And We're Off to a Crawl

I HAVE MY FIRST TWO CONTRIBUTORS!!!!! It feels great, but there is still a lot of ground to cover. I am working on a couple marketing ideas, which should give the fund raising a much needed boost. I just have to fit it all in around the other projects I have going right now.

Remember, I always need contributors and subjects for a photo shoots.

Hope to hear from you soon.

In the Begining

It's off and running. Just a little over two months to raise the money I need to realize my vision, and I am scared. The work and abilities needed to complete the project doesn't frighten me, it's the successful fund raising I'm not so sure about. I'm looking down the barrel of two long months of anxiety.

If any body is looking for a way to help, other than donating of course, what I need most right now is for people to help spread the word. Tell you friends, loved ones, co-workers, strangers, and even your enemy's. The biggest immediate hurdle is having a successful Kickstarter campaign. So if you want to help, use those widgets on the main page, mention it on Facebook, Twitter and any other community you take part of.

Second on the list is subjects. I need to find the subjects of the project and I could desperately use your help in that. Any one you know who might fit the definition of a marginalized American, and would like to take part in this project as a subject in the photos, please steer them my direction.

Don't forget to visit the Kickstarter page and donate.

Fundraising Launched

I did it. I finally got my Kickstarter campaign launched. If you think this project is worthy of a few dollars, or you just want to help a guy out, check out the page and throw in a couple bucks.

Don't forget, I am also still looking for volunteers of all sorts. I need folks to help with fund raising, spreading the word and being subjects. Remember, if you, or anyone you know, would like to participate, please let me know.

Check out the project and donate here.

Onward and Upward/Name Change

So the project is moving forward. I have almost everything written for my Kickstarter page and it's nearly ready to launch. Almost there.

You'll also notice some changes here. I have the "About The Project" page completed. Be sure to check it out. It puts the goal of the project into words. It gives me something concrete to work with.

The other change is the name. After staring at it for so long, it just didn't feel right anymore. I have often heard the phrase, "The piece really took on a life of it's own." Though I'm still convinced that the phrase is horribly over used, I never really knew what that meant until now. In this case the name was just begging to be changed and I was afraid the project would get bogged down if I didn't do so. This project will be henceforth known as the, "American Photo Project." Not an enormous divergence, but an important one.

Looking for Subjects
I am starting the search for willing participants. It will not take much of your time, and I will try to make it as convenient for you as I can. I don't expect any one shoot to take much more than an hour. If you, or anyone you know, are interesting in participating, please do not hesitate to contact me at Jonathonmiller42@gmail.com.

Here We Go

Plug your nose, and close your eyes. We're jumping into the deep end. My proposal got accepted by Kickstarter. I don't know how hard that is, but it's a major score for me so I am going to file it under good news and press forward. Not much up there at the moment as you can plainly see. I began to put pen to paper, as it were, to describe the project, and, well, it's going to take more work than I thought. I assure you, it will be up soon.

In the mean time, send good thoughts and energy my way. I will be launching the actual fund raising campaign in a week or so, and can use all the help I can get.

In the mean time, I really need a good concept picture to share with the likes of would be supporters and potential subjects. If you, or someone you, know would like to take part, please let me know.

Status Update

I finally heard from Kickstarter yesterday. No decision yet, they just needed a little more info. Silly them, they wanted to know what the money was actually going to be spent on. They have the extra info now, so the waiting begins. Again.

I estimate the whole project will cost around $2,500. Like most projects I have attempted in my life, I'm sure I under estimated things. The general rule of thumb for any project is, "It will cost twice as much and take twice as long as you expect." Let's hope not.

I figured since I will be soliciting help from you, dear readers, I should share my estimated costs with you.

Darkroom Rental $50/day X 5-10days = $250-$500
Studio Rental ~$300/day X 3-4days = $900-$1200
Film/Paper/Chemistry/Storage/Transparencies $500-$700
Frames/Mat Board $200-$300
Subject compensation $300-$400 - travel, food

Hopefully this is somewhere in the ballpark. Any thoughts? Can anyone out there help by donating anything on the list?

Kickstarter Submitted

I submitted my project to Kickstarter. So here's hoping. From what the website said, I should be hearing something back this week. If it doesn't work out, I don't know where I am going to get the funding I need. I have had a couple pledges of support for both space and loner equipment, which is a great help. But, I still need money. Their are supplies I will need that will not just show up at the door and I would dearly love to compensate my subjects in some way.

If Kickstarter doesn't work, I'll just have to search for other avenues.

You'll still help out, right? Won't you?