Unique conceptual photography transcended into fashionable accessories.
Professionally I’m
known as a photographer, teacher and author. I recently had a design concept wanting to use photographs to create extraordinary totes, medium size carryall clutches and small zip pouches. I began to work using high concept photography to play with surfaces and illusion.
How sunlight glances across a surface has always been of great interest to me.
I started looking at the amazing turf of cowhides, the musculature of thoroughbred horses, the feathers of ostriches and the subtle translucency of butterfly wings and the bodies of peacocks. I wanted to celebrate the beauty of surfaces using detailed and realistic photography that has caused some to remark that you almost want to pet the bags. This particular collection is appropriately labeled Surfaces.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Process
I assembled a team to collaborate on this project with me. These included a noted handbag designer with over fifteen years of experience. I sourced beautifully made canvas fabric from North Carolina, extraordinary textile printers in Tennessee, and old world sample and pattern cutters and accomplished high end manufacturers in the heart of the garment district of New York City. These are truly products made in the USA.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Products
The Tote
We created an artist's original photo printed canvas tote fully lined in red twill with two leather edged pockets and a zippered pocket. It has black leather straps that allow you to wear it on your shoulder or carry it in your hand plus a leather covered bottom with half dome metal feet. It snaps closed with a strong magnetic closure. This bag has worked out extremely well. I am very proud of the work we did and the outcome we have achieved.
The tote has 3/4 handles with 11'' handle drop. 16" x 13 1/2 '' x 4. ___________________________________________________________
The Medium Carryall Clutch
We have also produced an eye catching medium carryall clutch that can handle your practical & essential items. This will fit all generations of iPads or any size electronic tablet or print book with room for more. It will close securely with a good length and reliable excella zipper that has a leather stop.
The artist's original photo printed canvas Medium Carryall Clutch is also lined in red twill and is 11 1/2'' x 8 1/4''. ___________________________________________________________
The Small Zip Pouch
We moved on to make small zip pouches that can contain the assortment of items that you don't particularly want to be hunting for at the bottom of our tote. The small zip pouch can hold keys, sunglasses, small clips, an external hard drive, the backup battery to your camera or cell phone, small scissors, or post its... whatever!
The artist's original photo printed canvas zip pouch. Fully lined in red twill. 6 1/2'' x 7 1/2''.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Rewards
We want to thank you very much for all your support. As a token of our gratitude, we have assembled a series of gifts for any and all of your generous pledges.
My vintage camera collection has inspired a collection of products with images that embed x-rays and cameras. The results are remarkable. The beautiful looking body of a 50's Bakelite Kodak with its x-rayed skeleton as well. Again, it's something you have not seen before and it plays with illusion.
A set of six hand printed note cards with an image from a vintage camera from my personal collection. This set of note cards are blank inside leaving leaving them open for many uses and they are signed and titled by me, "Photographer Elliott Kaufman".
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A Tee Shirt from the X Ray Version Collection with a choice of vintage camera in x-ray prints. Sizes for both female and make in Small, Medium or Large. And color choices for guys and girls (Guys: Orange, Black, Green, Gray and Girls: Pink, Lime Green, Pink, Black, White).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A hand printed and signed canvas print (11 x 14 in or 16 x 20 in; depends on your pledge) of this vintage camera from my personal collection. Signed by me, photographer Elliott Kaufman.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
I certainly hope to achieve our funding goals so that we can get into production. We’ve been very diligent in anticipating the challenges that might come along.
Quality control has certainly been on our radar from the very beginning and in anticipation we’ve built in a very close working relationship with our factory. Having it right here in the Garment District of New York City has been invaluable for the past eight months. This has truly been time spent well on working out the details and patterns for the samples. The investment of this amount of focus in advance should prevent any potential problems that might occur along the way.
Suppliers can always be an issue that clogs up the production line. I have set up a great relationship with the suppliers & found them to be prompt and responsive. Judging by some of the ways in which I’ve tested their proficiency, I believe our product can be produced diligently over a short period of time.
Materials can often prove to be a weak link. Our fabrics have been tested multiple times to assure quality of color rendition and image sharpness.
Our final anticipated challenge is distribution of the product. We have predicted and prepared for these issues by establishing a proper storage location for expediting deliveries.
Even though I recognize the risks and challenges in the manufacturing process, I feel energized and comfortable in our ability to handle the orders once they start coming in!
FAQ
-
Once I started the project and conceived of using photographs of skins and surfaces, I went to a quite a few interesting places to capture them.
The Cowhide I found the cow print courtesy of my friend Barry Chase's Chaseholm Dairy Farm in Ancramdale, NY & communed a bit with the heifers. As these young cows are curious by nature I had no problem having them follow me around their paddock. At one point I had about 5 large (and wet) cow noses up against the camera. One of them had the most wonderful and simple pattern that I was after, so I stalked her a bit making her feel at ease (soft talked her if you want to know the truth) and shot the cow picture.
