Kickstarter.com is a social funding platform for individuals working on creative projects. Using Kickstarter, anyone can pledge money towards a project that they feel is worthy however only projects that reach a certain funding goal within a certain time period will actually result in a pledge being paid out.

I recently launched a new Kickstarter pledge drive to raise funds for a documentary project that I hope to do in Haiti in February of 2011. You can learn more about this project by visiting:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1544246638/ile-a-vache-haiti-a-roadmap-forward

Funding any project like this is costly which is why I have turned to using Kickstarter as a way to connect with people (in a light touch sort of way) and hopefully raise the funds necessary to make this project work. In addition:

• Anyone who makes a pledge of $50 or more receive a 5″x7″ (approx. size) archival print from the project
• Anyone who makes a pledge of $75 or more will receive an 8″x10″ (approx. size) archival print from the project
• Anyone who makes a pledge of $100 or more will receive an 10″x13″ (approx size) archival print from the project

I'm hoping you will be able to pledge (any amount would be wonderful) but I fully understand if you are unable to assist at this time. Even if you are unable to help support this project, I hope you will check back on my web site in the Spring of 2011 to see the results. The deadline for raising funds is December 31st, 2010 at midnight (EST). Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments regarding the project and please feel free to forward the link to anyone else who think might be interested. Thanks in advance for your interest.

Leslie Granda-Hill's approach to social documentary photography involves not just making great photographs that tell a story but making great photographs that allow her subjects a way to tell their story from their perspective. Her recent project, Wounded Warriors, exemplifies this personal approach to the photographic essay.

Documentary photographer Eliza Gregory focuses on the lifecycle of communites be they in Cuba, Tanzania, or the United States. In addition to working on photographic projects around the world, Eliza also works for PhotoPhilanthropy, an organization committed to supporting documentary photographers in carrying out their work. 

Gloria Baker Feinstein is a photographer who follows her heart when deciding what to photograph. Her earlier work explored childhood, the relationships between twins, and even the Holocaust. Her latest book, "Kutuuka", focuses on the children of the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage in Uganda and, while a great documentary project in itself, it is the combination of the black and white and color photographs along with drawings made by the children and included in the book which elevate this work to a new level. All proceeds from the sale of the book go towards supporting a non-profit organization called Change the Truth that Gloria started to continue to provide assistance to the orphanage.

In this episode, I discuss the topic of persistence in our photographic lives. While one-hundred podcast episodes is an achievement, in a way, the path that I have travelled in getting to this milestone (with the podcast being a reflection of where I was and currently am in my photographic life at any one time) is really what's important here. Persistence is not only important in achieving our goals, it is one of the keys to living a photographic life.

In this podcast I discuss two specific ways to approach a photographic project that takes into account the many varied kinds of projects that are possible.

In this podcast I interview Matt Eich, a documentary/photojournalist freelance photographer and founding member of the Luceo Images, a photographic cooperative.

Part of living a photographic life is also knowing when to take advantage of photographic opportunities when they present themselves.

Althought I've been (and still am) an advocate of project-based approaches to photography (if only to keep you engaged and making photography regularly), in this podcast I discuss some of the pitfalls to watch out for when using projects as a way to live a photographic life.

In this podcast I discuss my process for retiring a portfolio that no longer reflects where I am as a photographer.

What do wedding photography and Henri Cartier Bresson's decisive moment have in common? It turns out lots as I discovered after photographing my sister's wedding this past weekend.

Jeff Curto wears many hats in his photographic life. He is a professor of photography at College of DuPage and he is the host of two well known podcasts, Camera Position, and History of Photography (which is an exhanced podcast of Jeff's lectures for a course he teaches each term). MOst importantly, Jeff is also an excellent and highly regarded photographer in his own right. In addition to visiting his web site, you can see (and buy) a folio of Jeff's photography which was recently published by Lenswork.

In this podcast I outline some of the costs of getting exposure for your work through juried photographic exhibitions, portfolio reviews, and promotional materials.

I've noticed a recent trend in that calls for entries for juried photographic competitions are continually getting extended past the original due date. Is this a result of the economy and does it mean your chances are better?