Introduction

Hello, my name is Kevin Wisdom and I am a photographer in Oklahoma City who specializes in cemetery photography.  The majority of my shots include gravestones, mausoleums, Gothic-themed churches, and other macabre subject matter.  I love to portray these images in a way that is both unique and unexpected.  In order to accomplish this, I like to shoot at night with long exposures, combine multiple exposures in a process known as High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography, and render photos in black and white as well as Infrared.  I think these techniques give this type of subject matter an added dimension that is both hauntingly beautiful as well as timeless.  Depending on the composition and elements within the image, I try to enhance the overall photograph in such a way as to bring out qualities normally hidden by ordinary color photography.        

The Project

My Kickstarter project is two-fold.  First I need your assistance to finance a photography showing of my work I would like to hold in October.  This will be a Halloween-themed exhibit showing 15-20 examples of my best work detailing many of the Gothic churches and graveyards in the Oklahoma City area.  Your money will go to the professional printing and framing of my photos and any related expenses such as renting a gallery space to hold the show.  

The second part of my project is to create and distribute a hardback book filled with my unique photography.  The book will encompass many more photographs than I plan on displaying during the photo show and will be an accurate representation of my collective work.  In order to accomplish this I plan to create a website where I can distribute both the hardcover book and an eBook version to allow people all over the world to share in my passion and creativity.  The money I collect will allow me to self-publish the book and also start a professional website where I can distribute my artwork.

The Photography

The majority of my photography focuses on cemeteries, gravestones, and mausoleums.  I use various capture methods and post-processing techniques in my work to end up with a final product that evokes what I feel is a very dramatic and moody image.  Even though Oklahoma is not known for its graveyards, we do have some very beautiful and elaborate churches and cemeteries.  The one below was taken at Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City after one of our very infrequent snow falls a couple years ago. 

While all of my photography begins as regular color images, I usually do a lot of post-capture work in order to transform the image into something I believe is more representative of the subject matter.  I am very fond of a process called High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography in which I capture many different versions of the same image and blend them all together in the computer.  The resulting photos are usually very intense, vivid, and dramatic.  Here are some examples of my HDR work.

I am also a big proponent of night photography.  Images taken at night require more forethought and planning because you really have to be able to determine what the image will look like before you take it.  Most of my night images require exposure times of 15-30 minutes or more.  I sometimes will also add lighting effects in order to create a more dramatic effect.

Here is a sample of my black and white photography.

The Timeline

If this project is successful I plan to have the photographs printed and framed in time for a photo showing sometime in October in the Oklahoma City area, hopefully in our historic Paseo Arts District. 

I plan to have the book finished and the rewards distributed by the end of September.

While the website may take a little longer to complete, I hope to have it operational by the end of October. 

The Expenses  

The following list details the projected expenses in order to fully realize all aspects of my project.

• Printing and custom framing of 15-20 photographs - $1500-2000
• Rental space for photography exhibit - $300-500
• Creation of professional website to display my photographs and act as a delivery mechanism for the photo book- $2000
• Professional printing of a hardback book containing examples of my best photography - $800-1000

This project has been a dream of mine for a long time, and with your help I can finally make it a reality! 

Thanks for taking time to visit my project and I really appreciate your support.