The Butterfly Wing was kind of a challenge, I must admit. I saw that the Museum of Natural History was having a Butterfly exhibit. They have an enclosed conservatory type space that provides the perfect environment for the temperature, lighting and foliage that many different species of Butterflies need to thrive. It is truly wonderful to be in there with 300+ Butterflies of every color and pattern. I saw the one that I wanted as she was large enough and seemed to sit in one position for more than just a split second. To shoot this I needed an extreme close up lens so that I could be no further than 2-3 inches from the wings. This one depended on having absolute sharpness and detail without being able to use a tripod. I had to act fast and then hone in on my subject hoping it wouldn’t fly away.
For the Thoroughbred Horse I asked permission to walk the 240 acres of my friends Gary and Sue Lundy's Cedar Ridge Horse Farm in Pine Plains, NY. They specialize in boarding very fine race horses and they are always going off to various racetracks, from Kentucky to Saratoga, to deliver their client's horses. The day I shot there and got the hide of that beautiful Chestnut, I had another adventure. During the shoot I was distracted by Sue yelling over to me that one of the horses was about to foal. I followed her and the horse to the stable. Once inside the horse went into her stall did a few circles around (quite unusual I was told) and then splash - out came a 125 pound foal that Gary and the Vet had to catch on the way down to avoid damage to the newborn. What an experience!
For the Peacock Body I strolled through the Central Park Children's Zoo one day not really knowing what I might encounter. Then I saw my subject just walking around free so that the children could get close up. I followed one around and in the full sun of the day was able to get the shot of the body and body feathers. The colors in those birds are truly fantastic. Although it took forever to get the right angle, it was worth the try. I felt that the bird was quite relieved when I finally stopped following him around all afternoon.
For the Ostrich Feathers I went to a petting zoo in the middle of Long Island where they had many large and small animals. It was there that I spotted this beauty and was able to get within 4 feet with a telephoto lens capturing the perfect feathers on a great and sunny day.
Elliott Kaufman
March12, 2013
85
Backers
$12,850
pledged of $12,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Feb 26, 2013 -
Mar 28, 2013
(30 days)
- First created · 2 backed
- Elliott Kaufman 171 friends
- Website: ekaufman.com
Pledge $5 or more
0 backers
A Big "Thank You" email and a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Pledge $10 or more
3 backers
An elliott nyc postcard and a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $25 or more
7 backers
An elliott nyc postcard and a shout out on our Facebook page. The postcard is an original print and signed by photographer, Elliott Kaufman.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2013Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $50 or more
25 backers
A tee shirt from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. And a set of original print note cards by Elliott Kaufman. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $75 or more
3 backers
A tee shirt from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. And a set of original print note cards by Elliott Kaufman. Plus, a photograph (11 x 14 inch) of one of the vintage cameras from my personal collection. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $20 to ship outside the USPledge $100 or more
4 backers
A tee shirt from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. And a set of original print note cards by Elliott Kaufman. Plus, a photograph (16 x 20 inch) of one of the vintage cameras from my personal collection. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $20 to ship outside the USPledge $150 or more
8 backers
One Medium Clutch from the elliott nyc collection and One Small Zip Pouch, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $25 to ship outside the USPledge $175 or more
3 backers
One Medium Clutch from the elliott nyc collection and Two Small Zip Pouches, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $25 to ship outside the USPledge $250 or more
8 backers
A complete set of handbags from the elliott nyc collection. One Large Tote Bag, One Medium Clutch from the elliott nyc collection and One Small Zip Pouch, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $30 to ship outside the USPledge $375 or more
0 backers
A complete set of handbags from the elliott nyc collection. One Large Tote Bag, One Medium Clutch from the elliott nyc collection and One Small Zip Pouch, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page. Plus, two tee shirts from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $30 to ship outside the USPledge $400 or more
0 backers
A complete set of handbags from the elliott nyc collection. One Large Tote Bag, One Medium Clutch from the elliott nyc collection and One Small Zip Pouch, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page. Plus, two tee shirts from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. In addition, a set of original photo printed note cards signed by Elliott Kaufman.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $30 to ship outside the USPledge $500 or more
7 backers
Two complete sets of handbags from the elliott nyc collection. Two Large Tote Bags, Two Medium Clutches from the elliott nyc collection and Two Small Zip Pouches, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page. Plus, two tee shirts from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. In addition, a set of original photo printed note cards signed by Elliott Kaufman.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $50 to ship outside the USPledge $1,000 or more
0 backers
Three complete sets of handbags from the elliott nyc collection. Three Large Tote Bags, Three Medium Clutches from the elliott nyc collection and Three Small Zip Pouches, with your choice of patterns. And a shout out on our Facebook page. Plus, two tee shirts from our X-Ray Versions Collection. This is a vintage camera embedded with their x-ray. In addition, a set of original photo printed note cards signed by Elliott Kaufman.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Add $50 to ship outside the US
