Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A little help from some friends

Hey everyone, I've entered a competition for a "Dream Photo Assignment." Here's my submission below. Please click on the link and VOTE today! The contest ends April 3rd. Not much time! Please PASS IT ON too!


I would like to ride a bicycle through North and South America on an ambitious portrait project, photographing the work of community leaders and activists who are striving for a more sustainable planet.

I am a freelance photojournalist in Long Beach, CA and I travel to all my assignments and shoots with a specially made cargo bicycle, able to carry up to 400lbs of equipment.

I have done this day in and day out for the last three years. In this time, I've come to realize that the environment will be the crises of our times. We've become trapped in a circle of consumption that fills our air with smoke and our lands with trash.

There is hope however. There are people around us that are working for a more sustainable way of life in large and small ways.

In the spirit of the work, I want to ride my bicycle across the country and document the work of these people in multi-media portraits combining stills and recorded audio.

SEE SAMPLE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_XCltiEW-g

I will bicycle every mile of the journey, making it the first zero emission multi-national photo assignment.

I will seek out local environmental advocates and celebrities, park rangers, bicycle commuters, leaders of co-operative markets, small organic farmers and tell their story.

This is important.

People need to know that there is hope, that around them are others who are working in ways no matter how small or large to make our lives better.

The work will culminate in a website with a series of downloads of the stills and multi-media stories.

It will be the most ambitious zero-emission paperless photography assignment to date.

Let's make it happen.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You may want to include Central America as well...makes it easier to get from one to the other.
Just sayin'.

Stacy said...

Russ, I read your blog daily (well one of your many blogs). I've put a post up on my family's little cycling blog (www.teampottercycling.com) about your dream assignment. I don't know if it will draw up any votes for you, but I really hope it does.
I've also taken a couple of photos from your blog of you and your cargo bike to use with the post. I hope you won't mind. I've linked to your blog and photography website as well. I am a photographer too, so I really don't like people stealing work. If this is a problem at all, please let me know and I will take it down. Good luck with the assignment. I can't wait to see what you do and thank you for sharing everyday. I really enjoy it!

-Stacy