Bat Cam in Pennsylvania is Checking in!

Check out Sandi's post on her blog, here!
It seems the Owl camera has gone MIA. I'm not a happy camper. It's very disappointing...

Dave

Time to catch up!

Jake in Spokane, Washington sends in this report and photos:
For the project itself I took a picture of the Upper Falls in the down town park. The Spokane River runs straight through the center of town, and from what i hear is one of the only cities in the country to have a waterfall at its center. The pics I got are of the Upper Falls, which are smaller, but for about 5 bucks and a long wait you can ride the gondola to see the Lower Falls. I've seen them once, and they're pretty impressive. I'm guessing the waterfall is about 70 ft plus.
When i went to take the digital pictures, I was in for a bit of a surprise. I had forgotten that the Gay Pride Festival was going on, and so was the Battle of the Bands. The pride festival had just ended, so there were a few stragglers running around half naked holding hands covered in body paint. Add that with the bands playing, the usual crowd of homeless people, the people on skate boards, the guys just laying around in the park and the kids playing in the fountains, it made for an interesting atmosphere.
The downtown park is always an interesting place, aside from the people. They've got a huge Imax theater, a big fountain and few other rides for kids. All in all, its a pretty damn cool place. 

For the Record

It seems the highly paid professional observer (my day job is as a scientist) and skilled photographer with a keen eye for detail confused a ghost with a bat! Yeah... that bat. It's a ghost. Oh well. Tradition says it's a bat, so it stays a bat, but we all know (now!) that it's a ghost!

Updates!

The Cams are back on the move. They just left Texas and Alabama, headed for Tennessee and Wyoming! Woohoo!

Colorado Reporting in!

Susan did a shoot in a cool location in Colorado Springs. She even posted a pic of her with the camera! Very cool! That's a hint to the rest of the folks shooting with the cameras! LOL

Here's how she started her blog:

Here is the scoop on the Traveling camera!
I belong to a photography forum and this crazy guy, Dave, found these 2 expired film cameras, one with a bat on it and one with an owl. He had this brilliant idea to start a blog and get other photographers to help him with his project. You can find more info on this project on http://travellingcameras.blogspot.com/.I finally got the camera this weekend and now the camera is off to Louisiana for the next leg of the project

3/30/10

The Traveling Camera.
The Bat Cam visited the old train depot (Giuseppes Depot). Here is the history behind this building;
October 26, 1871, the first passenger train stopped at the soon-to-be Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Depot in the infant city of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many trains followed, bringing hearty souls of adventurous spirit... miners dreaming of quick wealth in the gold and silver mines of the region, settlers searching for a new start at the gateway to the Colorado Rockies, socialites vacationing in "Little London" founded by railroad tycoon General William Palmer, tubercular sufferers seeking a cure in the dry, healing climate.

The rest of the report, and the location photos are on her blog!
http://www.susannwirkesphotography.blogspot.com/

WIsconsin, by way of Chicago, Bat Cam Reporting in!

Saundra did a shoot at a bar in Wisconsin, a little different from the rest. I'll let her tell the story! :

“Focus on Wisconsin”

Wisconsin- what does that locale mean to me? That was my largest question when I was given that state for this project. Home grown in Indiana and now a resident of Chicago, I only had a few memories of brief vacations to the water parks there and even fewer memories of recent visits to that state for planned activities with new friends.

I delved as deeply as possible into my Wisconsin memories as a child, finding the pool of thought shallow. I remembered always hearing “You only have to be eighteen to go in the bars there!” To a teenager, that was monumental! Of course, their glaring obsession with cheese resonated as well. Growing up, we Hoosiers were reminded of their “cheesiness” on a constant basis; they would sport foam cheesehead hats during every opportunity, primarily football games. The question was, what did Wisconsin mean to me today?

I found that my focus on Wisconsin would be a combination of my memories past and the new memories I wanted to create. I asked one of my recently acquired friends, Angela, who lives in Wisconsin if she had any ideas. She was quick to tell me of a bar near her that certainly piqued my interest, a bar so buried in the past and off the beaten track, that it has almost no presence on the web in today's trendy media culture. It had all the makings of a good subject, and most of all, sounded like the type of place I wanted to visit.

