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?