

small town: video #3

"No matter how dreary and gray our homes [in Kansas] are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."
- L. Frank Baum "The Wizard of Oz"


After you've selected the ORIGINAL PHOTO + BOOK reward, email your 1st and 2nd choices to: smalltownkansas@gmail.com

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I moved here to be with my lovely girlfriend Alanna last August. I took work as the editor of the local newspaper. I get to meet a lot of wonderful and interesting people.

In my day-to-day I get to cover stuff like this, or this. I like it so much that it's hard to call it "work." someday I hope I can work on films for a living, but right now I am telling stories and using a camera every day.
I found this wonderful collection of photos in a storm stained crate of papers. I was helping a local woman sort through some things she had recovered from the debris after the 2007 tornado that destroyed her home and her town.

The photos are interesting, well composed and deliberate, taken by a singular photographer over a five year period in the 1930's and 1940's. They are of friends, family, pets and homes.
While they may not have the breadth or volume of the Disfarmer collection, they capture a similar era and a common story of the mid-west in the 30's and 40's.

I wouldn't consider myself Peter Miller (the man who rescued the Disfarmer negatives) but I am extremely excited to archive this collection and share it with others. On this point I think Mr. Miller and I have something in common.
Our modest goal will close the gap on our printing costs. We've pre-sold 100 copies to local museums and we are asking you to help us with the rest.
A successful campaign will allow us to print 200 copies.

Of course, the more support we get we'll adjust our print order accordingly. Our printer is very accommodating. But, know that our first printing will be our ONLY printing, editions are limited.
And we are offering an opportunity for you to OWN THE ACTUAL PHOTOS in the book. That is what makes this project different from the Disfarmer project. Prints of Disfarmer photos can cost upwards of $1,000. With a modest increase of price, you can own an original photo from the book. These are not reprints, but an actual 1930's/1940's photo.


BOOK SPECS:
- 80 Pages
- Finished size is 7" x 7"
- Photo-wrap Hardcover
- 70lb archival gloss paper

Risks and challenges
We've printed a proof of the book, which you can see in the presentation video. We've begun the editing process and tweaking the output of the final file for the best reproduction possible.
Some changes have already been made, including the design of the hardcover and the order of photos on the inside pages.
We've spend the last few months preparing this book, so the funding is really one of the final steps.
We've already pre-sold 100 copies of the book to the Big Well Museum and the Kiowa County Historical Society, so this is the cost of printing between 100 and 200 books.
We would expect to ship the books within 14 working days once funds are released, if funded. This will get books to people in time for Christmas.
Questions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support
Funding period
- (25 days)