Quote Originally Posted by Zndrson View Post
Greg,

I appreciate the depth of your feedback. Truly. And I enjoy the back and forth this thread has created.

I suppose the worst that could happen is that the project does not get funded. The beauty of Kickstarter is that if the full amount is not reached, then those that did pledge are not charged and we all live to fight another day. Personally, if the Kickstarter is not funded, it will still be completed, but on a much smaller scale and without the finality of a hard back book.

If the Kickstarter is funded, I truly believe I will have the means necessary to deliver a great final product. If I fail miserable in my home development, I'll have the film developed elsewhere. This is not a large concern to me because I'll do what is necessary to make sure this is a viable process. I do not take lightly the donations of others, and will absolutely come through with the rewards that I'm offering.

Ultimately, it comes down to the viewers and if they think my video/story/personality is worth investing in. It remains to be seen if enough people think I can pull this project off. The scale of this project is no accident and was designed to be executable with my experience level in book design and production. There's a reason why I've not taken this further. I'm using this project as a stepping stone and learning experience. Those that do contribute get a piece of what they've contributed to in return. I do not feel I am owed anything. I have no belief that my skill is so great that I deserve the money I'm asking for. Quite the opposite.

Lastly, I'm having trouble with the "Why you" question. I'm unsure if this is a question that you believe I should answer in the video for the sake of potential backers, or a more literal "Why you". The latter question I do not understand in the least.

If people did not do work they believed in because there are other people that could do it, then we wouldn't see new work. There's always someone better. No matter where you are in your career there's someone with more experience, better images, and a better head on their shoulders. I refuse to even consider not doing this project simply because there are other photographers out there that have more experience shooting landscapes.

Perhaps I'm missing the point of the question.
The "why you" question is essential. Not just for KS but for any grant process or getting a shooting job in a competitive environment. I pursue a new architect client I have to answer that question as I have tons of competition. Why hire me and not the guy you hired last time? The why me question is essential to ANYTHING you do in the arts. Every grant proposal I write or artist residency I try to get requires that I answer that question. You can't assume that your work speaks for itself and in this case you are not showing much work. You are not going to get far in photography without knowing how to answer that question when you are proposing to do something you haven't done yet. Selling an existing print is obvious. They can see it but you are asking people to by into something you haven't produced yet. Tell me why I should have the faith in you that you can pull this off.