"Morin says he's lifting 'the screen of social media"

There can be no doubt that Facebook users love to connect with old friends without having to meet them face-to-face, but one man has vowed  personally while spirited the trend by meeting and photographing all 788 of his friends  half of whom he's never even met.

Moreover, Ty Morin believes our social media-driven society has weakened the bonds between individuals by making it too easy to brush off old friends or quickly connect without having real conversation.

In fact, in order to change this, or at least demonstrate that there is an alternative, the Connecticut man has decided to personally meet each of his nearly 800 online pals. That's not all, Morin intends to photograph each of the men and women who grace his Facebook feed while they do what they do best.

It,s all about passion...

Morin explains his intentions, which include a documentary film of the project dubbed 'Friend Request Accepted,' on his Kickstarter campaign fundraising page.

Morin writes that the idea is to capture everyone doing something they are passionate about, while filming the whole process and he want to sit down with everyone and witness what gets their blood pumping. While those passions include fighting fires and sculpting with fire, modern dance, and weight lifting, among many others.

Interestingly, Morin freely admits "at least half of those 788 people, [he's] never even spoken to".

Nevertheless, Morin won't be quickly snapping a few digital photos of his subjects.

The filmmaker/photographer with his extraordinary passion...

To say more, while going parallel with his analog approach to personal connection, the filmmaker/photographer will be snapping shots using an old-fashioned 8X10 camera.

Morin writes that the process of shooting with this camera is long and hectic and that it can be a pain sometimes, but it also allows him to spend time with these people. In fact, each portrait takes about an hour to complete.

What a confidence...

So how long will a project that aims to photograph 788 geographically dispersed people, all doing what they love, take?

Morin expresses his plan while he writes that his plan to take five new portraits every week and it will take approximately three years. Morin’s original fundraising goal for the filming, photographing, and travel expenses amounted to $5,000.

Quiet interestingly, with nine days left to donate, 212 backers had pledged well over double that with an impressive $12,500.

Even with the extra money, Morin’s goal is a lofty one. But he remains confident.

He promises donors...

"I'll roll with the punches," he promises donors, "making this my number one priority until it's Sundance material".

On the other hand, Morin’s Facebook friend count has risen right along with the popularity of his project.

Amazingly, it has quickly risen from 788 to over 1,200!

That's an outstanding display of creativity and passion!

Image source: Facebook search

(AW:Samrat Biswas)