Crowdfunding takes off

Phantomas

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Despite of all the negativity assosiated with crowdfunding (particularly on this forum) it seems it's doing well and there's enough interest from the public. Despite people accusing it of being populist, non-personal and even incapable of delivering worthy work, I see a lot of brilliant work and projects popping up through emphas.is and kickstarter. I've been curiously participating (as a donating party) in crowdfunding project for a couple of months and was pleasantly surprised to see many, if not majority, of projects to successfuly achieve their targets and take off.
What is also interesting is I see more and more established and well known photogs participating. Here's the latest example, the guy that a lot of you seem to love:

The Black Garden Project by........ :)


But of course, as many of you would argue, we're just paying for his lush vacation back and forth :D
 
I think the whole crowdfunding idea is great and I'm curious to see where it's going. The question is whether or not the current success can be attributed to the novelty factor. Also, I wonder what happens if the number of project continues to grow and whether it reaches a point where the viewer will be overwhelmed by all the options.
 
I think the whole crowdfunding idea is great and I'm curious to see where it's going. The question is whether or not the current success can be attributed to the novelty factor. Also, I wonder what happens if the number of project continues to grow and whether it reaches a point where the viewer will be overwhelmed by all the options.

Actually, for this exact reason I prefer emphas.is. Admittedly I haven't dived deep inough into kickstart, but emphas.is keep the projects to a minimum and seem to be quite selective. At least these sites do not seem open to every John Doe who's looking to fund his cat photography. All projects there are photojourno and serious story related.
 
Actually, for this exact reason I prefer emphas.is. Admittedly I haven't dived deep inough into kickstart, but emphas.is keep the projects to a minimum and seem to be quite selective. At least these sites do not seem open to every John Doe who's looking to fund his cat photography. All projects there are photojourno and serious story related.

Yeah, some sort of selection process is necessary for this kind of thing. Good to hear that emphas.is does that.
The question about the novelty factor remains, though, and only time will tell.
 
But of course, as many of you would argue, we're just paying for his lush vacation back and forth :D

:D I remember that discussion we had. My complaint was that one guy had a non professional presentation of his project and you could easily think of a vacation project. I think it was a somewhat different funding platform and they did not have much place for describing the project when I remember right.

The presentation of Jason Eskenazi is absolutely professional and I liked the motivational video. No doubt that this is absolutely serious.
 
:D I remember that discussion we had. My complaint was that one guy had a non professional presentation of his project and you could easily think of a vacation project. I think it was a somewhat different funding platform and they did not have much place for describing the project when I remember right.

The presentation of Jason Eskenazi is absolutely professional and I liked the motivational video. No doubt that this is absolutely serious.


:D
Non professional? It's this project (link). I fail to see how his presso can be considered "unprofessional" even compared to Eskenazi's. The guy described what he plans to do in writing and in video. I don't know if his English as a second language might be considered unprofessional, but in my eyes the guy has done enough to present his plan in line, or better, than other similar projects, given the audience and space. If someone wants to know more... well, I guess we'll have to wait and see the portfolio or work in progress, which by the way I have an opportunity to follow, because I sponsored the project :)
 
:D
Non professional? It's this project (link). I fail to see how his presso can be considered "unprofessional" even compared to Eskenazi's. The guy described what he plans to do in writing and in video. I don't know if his English as a second language might be considered unprofessional, but in my eyes the guy has done enough to present his plan in line, or better, than other similar projects, given the audience and space. If someone wants to know more... well, I guess we'll have to wait and see the portfolio or work in progress, which by the way I have an opportunity to follow, because I sponsored the project :)

Can't remember seeing a video back then. But he got the money. Let's see what comes out.
 
Also, I'm afraid there will always be a certain bias towards some projects. As I said, in my mind there was very little difference between how Kadir Lohuizen and Eskenazi presented their projects (other than of course being different people with different charisma and different projects to present). Yet, people seem to imidiatelly validate Eskenazi's, while the same people ripped on crowdfunding in general (I don't mean you personally Tom). I don't want to jump to conclusions, but could it be because Eskenazi is famous and everybody's darling? Actually Kadir's just as established - one of the founding members of NOOR.
Judging based on a 5 min video and a short snippet of text is difficult. The way I do it I check the projects and if they catch my attention I research photog and their work further. If I can assosiate with their work, I will consider funding. I pay attention to the descriptions on the site only as intro.
I've had many dissapointing encounters in my life where I would discover creators of my favourite music, literature, art, photography in a different, more personal light and would be utterly dissapointed because they would be stupid, or lacking charisma that their art would otherwise project. That's why I don't try to pay attention to the person behind the art as much as I pay attention to art itself.
 