The type of place that sounded best to me was one where I could go and hide for a few hours. I wanted a place where Wisconsin locals went to forget about the troubles of life for the night, where the bartender smoked out of the side of his mouth while serving up drinks, and where the pool table was never empty. I found that place alright.

Thirty miles south of Milwaukee in Kenosha, Wisconsin lies The Port of Kenosha Beverage House. It is exactly as it sounds- a house that serves up beverages. It also serves up a wide variety of music each night and a crowd as diverse as the items that decorate the walls and ceilings.

The story goes that the owner, Johnny Mod, converted his house into a bar back in the 1980's after having too many house calls by the police on his “parties.” He acquired a beverage license and converted this Victorian-style house into a bar that would house a diverse clientele night after night.

Modeling simple jeans and a t-shirt, I felt comfortable there, but I may have even then been overdressed. I was no match for the Wisconsin drinks. They are certainly half of what I pay here in Chicago and, strikingly, more than twice the amount of hootch, catching me unaware and making me feel overly confident at being able to win at any of their multiple bar games. (I did get the winning shot at pool and a bull's eye on the dartboard, if I do remember correctly, which I may not at all.)

I took it all in- the overly smoky air, the Packer's sweatshirt seen here or there, and the graffiti of quotes in the bathroom where the mirror used to be. I searched for subjects through the haze. Every single thing there was “perfect” for my one shot. Yes, only one shot though. I finally settled on shooting near the pool table. I couldn't blast the environment with the abuse of this flash, and the light was best under the glow of the overhead lamps lighting the green felt. I looked around the room, thinking out loud, saying I didn't have any model releases, who should I shoot, et cetera. Angela looked at me and said, “How about you? I'll shoot you!” I said uncertainly, “Okay.”

I may not be from Wisconsin, but this was the place that I chose to escape to, to hide away in for a night. I told her where to stand, I posed, and the shot was captured.

- Saundra Karol

The Port of Kenosha Beverage House

714 50th St

Kenosha, WI,53140

Oregon Owl Cam Report! Jim in AZ is on Deck!

Sue in Oregon sent me this note and the photos above a little earlier tonight:

So the Owl and I went to the Stone Cliff Inn today. It's about ten minutes from me and beautiful! If you ever get out this way, I'll take you to lunch there. They have the best salmon chowder in a bread bowl. Mmmm.
If you're a "Twilight" fan, it is where a lot of scenes were filmed. It's where Edward Sparkled.

If you have the movie (which I know you do) the inside is where the commentary was filmed and the people interviewed. Any-whoo, (get it? Owl, whoo... Ahem) I need and address of the next person that gets the owl. Thanks for doing this it's been fun!

Thanks for the report Sue! Jim in Arizona is next for Team Owl!

Fun Drawing on my other blog!

In honor of the Oscars, if you pick the winning movie, you're in a drawing for one of 3 photos of mine.
Hurry! You need to enter by 8 eastern time, Sunday night!

Owl Cam on the Ground in Arkansas

It popped out of the postal system!
Wahooo!
Mike should be shooting with it this weekend!
Sue in Oregon, you're on Deck for the Owl Cam!
Wow! Look at all the Exclamation points!

Illinois Bat Cam Report is in!

Kimberly did the Illinois shot, here is her report!

The Bat Cam landed on my doorstep on Feb. 8^th. My plans were to take the pictures while my kids were in school and possibly some inside the building, but Mother Nature had another thing in mind. We received around 3 inches of snow that evening so my children were with me and my building was closed for the day!

For my photo, I decided to photograph the Coliseum Ballroom in Benld, Illinois. It’s located on Rt. 4 (used to be Route 66) just west of town. It was built by Dominic Tarro in the 1920s. In its early days the Coliseum had the largest dance floor between St. Louis and Chicago. It drew crowds from all over the area. It has been said that Al Capone and his fellow gangsters had many ties with the town of Benld and the Coliseum.

The Ballroom also held many concerts in its time. This list is long but it included Ike and Tina Turner, The Everly Brothers, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons and Fats Domino.

