Theron Humphrey
Theron Humphrey is the photographer behind This Wild Idea, sharing road trips, everyday stories and life with dogs, from his years with Maddie to new adventures with Wilson.
At 100 nudges, fangea sends Theron’s team an official invite.
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Latest
Theron’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Abrams Image
Overview
- From
- Coastal North Carolina
- Work
- Photographer, storyteller and author
- Education
- M.F.A. in photography, Savannah College of Art and Design, 2007
- Breakout
- This Wild Idea and photographs of Maddie balancing on things
Mini bio
Where it began.
Theron grew up on the North Carolina coast, spending time on his grandfather’s farm. He earned an M.F.A. in photography at SCAD in 2007 and later worked in a commercial photo studio in Idaho.
Out on the road.
In August 2011, he left studio work behind for This Wild Idea: a year of meeting someone new each day and recording their story in photographs and audio. He visited all 50 states, and National Geographic named him a 2012 Traveler of the Year.
Maddie changes the picture.
He adopted Maddie from a Georgia shelter before the trip. Photographing her on his truck grew into a playful series of balancing portraits, which found an audience on Instagram and Tumblr and became Maddie on Things. His later work included the Purina ONE shelter-pet project Why We Rescue and a second Maddie book.
The next chapter.
After Maddie died in July 2025, Theron shared his grief publicly. In February 2026, he shared a Tucson house tour and welcomed a new dog, Wilson, who now appears in his posts.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2017Maddie Lounging on ThingsAuthor and photographer
- 2013Maddie on ThingsAuthor and photographer
Photography projects
- 2013Why We RescuePhotographer and storyteller, with Purina ONE
- 2011–2012This Wild IdeaCreator and photographer
Awards
Quotes
My calling is to have meaningful relationships with people, and that’s enough.Theron Humphrey, The Great Discontent
From his September 16, 2014 interview: https://thegreatdiscontent.com/interview/theron-humphrey/
Trivia
- He is an Eagle Scout, something he says helped him land his studio job at Coldwater Creek.
- His early Maddie photographs were made on an iPhone, while This Wild Idea portraits used a Canon 5D Mark II.
- A friend’s challenge inspired the photograph of Maddie standing on four soup cans.
Find Theron
Follow Theron’s photographs, travels and life with Wilson.
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