To me this is another variation to the artist - patron relationships in the Renaissance era.
Except for the multiplicity of the funders, of course.
It'd be interesting if this mechanism will somehow allow some input to the artists on how the project progresses from the funders?
 
It'd be interesting if this mechanism will somehow allow some input to the artists on how the project progresses from the funders?

Actually, it does exist, only I wouldn't dare to interfere :) Most of the projects grant you "backstage pass" where the photog uploads his/her work in progress. I'm actually already viewing photos from a couple of projects I've helped funding.
 
"backstage pass"

I think that pretty much narrows down the whole crowdfunding phenomenon... For example in one of those sites if you pay $300 you get 'time alone with the artist' and workshops. Which is ironic because when it comes the time for you to do a project after learning so much you'd have to ask for crowdfunding as well, unless you're one of those rich amateurs who travel the world and take photos.
 
I think that pretty much narrows down the whole crowdfunding phenomenon... For example in one of those sites if you pay $300 you get 'time alone with the artist' and workshops. Which is ironic because when it comes the time for you to do a project after learning so much you'd have to ask for crowdfunding as well, unless you're one of those rich amateurs who travel the world and take photos.

Ummm... and?... Noone HAS TO sponsor anything. And as far as spending money on funding other photogs instead of your own work, I look at it this way - I pay the money to sponsor the photogs instead of buying another "camera bag", so my photography budget is not affected, just the silly things budget.

And why "narrows down"? You pay you get something special in return. Once the project is complete non-participating public will be able to view it as well.
 
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Ummm... and?... Noone HAS TO sponsor anything. And as far as spending money on funding other photogs instead of your own work, I look at it this way - I pay the money to sponsor the photogs instead of buying another "camera bag", so my photography budget is not affected, just the silly things budget.

And why "narrows down"? You pay you get something special in return. Once the project is complete non-participating public will be able to view it as well.

There is nothing wrong with crowdfunding a photographer to go and photograph poor and starving people, because paying directly to those poor and starving people is so without any backstage passes and free time with artists...

Lets get real, spend your money on a worthy cause that helps someone who actually need the money, not some photographer down on his luck who's unwilling to shoot close to home and have a day job.
 
There is nothing wrong with crowdfunding a photographer to go and photograph poor and starving people, because paying directly to those poor and starving people is so without any backstage passes and free time with artists...

Lets get real, spend your money on a worthy cause that helps someone who actually need the money, not some photographer down on his luck who's unwilling to shoot close to home and have a day job.


I believe that everyone is (or, at least, should be) free to spend their money however they please, whether it be serious spending or funny spending.

If you don't like McDonald's, don't berate people who spend money on McDonald's. If you don't like the Red Cross because it's not your color, don't berate people who send money to the Red Cross. If you don't like anything, don't berate them just because you thought of something "better".

It's one thing to have an opinion, and another to wag your finger at those who have a different opinion just because it's not something you would do.

So, "let's get real" and let's not presume that there is only one way to help people. Exposure, awareness...it's all a contribution. This is a ridiculous and patronizing reduction of a very gargantuan and complex issue, and certainly any contempt for "not serious" or "not getting real" photography projects that you don't agree with isn't really contributing anything positive to anything.
 
There is nothing wrong with crowdfunding a photographer to go and photograph poor and starving people, because paying directly to those poor and starving people is so without any backstage passes and free time with artists...

Lets get real, spend your money on a worthy cause that helps someone who actually need the money, not some photographer down on his luck who's unwilling to shoot close to home and have a day job.

I do not come from school of thought that "photojournalism accomplishes nothing". So indirectly communities photographed also gain benefit by getting exposure. I'm doing this to learn about topics interesting to me from the sources I find appropriate. I'm not interested in photogs background and given the tough situation in photojourno profesion choose to support them in this way.
 
I have become a believer in direct funding of specific projects that I believe worthwhile. I no longer have to worry about how much of my contribution goes to fund raising and administrative costs. Most importantly, the decision about what to fund is mine alone.

I am interested in projects where the photographer has already made a substantial personal commitment of time and money and needs funding to complete. Sarah Hoskins' "Homeplace", a project that I and many RFF'ers financially supported, is a good example. She invested 11 years in traveling and photographing but needed funding to make exhibition prints for historical purposes.

I am not inclined to financially support someone going on an extended trip to photograph. But that is just me.
 
By the way, I initially did not notice your patronizing tone. Doing it for "backstage passes"? How do you know what I or other people do it for or whats our motivation. Don't ass-ume too much there buddy.
 
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