Crowdfund visual journalism - emphas.is

[GSNfan]

"On Emphas.is you are the gatekeeper.
Photojournalists pitch their projects directly to
the public. You get to decide whether a story is
worth doing.

By agreeing to back a story, for a minimum
contribution of $10, you are making sure that
the issues that you care about receive the
in-depth coverage they deserve.

In return you are invited along on the journey.
Photojournalists on Emphas.is agree to enter
into a direct dialogue with their backers,
sharing their experiences and insights
as the creative process unfolds."

http://emphas.is/

 

[Luna]

PJs up!
10char.

 

[user237428934]

When I read this "by traveling from the very south of Chile to the very north of Alaska" I think that I want someone to pay for my vacation too. The other projects sound much more serious.

 

[Luna]

http://www.kickstarter.com/ has some more wacky ones.

 

[richardvanle]

There are some good projects and photojournalists on that site. I'm going to look through the projects more carefully and see if there's any I'd like to help fund.

The state of photojournalism and documentary photography has changed tremendously over the past decade. And now, more than ever, photographers doing serious work should be supported. If it takes site like emphas.is and kickstarter for journalists to do this work, then more power to them.

My only gripe is the name. Emphas.is is TERRIBLE.

 

[Luna]

My only gripe is the name. Emphas.is is TERRIBLE.

haha, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. They need to purchase a few mis-spelled domains around that one.

 

[GSNfan]

I don't see this as the future of still photography. I think crowd-pleasing work is just recycled work and that is the sort of work that will get funded with public donations.

 

[richardvanle]

I don't see this as the future of still photography. I think crowd-pleasing work is just recycled work and that is the sort of work that will get funded with public donations.

The two fully funded projects at Emphas.is are a stories on the Uyghurs in China and Hmong in Laos. I hardly would call these "crowd-pleasing".

 

[Phantomas]

Found out about this site a month ago and jumped straight at it. I'm currently "sponsoring" Kadir's PanAm project but plan to do more. As a matter of fact I'm putting this into my monthly budget, plenty of good projects to support.

 

[starless]

I don't see this as the future of still photography. I think crowd-pleasing work is just recycled work and that is the sort of work that will get funded with public donations.

Absolutely. Photography for the mass public can never be more than just average pictures in a well presented package.

 

[ishpop]

I supported Aaron Huey's project about the Lakota tribe in South Dakota. His TED talk was amazing and I want to see this project grow.

BTW, I am a starving artist. haha.

 

[ishpop]

Absolutely. Photography for the mass public can never be more than just average pictures in a well presented package.

Sarcasm? or am I missing something. This is a sweeping statement.

 

[Phantomas]

I don't see this as the future of still photography. I think crowd-pleasing work is just recycled work and that is the sort of work that will get funded with public donations.

Absolutely. Photography for the mass public can never be more than just average pictures in a well presented package.

Crowd pleasing? Nobody is sponsoring ready-made results, the funding is for concepts that will take shape only after the funding is complete. And from what I see on the site are quite interesting and actual topics.
The surprising things is that there are some quite established and respected photographers on there, eg Kadit van Lohuizen, who's one of the founding members of NOOR.

 

[Phantomas]

When I read this "by traveling from the very south of Chile to the very north of Alaska" I think that I want someone to pay for my vacation too. The other projects sound much more serious.

Yeah, coz documenting migration on both American continents is not serious at all. And the recent documentary movie I saw on this very subject which was quite eye-opening and surprising (to see where we all come from) was also just that - a holiday movie. ..simplistic.

 

[starless]

Sarcasm? or am I missing something. This is a sweeping statement.

So if there was a project saying: "I need money to travel around America for a few years, to purchase 700 rolls of B/W film + processing and to produce a book about the American way of life" how many people do you think would sponsor it?

Any half-baked story in an exotic place, in colorful National Geographic style appeals much more to the general public's taste.

 

[ishpop]

So if there was a project saying: "I need money to travel around America for a few years, to purchase 700 rolls of B/W film + processing and to produce a book about the American way of life" how many people do you think would sponsor it?

Any half-baked story in an exotic place, in colorful National Geographic style appeals much more to the general public's taste.

Maybe that is true, the idea that the general public will gravitate towards a certain style of photography. But, look at the projects, they are for the most part journalistic stories. You said "can never be more than just average pictures", and I suppose if none of these projects get funded on emphas.is, then you will be correct. But so far 2 have reached ful funding, and many of them are making god progress in the 3-4 weeks since launch.

 

[Phantomas]

Yep, sweeping generalization. I'm familiar with several phptographer's work and calling their style crowdpleasing is way off.

 

[user237428934]

Yeah, coz documenting migration on both American continents is not serious at all. And the recent documentary movie I saw on this very subject which was quite eye-opening and surprising (to see where we all come from) was also just that - a holiday movie. ...simplistic.

However serious the topic may be, the short text does not sound so serious to ME. Perhaps the photographer should rework the description.