It is said to still be haunted by its original owner Dominic Tarro and his daughter, Joyce Tarro, who was found murdered at her residence in Benld in 1976.

Today the Coliseum Ballroom houses an antique mall. More information about the Coliseum can be found at www.hauntedmacoupin.com.

2-9-10 Owl Cam on the way to Arkansas, Bat headed to Chicago.

Nevada, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota and Carolina, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Utah, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii, Who's going to represent you???

Both Cams are in Transit! 2-6-10

The Owl Cam is headed to Arkansas, the Bat to Illinois!

Virginia is in! The Owl Cam is on the way to Maryland

Rob in Virginia sent this report in for his shoot!

For the Virginia stop of the traveling cam project I decided to go with an American History theme and photographed the Mclean House in Appomattox Court House, VA. This is the house where on Sunday April 9^th 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant. The house was dismantled in 1893 to be sent to Chicago to be used as an exhibit in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Due to cash flow and legal problems this never happened and the home sat dismantled until the 1940’s when the National Park service to over the property and reconstructed the small village. This has been one of my favorite sites here in Virginia to visit and each time I go I find something new to shoot.

Who is ready to Represent?

Lots of States are still needing representatives! North and South Dakota and Carolina come to mind. Hawaii and Alaska too! Check the map here and see whats going on in your state!

Kansas Reports in!

Lots of action going on with the project now! The Owl camera is in Virginia, soon to head to Maryland! Martha in Missouri did a Bat Cam shoot right across the line in Kansas. The Bat cam is on it's way to Indiana.

Here's Martha's Kansas report and photos :


I photographed the Shawnee Indian Mission.

This Mission was built in Kansas near the Santa Fe Trail. Building began, and the school opened October 1839. Native children of many tribes were sent to this school to learn basic academics, manual arts, and agriculture. Some of the tribes represented were the Kaw (Kansa), Munsee, Delaware, Ottawa, Chippewa, Otoe, Osage, Cherokee, Peoria, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Wea, Gros Ventres, Omaha, and Wyandot. At the height of its activity, the mission was an establishment of more than two thousand acres with sixteen buildings, including the three large brick structures, which still stand, and an enrollment of nearly two hundred Indian boys and girls from the ages of five to 23. The school closed in 1862.

I have a strange feeling about this mission. I love it, it's beautiful. the buildings are amazing, the land is amazing, BUT I also get really creeped out there, too. when I walk thru the buildings I feel sad. like there were kids there who really didn't want to be there, away from their homes... so it's a love/hate place. I can't wait to see all the pix and stories from these cameras.

Webb City Missouri Reports In!

Paige went downtown in Webb City Missouri to shoot the Bradbury Bishop Deli. The Deli doesn't have their own web page, but the Cruise Night they sponsor does. Here are some photos she took with her regular digital camera, and her report:

I couldn't wait to help start this project. The mail didn't seem like it could come fast enough! After lots of thought about where to take my single image, I finally decided on something right in my home town. I took my shot at the Historic Bradbury Bishop in downtown Webb City, MO. Webb City is an old mining town in southwest Missouri, just to the north of Joplin. During the late 1800s and early 1900s Webb City was part of the "Tri-State Mining District" at the time the world's largest and most productive lead and zinc mining field.

The history of the Deli (from the image of the menu.)

Where Route 66 & The Good Ole Days Meet

in 1887 this building was originally to be a bank, but instead became the Yankee Drug Company. A pharmacist by the name of C.S. Bradbury purchased it in 1916 and changed the name to the Electric Drug Company and in 1927 he installed a soda fountain made entirely of wood and every day would have ice delivered since refrigeration was not available at that time. Across the street where Bruners is now was once the Teel Drug Company. Both companies sold fireworks. In June of 1931 a Teel employee shot a roman candle though the front window here igniting all the fireworks, which in turn blew out the entire front of this building. After remodeling the building was renamed Bradbury Drug Company. Mr. Bradbury's daughter married Harry Bishop a Pharmacist and in 1939 Bradbury and Bishop became parteners and renamed the company Bradbury Bishop Drug Company. Mr. Bradbury retired in 1945 and at that time the fountain was refurbished with stainless steel and modern refrigeration. Mr Bishop passed in 1987 and the next year Eileen Nichols bought the building. Patty Grave and Don Mc Gowan once agained refurbished the soda fountian and the 50's decor was established. The new Bradbury Bishop Deli opened for business on August 25th 1988 by Todd Loudis and then to Paula Herrin, and then to Lou Gutheil. October 18th 2008 Bruce and peggy Richardson became the proud new owners and welcome one and all to step back in time to the Good Ole Days.

