Christy: Final Proposal

My proposal is for a photo walk, magazine-like publication, and gallery/ display space.

As I am moving back home and back into the community that I came from, I thought this would be a good way to get reintegrated and to reform the relationships that I left behind.

It’s been hard to find and keep a photo community during my time here. I think this project would provide me not only the chance to get back into one, but to keep one active. There’s just something about going out and giving yourself a schedule to take photos, but without having to think, or for them to have to answer to something in particular. It ends up being a refreshing process and a recharging one.

A photo walk is a great way to develop a friendly community in the ever-competitive world of photography.

The walk times could vary between day and night, but we would ideally meet up a few times a month. At least 2? But more would be great.

We could potentially create a theme for the week or something to inspire where the imagery would come from. We would also need a way of determining where to take our photos that day as there are plenty of good meeting spots! Perhaps we switch off choosing?

Throughout my time in photo communities, I have always noticed a strange vibe to them in which some people want to keep their skills or knowings a secret. This is especially true when dealing with personal practice and images.

This photo walk proposal provides the opportunity to break this up and bring people together over a common theme.

I feel as though this would be different from other walks because I want it to keep going. I would like to produce some sort of publication, produced quarterly (magazine, zine, book), to keep the documentary and street photography aspect thriving.

This is also a great way to keep track of the history and ever changing streets of Vegas. There is always something someone else sees that you haven’t.

There are some photo walks that already happen, some of which I have participated in.

Scott Kelby, a big photo guy, hosts a world wide one where everyone goes out on one day all over the world. I have participated in that one, one with my school, and one more that I can’t remember right now. I was also a member of a class at the community college, called The Las Vegas Document, which was structured similarly to this.

Lastly, I would like to have some sort of permanent space to display the images. This will not only provide a great display and tourist attraction, but it will give photographers the ability to come in and work in a gallery-like setting. It will also bring people from outside of a photo community into one. The downtown, First Friday scene would be a great venue for something like this.

Why is this different? We will produce a publication, have a space to display the imagery, keep it going, and stay connected once a walk is over.

It’s also a way of taking a popular, every-day activity of taking photos on the strip etc. and making it something more than that.

In fact, the image that got me to SNC was taken on one of these adventures: