Dallas photographer captures commuters’ travels in latest art project

Robert Hold hopes to raise $2,000 to help pay his DART fees and later publish a book.

Photo by Robert Hold for "Commuter Life"

DALLAS — Robert Hold is a Dallas-based photographer on a mission: to photograph everyday Dallas residents like you and me. His newest project, “Commuter Life,” involves photographing residents riding on the DART. However, in order to fully embark on his journey, Hold needs help from his friends and fans.

Hold has created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $2,000 by February 12, 2011. This money will go towards ticket fares, and, eventually, toward the publishing of a book based on his experiences with “Commuter Life.” The concept is to “ride all day and find some fleeting moments that I don’t normally have the chance to capture,” he said. The project focuses on the day-to-day life of people who rely on the public transportation system to get them to countless places – home, work, stores, nightlife.

It seems Hold is truly passionate about exposing the reality of regular people, and he wants to bring humanity to life through his book. “Many of us at one time or another … for any reason whatsoever use public transportation. Many times we meet interesting people,” he said. “Some turn into business contacts, friends, lovers, or just someone to talk to for the duration of your ride. The premise of this project is to show what the day-to-day life is like while using the public transit system.”

After serving five years in the Air Force, Hold is now a veteran working as a tech support agent, but his Air Force experience has a great influence on his projects. Hold says, “(The Air Force) has shaped my work through allowing me to observe the minute details of day to day life that help in choosing what, who, when, and where I take a photo.”

Photo by Robert Hold for "Commuter Life"

Hold has been doing photography for several years, including a recent project where he shot an exposition series on social addiction. The series can be found on his Deviantart page entitled “Addictions.” The series was also displayed for a fashion/art show a few years ago in Dallas.

Interestingly, this is not Hold’s first Kickstarter project. His last Kickstarter project, “Human Study-Self Hate,” didn’t meet the target goal of $3,000. The outcome of that project influenced the idea behind “Commuter Life,” and Hold decided to focus his attention on a project that people could relate to on an everyday basis. He also plans to market this project differently.

“(With the last project), I did not talk to my friends, I did not have photos to reference with what I was doing, and overall, it was my first shot in the dark,” he said. “I also believe my goal wasn't met because I set it too high and I don't believe the topic for that project was well received, either.”

When all is said and done, if Hold doesn’t meet his goal, his backup plan is to post the details of his project on his sites, link them to individual friends and family members, and set up a Pay Pal account.

Hold says, “All I can do is adjust what I am doing and move forward to achieve my goal, and see what the next day brings in terms of this project.”