Five Dollar Freedom Fund

While Project Director PJ Whitt and I have been funding this project completely out of pocket for the last six months, the intense level of interest from participants all over the United States has given us to understand that this is a much larger endeavor than we might have anticipated.

The grant cycle application deadlines are fast approaching, and I'll be right in line . . . so everyone keep fingers and toes crossed that we'll receive funds for much-needed equipment and travel.

Additionally, in keeping with the grassroots nature of this endeavor, I've started the Five Dollar Freedom Fund: donate five dollars today, to help promote freedom of visibility for all persons living with and developing pride in bodies of difference.

Visitors to the Claiming Masculinity Project pages will now find a PayPal donation button, making for a secure, easy transaction. Of course, you're welcome to give any amount you can; every donation is appreciated.

We are also gratefully accepting in-kind donations of any of the following necessary items:

Professional photography lighting equipment . . .

* Continuous and boom/hair lighting kits.

* Flash units with stands, probably two.

* Carry bag, like the Domke F-400 sling bag, to make the lighting equipment portable.

* Nikon D80 Digital SLR, packaged with 18-135mm DX Zoom Nikkor lens.

* More variously-colored muslin backdrops.

* Backdrop support system.

* Computers. I have two Macs in the house, but neither has enough memory or a large enough hard drive to accommodate the huge number of photos I'm constantly processing, so I need one devoted solely to the artwork, and another for running the business end of the project. So . . .

* a 24-inch, 2.8GHz iMac, with OS 10.5

* a 17-inch, 2.4GHz MacBook Pro, with OS 10.5

* Adobe Photoshop CS3, to increase photo processing productivity

Basic business purchases . . .

* File folders.

* Printer paper

* Ink cartridges.

* CD-Rs.

* Travel and accommodation funding. I'm not able to photograph participants waiting in the Midwest, South, West Coast, and Pacific Northwest, until I have grant money.

I'm committed to continuing the project at no charge to the participants. I just have to keep faith that the equipment I need to forward the work will come *s

Feel free to post this list to your favorite sites, where such activities might be welcome.

And remember: the Five Dollar Freedom Fund will prove that a little from many makes a huge difference.

~Emmanuela

Photos, Photos, