American Photo Project

Art Walk

2010-10-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Artwalk went well. I handed out a number of cards and talked to a lot of people. Didn't sell any prints, but that's okay. I spread the word about the "American Photo Project". To those of you I met yesterday, thank you for making it out. I had a lot of fun meeting everyone. Thank you for taking the time to check out the "American Photo Project", and thank you in advance for any donations you can make.

First Confirmation

2010-10-06T20:58:00.001-07:00

I have my first confirmed subject. I have a Wal-Mart employee who is willing to get in front of the camera wearing his Wal-Mart uniform. I am excited. I worked retail for a large portion of my life, and I can tell you that in general, retail employees are very much marginalized. Customers often look down on them because, well, they work retail. They don't get paid very much and are there for less important. They are even marginalized by their employers. Wal-Mart pays so little, that their employees often qualify for welfare benefits. Wal-Mart, the marginalization is practiced from the top down. The end employees, the ones who do all the dirty work, just don't matter. They are replaceable and there for do not derserve the same treatment as the corporate employees. In other retail environments, the marginalization is not necessarily encouraged, but there is very little done to stop it. I know from my personal experience that expectations are placed on the end employees based solely on what the numbers say and do nothing to take into account the human element, or even reality. The employees in these situations are terrified to raise any issues to upper management, and the government does little to protect the employee.

So, one subject confirmed, and only 23 days of fund raising left to go. If you have been considering it, now is the time to make the decision. Time is ticking away and I need the help. Please help me tell the story

Appeal for Help

2010-10-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

I spent last night appealing to other bloggers for help. I guess I will just have to wait and see what fruits that will yield. I think I am so freaked out about funding because I believe in this project so deeply, and I want to get it out there in the world as quickly as possible. I'm sure there are enough folks out there who believe in equal rights for all Americans to help make this work. I just have to find enough that have a few extra dollars to part with. Any, and all help is appreciated. To help financially, just click on the Kickstarter link to the right. The big white box. To volunteer to get in front of the camera, just email me.

Posters Risin'

2010-10-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Some headway has been made. I have posters approved to hang at the local college and will be getting them up tomorrow. I have hung some at a local library, and will be posting more around the surrounding towns. Hopefully this will lead to getting a few more photo subjects signed up. Now, all I have to do is sit back and wait for the phone to calls to begin pouring in. Right? That's the way this all works, isn't it?

I wish.

That's why I need to help. To further this my vision, highlighting the marginalized American, I am going to need help. Please take a second to share this project with your friends and family. Post it on your Facebook, tweet about it on Twitter. I really need the help.

As always, feel free to contact me if you would like to participate.

Time's a Tickin'

2010-10-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't been real active on projects lately. Family tragedy will do that. However, I am back at it. I have flyers to post at the college to help round up some photo subjects and my Kickstarter fund raising clock is ticking a way. A lot faster than I would like. I have also received a call from my first real life photo subject. I will hopefully get to schedule a shoot with him in the next couple weeks. It's getting exciting. And scary. Not sure where the money will come from if the fund raising isn't successful, but I'll dig it up somewhere. If you can spare it, click on the Kickstarter link over to the right and donate a few dollars. It will be well spent.

In other news, I will be at Livermore's ArtWalk next Saturday, October 9th. I will be at ABC music, 2156 1st St. Feel free to stop by and check out some of my work. Maybe chat about the American Photo Project a little.

Hope to see you there.

And We're Off to a Crawl

2010-08-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

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?

Work Continues

2010-07-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

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.