Don't forget to check out Paige's web page!

Map of the States and Teams

View The Travelling Camera Project in a larger map

Check it out! You can zoom on the map, move it around, see the notes so far. Gotta love Google!

First Field Report from Team Owl !!

The Owl cam was picked up in Mississippi today, used and sent on it's Merry way all in one day! Ohio is the next stop for the Owl Cam!

Here is Lowry's Digital Photo from the site he chose, and Report. Of course we won't know what he got on the Owl cam till it gets back and developed.

This is a photo of Tupelo Hardware in Tupelo, Mississippi and where it all began in the 1940s with none other than Elvis Presley. The first guitar that Elvis ever had was purchased here and as we now know, the rest is history. This is one of the required stops along the tour for any die-hard Elvis fan and if you stop in and have time, the present owner of the store relishes in the opportunity to tell how it all came about more than 60 years ago when Elvis and his mom were shopping in the store and bought the guitar. People from all over the world have toured the store and listened to the story.

Here is a link with more information: http://www.tupelohardware.com/html/the_guitar.html

Inquiring minds want to know, what's happening with the Bat Cam???

Status Update 1-11-10

I put some teams up in the posts below. The Bat camera is on the ground in Missouri, even as we speak. Paige is planning on taking her photo and sending the camera on to another Missourian who is going to shoot Kansas, right across the border. Hopefully It won't take 5 days to get the camera across a state! The Owl first shooter hasn't been in town to see if the Owl cam made it to his office yet. Hopefully it'll be in and ready for him tomorrow.

My Kentucky photographer hasn't reported back. I may need to drop her from the project because of the travel things I think she's doing. I hope not!

Owls!

Same deal as the Bats!

Mississippi Lowry DONE!
Ohio Cheri DONE!
Virginia Rob DONE!
Maryland Debbie Owl cam is in bound!
Arkansas Mike
Oregon Sue
Arizona Jim
Texas Erika
Florida Linda
New York State Lisa
Nebraska Steph
Oklahoma Liz
Michigan Jody
Wyoming Caleb
California Tina
Maine Scott
Georgia Jeannie

Two New States!

Maine and Connecticut signed up today! I'll be putting together the teams this weekend. I'd love to see the cameras move through the lists pretty quickly. I'm guessing its going to take about 6 months with shipping times being what they are. Maybe I an optimize the shipping by having states close to each other shipping to the next close state. No Alaskan's reading the blog? Where are you guys at. It would be cool to include a couple of Territories in the pool too. Puerto Rico? Guam? Anybody out there?
I hear The Owl's first state, Mississippi, can't get the Owl Cam before Tuesday due to the shipping location and being out of town Monday. That means the Bat's can jump ahead right from the get go!
Looks like I need to hear from the Northern Heartland for their states too. Come on people, it's not too cold up there to get on the net!

Wow!

More than half the States are in! Can't wait to hear from Mississippi and Missouri the cams are on the ground. Hopefully that will happen tomorrow! You New England folks need to step up to the plate!

Owl and Bat Cam updates!

Less than 24 hours after the project started I've got about half the States spoken for! I love the enthusiasm. Just goes to show I'm not the only geek in the planet that thinks this will be fun.
The Owl cam and the Bat Cam are both speeding their ways to Mississippi and Missouri even as we speak. I'm looking forward to hearing how the shoot went and seeing digital photos of the possible choices and maybe the final choice. Maybe opening the cam, whatever. Remember though: Get set up, figure out what you are going to try for, wind the camera and take the shot, 1 shot only! Don't wind to the next frame, let the next photographer do that! If you decide to post something to your blog about the experience, let me know and I'll link to it!

