About this project

Originally from Spain, I find myself relatively close to my date of departure back to Barcelona. I have been living in New York for a couple of years, and the city has treated me well enough.

I have had the chance to travel around the USA, always with my camera, but most of my work so far has been centered around New York.

As many of you know, I used to focus on a particular topic within a city, a region, a country or a project itself, all over the globe… Who knows, it is probably the photojournalist and docummentarist background coming into play.

But these two years in New York have given me the chance to travel around - North and South, east coast and west coast - and to get a vague idea of the fact that New York is, itself, a bubble within the States. A bubble that has slowly become the portrait of the whole country, for obvious reasons. But also a bubble that doesn’t represent the USA to its full extent.

That’s how and why “Alabama’s Human Portraits” was born.

Conceived as a series of exhibitions and, if possible, a book, “Alabama’s Human Portraits” will be two things at the same time. First of all, it is a piece of work on its own: visually, anthropologically and culturally, Alabama is a rich, peculiar and particular region by itself.

 On the other hand, at least in some of the exhibitions, the work resulting from “Alabama’s Human Portraits” will be presented in juxtaposition with two years of photography in New York. It will be a work based on the contrast, and its two parts will explain a bigger, more complex whole: two extremes, two portraits to try to show the inexplicable complexity of what the USA is, and not only what tourists bring back home or what is shown in the news.

All the money raised will be spent in partially (I’m spending a great amount of my own savings in this project) covering travel expenses – traveling to Alabama (Birmingham will be my base camp), lodging there, going from site to site, plus materials, assistants if needed, and so on. You get the idea. If the project proves successful, 33% (wich is, 1/3rd) of all proceeds after the initial $1,600 had been collected would be used to pledge for other projects: Ultimately, that’s what Kickstarter is about, and why we are all in it.

As for the printed copies of photos there are two options:

- I will create a webpage with 15-30 photos taken during the “Alabama’s Human Portraits” project. With those, I will create a numbered “Limited Edition” and pledgers may choose the one they want. Although I will still retain the rights to the photos, pledgers will receive an exclusive, dedicated and numbered copy of their chosen photo.

- On the other hand, if you prefer you may choose an existing photo from the web (Photo at Nomasdf). Take into account that some are low resolution, and the result if they were to be enlarged may be less than optimal. Once again, even though I will keep the rights to the photo, you will receive your copy dedicated… but those won’t be part of an exclusive “Limited Edition.”

- Also, remember that you can pledge more than once, in case you want different rewards.

In any case, THANKS for taking your time to read about my project and for your interest.

Ferran