POV 2017-2018

Last fall, I started what I’m calling a “Point of View” project. I was inspired by Matthew McVickar, who mailed a disposable camera from Massachusetts to Hawaii. His camera, taped to a piece of cardboard, invited postal employees to take a picture and wind the wheel for the next person. While Matthew’s project resulted in an interesting examination of how the US Postal Service works. I also remember being in the first grade and doing the Flat Stanley Project, where you mail a “Flat Stanley” to someone far away and they sent back a collection of photographs of Stanley’s experience in the new place. The project was developed by Dale Hubert who wanted to get children further interested in learning about new places. Inspired by these two projects, I started to consider what the possibilities may be of sending someone a disposable camera in the mail, where, instead of seeing the perspective of a drawing, I’d be able to gage the perspective of the photographer. Excited by the possibilities of what could happen, I sent out 20 disposable cameras loaded with Kodak Gold 800 to various friends and acquaintances, using social media as a reference.
The goals for the project were as follows:
1.) To put film photography in the hands of more people.
2.) To get a better understanding of a person’s lifestyle and aesthetic.
3.) To use social media in a way that allowed for more personal connection.
4.) To compile a single photographic collection of perspectives that show the differences and many similarities of people, as expressed in their photography.
Presented here is the final project, while at the bottom of this page is an extended collection of photographs from the project.