Work Continues

I enjoy having family visit, but I never seem to get any work done while they're around. While my mom was here we had a great time, including the sad things we had to do, but she has gone home and it's time to get back to work.

Tonight I will be working on my Kickstarter proposal and will hopefully have things posted tomorrow. You know, ready for people to donate money to the cause.

Hint . . .
Hint . . .

It won't take a whole lot, but it is still a lot more than I have available. I am hoping that the timeliness of the project (read Arizona's asinine new laws) will spark not only enough interest to fulfill funding, but will inspire the debate I am hoping to insight.

Here's hoping.

Funding

Right now I am deciding what I am going to do for an actual concept shot. You know, to make things cleaner, to give the impression I want it to give. My mom's in town for the week, so the actual shooting is temporarily on hold. Don't worry; I'll get to it soon.

The other issue in front of me is funding. I don't know where I'm going to come up with the money this is going to cost. If I could, I would pay for it out of pocket, but that just is not an option. I think that it is going to cost somewhere in the $3,000 neighborhood. That number seems even bigger written out than it does when you say it.

I think that my most viable option to solicit the funding is through Kickstarter. They are exactly what folks in my position need. I think I am going to look around a bit first and see if there are any other options out there, just to cover my bases.

Does anybody out there have any experience working with Kickstarter. I'd love to hear what your experiences were.

In the mean time, I think I am going to start with an artist statement for the project. I know that's a little backwards compared to how most artists work, but I was a writer first and I think this will serve as a road map to help maintain my vision.

Concept

I decided to share my concept shot. It needs a lot of help, but remember this is just to test the concept. I'm pretty happy with it. I have shared it with a few people and encountered a wide range of reactions from, "I love it" to losts of criticism and suggestions to tone it down or make it more dramatic, play with lighting . . . Lots of input. In most cases, whatever the reaction is, it's pretty passionate. That tells me I'm on the right track.

Now, I know that the flag needs ironed and there is a pretty gnarly shadow in the background, this is a quick shot with an on camera flash. The subject doesn't exactly look like she fits outside of what most people think of as an American. She is, however, part Native American. When this is presented together with different subjects of various races, colors and creeds the impact will be striking. Keep in mind the text is in the subject's hand, and I am hoping to find subjects that can write the same phrase in their native language.

Again, I know this photo needs help, but I would love to hear comments from anyone willing to offer them. Especially if one of those comments is that you would like to take part in the project.

Strike One

Attempted an initial shoot last night to test the theory. My poor wife. She acts as assistant, model, muse, teacher and critic without complaint. I drug my wife in front of the back drop once again to try some test shots, after she helped me set up of course. I wanted to get something out quick so I just bounced my flash off the ceiling instead of setting up my hot lights. I should have set up the hot lights. Even with the bounce, the shadow in the piece was unbearable. I'm still playing with it and will share when I am done, but there will be another shoot coming soon.

In good news, it looks pretty good, except for the horrible shadow of course. I think think the concept is solid and I think it is going to work well.

New Project

Welcome to the home of the "I am an American" project. This concept was born out of the realities that some Americans struggle with every day. Primarily, being accepted as Americans. The civil rights struggle began fifty years ago in the South, but it is still being fought every day. Across the country. Even today, where words such as "acceptance" and "understanding" are common place, Americans are still looked down upon because they look different, or talk different than the rest of us. Interesting note; I'm white and live in California and I sound different when I speak than my relatives from the Mid-West.

I hope a great deal of people find this blog, read it and keep up with the project.

First things first, I need to test the concept. My idea is to shoot it using traditional processes, with the phrase, "I am an American," across the photo in the subjects own hand. When possible, in their native language. I plan to shoot everything in the studio, when I can find one I can use, and display an American flag behind the subject. I know it's ambitious, but no one ever made a difference being timid.

Please check back for updates on the progress of the project.