about 0 to 100+
0 to 100+ is my (ongoing) attempt to collect and assemble the faces and wisdom of a wide variety of people from every age. Originally I assumed it would be interesting to see how different four people at the same age could look and think. As the project has developed I’ve been pleasantly shocked by the depth and variety of knowledge that everyone shared. Find out even more below.
more about 0 to 100+
what is 0 to 100+?
0 to 100+ is a long term photography project that looks at what people look like and what they think at different points in life. I find roughly 4 different people of each age (from age 0 to 100+), ask them the same 10 questions and take a portrait of them. This website represents the 360+ portraits and 3600+ answers I’ve collected so far.
who are the people?
In short they are humans who volunteered to and share their thoughts with me. They are from different countries, and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, races, jobs, interests. Some are people I’ve spent my life with and others are people I’ve only spent 10 minutes with. Many are connected to each other while most have never even heard of one another. One of the only things that connects them all together is that they are part of 0 to 100+.
can i or someone i know join 0 to 100+?
Maybe! If you or someone you know happens to be one of the ages I still need on the join page please reach out by filling out the form or sending an email with your age and location. I’ve already traveled many miles for this project and would be happy to travel more (especially for older participants).
How did you take the photos?
I wanted to photos to accurately portray the person in front of me in a straightforward but compelling way. With that in mind I decided to use a “standard” or “normal” lens which is similar to how our own eyes view the world. I also used a very shallow depth of field which allowed me to bring focus to the eyes and blur nearly everything else in the image. Specifically I used the Canon 6D and later/currently a Canon 5D Mark IV along with the Canon EF 50mm 1.2L lens. Photos were processed to match the actual conditions in Adobe Lightroom with low/no image alteration.
What is the toughest part of 0 to 100+?
Without a doubt, the toughest part has been and still is finding enough people at each age who would like to join the project. The process of finding people of the right age, making sure they are interested and arranging a time to interview and photograph them has been challenging, frustrating, time consuming, interesting and rewarding, sometimes all at the same time. When you add that this project represents people in and from different countries with different cultures and means of communication, just getting to meeting and photos is the majority of the work.
who created 0 to 100+?
I did! My name is Ahamed Iqbal, a human photographer currently based in Seattle, Washington. You can find out more about me near the bottom of the page.
how did you come up with the questions?
I put a lot of thought into crafting the questions for 0 to 100+. My challenge was to make questions that were simple enough for children to understand but also broad enough to allow for deeper answers. The questions reflect many things I wonder about often in my own life. The answers I’ve received have allowed me to learn new and often enlightening views on life from a variety of perspectives.
when will 0 to 100+ be completed?
That’s a very good question. The project itself is approaching its 5th birthday and I myself have been wondering when it will be complete. My initial goal was to have every age from 0 to 100 represented by at least 4 unique individuals (for example 4 people who are 78 years old). As I expected I’ve found it more challenging to find people of higher ages who are able and interested in participating. It should also be no surprise that COVID has increased the difficulty in connecting with anyone, especially older people. Despite all this, the project is still more than 80% complete and I’m hopeful to move steadily forward each day.
what are your favorite answers?
I have more far more favorite answers than I can list here. Instead I chose 5-10 of my favorite answers for each question and put them in italics.
what do you enjoy about the process?
In no particular order here’s what I enjoy about the process:
Connecting with friends, family and complete strangers across the United States and the world
Successfully Navigating different cultures/cities/logistics/schedules
Being proven completely wrong in my assumption of how a person would answer a question
Seeing the final image of a person and realizing that I was able to freeze a single moment in time while also capturing how they responded to me in that moment
Having the opportunity to meet so many different from so many different backgrounds and experiences and to connect with them on a deeper level than I thought possible
Being personally exposed to joys and challenges that come with every age
what is the goal of 0 to 100+?
I believe that there is something special and valuable about each age of life. I want to capture the beauty and wisdom that is present at different stages of life and see how different people represent the same age. My goal is that by seeing these various ages, the viewer feels hope for the years ahead in their own lives and fond memories of years past.
when did 0 to 100+ start?
After months of planning, 0 to 100+ officially started in the summer of 2016. It’s currently in progress and you (or someone you know) can join by contacting me here.
what do you want people to learn or feel from 0 to 100+?
While I’m sure people will absorb and experience 0 to 100+ in a variety of ways, my hope is that they see their own pasts and futures in the people and ideas they see. I hope that the thoughtfulness and wisdom of strangers of every age gives them a new perspective on the life we all share but experience on our own. Remember your past as you see a younger person, see how others are at your current age and imagine your future relative to those older than you.
what’s next for 0 to 100+?
The next stage of 0 to 100+ is for me to connect with more people who want to join the project. After I finish that phase (photos and answers of at least 4 people of every age from 0 to 100), my hope is to create a book that displays the faces and answers that you see on this website. Keep updated with the progress of 0 to 100+ by signing up for updates or connecting through social media.
what about COVID?
Despite the serious challenges created by the pandemic and the incredible difficulty its created in meeting and connecting with people I’m hopeful for better days ahead. While nearly all of my images were taken before the pandemic, I am still actively working on finding new people for 0 to 100+. My focus is on making sure that I keep anyone who participates in 0 to 100+ is safe and comfortable doing so and I’m happy to what it takes to accomplish this. If you or anyone you know is interested in participating I’d be happy to discuss specifics by contacting me through the join page.
about ahamed
above is th
e only photograph
on this website that I didn’t personally take and the credit goes to my completely wonderful wife Robyn
age: 39.92
what is the best age? 6, because you start realizing how amazing the world is without knowing all the problems
when do people become old? when they stop trying to improve
What makes you sad? people expecting or receiving things they don’t deserve (whether good or bad)
What makes you happy? creating something remarkable from the everyday whether it’s art, an object, a friendship or a memory
What is the best place in the world? the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii
What do you love? genuine, deep and significant human connections
What is next for you? writing a book or two (in addition to the one I’m planning for 0 to 100+)
What is life about? Extracting as much sustainable joy as you can from life without being a jerk in the process
Hello and thank you for visiting!
I’m currently a 40 year old human man with one wife, and twice as many kids.
I was born in South India (Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu) and I currently live in the Washington DC area. In between I’ve called a variety of places home including Seattle, Birmingham (Alabama), Philadelphia, Santa Clara (California), Paris and Hawaii at different times in my life. Along the way I’ve been a student at many levels, worked in retail, in finance, as a lawyer and as a photographer. I’ve also had the good fortune to travel to so many interesting places around the world that I find it hard to believe.
The best thing to come from my jobs, interests and travels is definitely the ability to meet and connect with so many amazing people. Through my time with them, I’ve been able to experience a small part of their unique stories.
I’ve always been fascinated by how people look and think and since it’s not socially acceptable to stare at them, photography has given me the ability to capture them in a moment of time. I’ve always wanted to take this interest and capture a series or group of photos that tell a story. 0 to 100+ combines my interest in people and the mystery that surrounds the process of aging.
It is my sincere hope that through 0 to 100+ that you are able to benefit from seeing and reading about a small slice of humanity. May it prompt your own journey to explore why we’re on this giant space rock together and what we’re here for.
Thanks for stopping by and please connect if you’d like to stay updated.
-Ahamed