Fighting homesickness

This picture has nothing to do with this project, but it does have to do with Seattle and that is where my growing parcel has landed.

My aunt called to let me know she'd received the rolls of film (I've lost track of how many!) on Friday evening, and I told her to shoot away as soon as she has a chance. They won't be making their way up to Bellingham for time's sake, but that's okay. This project is not all about me and my life timeline. Having said that, Seattle nevertheless has a sweet place in my heart. I lived in Lynnwood before New Zealand and moved to Bellingham afterward, but now that I'm in Texas, I find myself explaining that I'm from "Seattle area" to make things easier.

The next post you read will hopefully be an exhibit of the developed prints!

Thank you so much for your help, Aunt Kris.

[The above photograph was taken at a favorite little spot in Ballard that I frequented as much as possible last summer. It's called Cupcake Royale and that particular day, as the sun was shining in the shop's windows, I was sharing a vanilla cupcake with lavender frosting with my friend while sipping a strong, smooth americano. Yes, it's true, coffee budgets are mandatory in the Northwest.]

Here's for Hoping

Yesterday I received the news that two Hawaii-born rolls of film completed their first journey. They are safe and sound at the home of Peter and Helen in New Plymouth, NZ.

The next step, then, is for Peter and Helen to reload this film into their camera (they're only going to use one) and take 24 shots. I'm not giving them set rules on locations or subjects, so it will be a surprise when this all comes together.

I want this to be about their voices, not just me orchestrating a complicated project in locations I hold dear that I can control from afar. It's a glimpse at journey and time and place, integral parts of the human experience.

Having said that, I am still bombarding the two of them with emails about the finer details of analog/film photography and the lost concepts of aperture, shutter speed, etc. that average Joe's digital point-and-shoot doesn't address. I've said before that it is essential in this project that the negative is underexposed with each shot. Because the camera my dad was using in Hawaii did not have much manual control of settings, I'm a little nervous that by the time the film gets to me the negative will have been too exposed. To increase likelihood that something display-worthy will come out of this project, I'm asking Peter and Helen to pick up another roll of film and shoot over one of my dad's and then on the new one. That way, if the Hawaii film doesn't work, we'll at least have a story of New Zealand, Bellingham, and Abilene.

At least I'm hoping.

My Cohorts

Let's make some introductions, shall we?

There are specific reasons why I have selected the people and places I have.

Grant in Hawaii. Grant is better known to me as "Dad," and his recent return to the Big Island of Hawaii proved quite convenient for me. I was born in Kona and like to think that my early exposure to the sun (spending most days in just a diaper and baby-size rhinestone earrings) conditioned my skin to tan easily and burn rarely.

Peter and Helen in New Zealand. Peter and I spent part of our childhood years together in Auckland, New Zealand, and since then he has met a lovely girl named Helen and gotten married. My family moved away from New Zealand when I was eight years old, and though I lost my tinge of a Kiwi accent, my love of vegemite, pavlova, and New Year's Eve in midsummer has not waivered.

Kris in Washington. Kris is my aunt, and she lives in Seattle. She's going to take a trip up to Bellingham (a two hour drive north) to take these pictures, and I'm glad to include her in this wandering film saga. Apart from being family, we share a sweet bond over coffee, baking, photography, and our Norwegian blood.

About Bellingham: It was my next home after Hawaii and New Zealand (with Wisconsin and Lynnwood, Washington, briefly squeezed in there too). After four years had come and gone in Bellingham, I remember wondering if we were going to pick up and move again because I didn't know what it looked like to stay in one spot for an extended amount of time. Now I'm very grateful for the ten years spent there. They spoiled me, really, being cozily tucked between the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound and within reach of good espresso.

So, these are the people I'll be talking about and uttering endless thank you's to throughout this blog.

Thank you!

What It's All About

Hello. Kia ora. And let's not forget: Aloha.

This is the story of a roll of film that I intend to send through the above lands, finally to arrive in my own. "Hello" is a bit too broadly used to be a clue as to where it will be traveling, so I'll go ahead and dive into what this blog is all about.

I am doing an independent study in film photography this semester (my final semester of college...just felt like that needed to be mentioned) and am coordinating the shooting and shipping of a single roll of film from New Zealand to Hawaii to Washington State to Abilene, Texas, making for a multiply exposed negative.

My personal process in this project as well as the postal journey of the film will be documented here.

Bon voyage.