Theron Humphrey has become an online and Instagram sensation for his documentary online project “This Wild Idea,” with no little thanks to pictures of his dog Maddie.
A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Humphrey and Maddie traveled the country for “This Wild Idea,” interviewing and photographing a different person every day for a year. That meant 365 interviews, 66,000 miles traveled and all 50 states visited. Humphrey chronicled his interviews on his “This Wild Idea” website. For the project, Humphrey was named a 2012 Traveler of the Year by National Geographic.
Now, he is on a book tour to promote his book, "Maddie On Things: A Super Serious Project About Dogs and Physics," a collection of whimsical photos he took of his coonhound companion during their year on the road.
Humphrey’s tour is stopping in Atlanta at 1 p.m. Saturday at FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock and 7 p.m. on April 4 at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. Humphrey chatted about the whys and hows of his trip.
Q: What gave you the inspiration for “This Wild Idea?”
A: I had a corporate photography job for a couple of years. I was getting really burned out on that. I wanted to make work where I could wake up one morning and I made something. I took a risk. This was hard. I wanted to create a work I was proud of.
Also, I went to North Carolina around that time to photograph my granddad. It was refreshing to make work for myself. When I went back, he had passed away. So all the images I took became more valuable because I couldn’t go photograph him again. I thought, what if I went out and gave other people around the country that same gift? The idea I tell people is this: What if there was a box sitting on your doorstep of your mom when she was 18, that someone had spent time recording her life. Wouldn’t you want to go look at those photographs and listen to the audio?
Q: Can you tell us about how you got Maddie and what is your relationship with her?
A: Maddie was a rescue from the Cobb County Animal Shelter. Right before I started traveling, I wanted a dog. I loved John Steinbeck and "Travels with Charley." I needed a companion on my road trip across America.
I feel so blessed she came into my life. It was an amazing year, but there was a lot of loneliness and solitude. She was always there with me. I started photographing Maddie with my iPhone for a different project and put them on Instagram. Then I wanted to remember my companion and the truck we traveled in, so I put her on the roof of my truck. She stood still. I thought it was amazing. That’s how it got started, really humble organic beginnings. I wondered what else I could put her on.
Q: You have a new group you are working with called Why We Rescue. What are you doing with the organization?
A: We are going to all 50 states. In every state we are going to document and tell one person's story, to show their everyday life. It is a photo still documentary combined with audio. Its goal is show that shelter cats and dogs are not second class companions. They are great. We want to show what that looks like in everyday life. It is in the same spirit as "This Wild Idea."
Q: Do you have any funny stories from your travels?
A: Life on the road is a lot different. We had to stop on a dirt road to rest and Maddie ran off into a cow field. When she came back, she was covered in cow manure from rolling on the ground. I thought, oh my gosh Maddie, you smell horrible. I was 30 miles from nowhere with this disgusting dog. I found a house that looked pretty nice and had a Volkswagen van in the backyard. I just knocked on the door and 10 minutes later I was giving her a bath in the front yard. The trip was about being open, flexible, and appreciating the unknown.
For more information: MaddieOnTour.com
