re dressed up as characters from Vocaloid. It’s like anime but not exactly.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’m the guy that’s usually over at the other booth selling the produce, but I’m doing the pumpkins today.” “How do you get all of it out here?” “We usually wake up around 2:30 a.m. to get out here and set everything up. We’re always the first ones here.” “Wow, that’s a lot of work. So, does farming run in your family?” “Yeah, I’m a fourth generation farmer. I have a farm in Sanford, but my family’s from Ohio. I’m going up there on Wednesday to pick apples to bring back for the market.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“So you want to take a picture of someone taking pictures of someone taking pictures.” (Post interview with Fox 35 WOFL.) Credit: Faces of Orlando
“His name is Pete.” “How long have you been riding?” “I’ve been riding since I was four and I’ve been part of the mounty for four years. It’s a great job. I get to ride horses and meet interesting people.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’ve been riding for a long time. I actually rode with the Hells Angels for a while and another bike gang called the Tribes.” “Did you get all those tattoos while you were in those gangs?” “Pretty much.” “What’s the story behind them?” “Well, this one on my right arm is a rat because they used to call me ‘Rat’ in the gang. I used to catch and skin and sell the hyde and parts of muskrats up north, so I have a few tattoos of rats. This one on my left arm is one of my first tattoos I got. I got it when I was 17.” “What does it mean?” “It means what it says: death is certain.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“You always got to draw. You have to keep you’re third eye open. A lot of adults close their third eye as they get older but when you create art you have to open it.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
Man: “I’m a 6th generation Orlando citizen. My family has been here since the 1800s.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“I’ve met lawyers, doctors, and all kinds of people here on the street who have bought my art. But, you know, money don’t make me. It fills my heart with joy just to know that someone loves my art.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
Left: “I moved here from Chicago for her.” Credit: Faces of Orlando
“This is my wife and my son. I live here but my wife is actually here from China.” “How’d you two meet?” “I was in the Air Force and I was based near China. We met on the Great Wall. I was acting crazy and silly and I caught her attention and… now we’re here.” Credit: Faces of Orlando