States Taken So Far

1. Mississippi
2. Missouri
3. Ohio
4. Kansas
5. Virginia
6. Maryland
7. Indiana
8. Arkansas
9. Illinois
10. Oregon
    
11. Colorado
12. Chicago. I know, it's not a State,but it'll go at the end when the States are done. It's good to be king! Other Major Metro areas, or territories should chime in. There are 3 potential slots left!
    
13. Arizona
14. Texas
15. Louisiana
16. Kentucky
17. Alabama
18. Florida
    
19. New York State
    
20. Tennessee
21. Washington State
22. Nebraska
23. Pennsylvania
24. West Virginia
25. Oklahoma
26. Wisconsin
27. Massachusetts
28. Michigan
29. California
    
30. Iowa
    
31. New Jersey
32. Delaware
33. Maine
34. Connecticut
35. Georgia
    

General Directions, As I figure them out

Have fun doing this project, that's the point, really.

Email me when you get the camera so I can mark your state off the list! I'll email you the mailing address of the next person after you.

The camera is loaded with ISO 800 Film. If you're shooting in daylight, I'm thinking it needs to be a cloudy day , shaded or near dusk.

Take the photo as soon after you get the camera as you can. Be thinking about your subject before hand so you are ready when the camera gets there. This needs to happen so the camera can be sent on to the next destination. If we're lucky, this should be about 6 months for the project. I'm thinking it's about one week per state between shipping and shooting and the next shoot.

When you are ready to shoot, wind the camera, take the shot then package the camera up for the next shipment. Don't Wind it up for the next shot. Let the next person do it when they're ready to shoot. That way they won't accidentally take a photo of their foot or something.

Have fun doing the project

I packaged the cameras up in the original blister packs with gaffer tape. Try to save and reuse the packs as added insurance while shipping. I don't expect the packaging to really make it, but it's worth a shot.

The boxes I used should be reusable, I guess. Use a piece of paper with the new persons address over your address and just keep on shipping it for as long as the box lasts? Not sure how the post office will feel about that.
Try to ship the camera out the day you do the shoot, or the next possible day. Lets keep it moving.

Email me the day you send the camera out so I can keep track and let the next person in line know it's on the way!

Post stories about your experience on your blog. Let me know, I'll link to it!


Have fun!

First Post for the Travelling Cameras!

Found in the home waste basket today: Two Halloween themed disposable 27 shot 35 mm 800 ISO cameras that I didn't even know were in the house. Expiration date: 2005! Clearly a non camera person didn't understand the charm of shooting with expired film. Especially if they're named Evil Eye cameras! Come on, what was she thinking?

Now that I have rescued them... what to do, what to do... 54 shots... what to do?

Here's what I came up with, with a little help: Find people across the country to take a single shot with the camera and pass it on to the next person in another state. I'm proposing two themes, but it's really up to the shooter what they shoot. The first theme is Local Color. Take a photo of a local dive diner or bar. Think Guy Fieri's Diners Drive-ins and Dives. The more colorful the better. With any luck the expired film will add some craziness to the final images. The second theme is State Nicknames. Take a photo of something that represents your state nickname. If you like, take a pic of you holding the camera with your digital camera send it to me, (near your chosen site?) and we can track the camera across the country.

If you know me at all, you know this is all seat of the pants. I'll work out the logistics as time passes. Basically, I plan to send the cameras out to the first folks that say they're willing to do the shoot, and then they'll mail the camera to the next person in line.
Saying you're interested is basically committing to spend a little bit of time doing the shoot and a few dollars to mail the camera on to the next person. If you're not willing to do that, please, don't sign up! If you are, Send me an email Add your state name to the subject line. Tell me if you want to be an Owl or a Bat and your mailing address in the email. It's first come first serve, one for each state. Don't delay!

After the last shots are taken the last person in line will send the camera back to me so I can get the film developed, scanned and put on line. It looks like there will be two teams, the owls and the bats. A few people have told me they don't think the cameras will ever make it back to me for the final developing and posting to the blog. I suppose that's possible, but like Scarlett O'Hara I've always relied on the kindness of strangers.
I already have a commitment from Mississippi, the first member of the Owls! Who is up for this?