UPDATE:: WOW!

We have blasted by not only our primary funding goal, but also the THREE others we'd set!  We are extremely grateful and happy to have been brought this far along.  The extra funding we receive will make this project even more special, and will raise the reward quality for everyone.  Follow our update section for continued progress even after we're funded.

($12,000) - REACHED!!  We've been invited to show the work we'll create at an exhibition in Dublin this fall.  Its an amazing opportunity to showcase the project and the Skelligs to a much larger audience.  Your funding of this goal will now help print the photos, rent the projector, and get ourselves to the show.

($8200) - REACHED!!  Now that we've reach this goal, we will significantly enhance the printing quality of our Book, making it a work of art in and of itself.

($7200) - REACHED!!! Now that we have reached this goal, we can hire out a Red Scarlet camera which will allow us to shoot our video in 4k resolution, large enough to project in a movie theatre or to create a Blu-Ray dvd.

Read more about both of these as well as some of our new rewards in our Updates section above...

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Eoghan Kavanagh is an Irish Landscape photographer.  Evan Payne is an Irish American filmmaker.  Together, we aim to explore and document all the corners of the Emerald Isle, starting with The Skelligs.

The Project

The photo above was taken by Eoghan, and is the closest either of us have ever been to the Skelligs.  Our goal is to travel to the larger island, Skellig Michael, and document both our experience and the character of the island, producing a number of high quality photographs and films in the process.  Our explicit aim is to produce a high quality coffee table book to showcase our shared vision of the Skelligs.

Eoghan: "It's a dream of mine to document the whole of Ireland, but the Skelligs have been just out of my reach until this opportunity arose."

Evan: "I'm drawn to places like the Skelligs because of their inherent mystical natures.  To have the chance to capture some bit of that quality to share with others is wonderful."

The Skelligs

Since the 7th Century, Christian Monks have been travelling to the two rocky islands that lie nearly 9 miles off the west coast of the Iveragh Peninsula in Co. Kerry, Ireland.  The monks would go there to live a simple life under harsh conditions, lifting rocks along treacherous cliff sides to build small bits of shelter, carving steps into the sides of the island, and braving the constant storms that roll in from the Atlantic Ocean. (Map: http://g.co/maps/epsk5)

Given its remote location, the islands have been relatively untouched by the tourism boom in Ireland, and remain pristine in their state as a World Heritage Site.  Preservation requires that we get permission to stay on the island, and we've already begun the application process, encouraged by the positive response we've received so far.

The Collaboration

Evan's films are a melding between the concise and the emotional, and his photographs work along the same lines.  For him it is most important to capture the subject as it is just now, without planning or setup.  Almost all of his recent work is shot in single sessions. (http://evanpayne.com)

Eoghan's photographs are precise visions in keeping with his view of the world.  He is happy walking away from a day's shoot with just one image, but only if that is exactly what he's seen in his head.  Most of his photos require multiple trips back to the location to capture the light on the scene at just the right moment. (http://www.skyline.ie)

Together, we hope to capture both the physical and emotional aspects of the Skelligs. Eoghan will shoot video in addition to his photos, and Evan will shoot photos in addition to his videos, and we will work together in post production to create a shared vision that reveals the true character of the islands.

The Rewards

We are looking to create one product with this project, which forms the base for all the rewards.  This is The Skelligs Project Book, a hardcover coffee table book filled with the best of the photos we shoot.  (It will also include journals and poetry.) Attached to the book will be a dvd of the film we produce.

We will also be offering a selection of limited edition prints at various reward levels.  These are high quality gallery editions printed on photorag archival watercolor paper.  Eoghan's own photos in his gallery normally retail from €200-€600.

Conclusion

We are really excited about the potential this project has to allow us to create a beautiful and lasting piece of art.  Thank you for your support, please remember to share this project with your friends.

--Evan & Eoghan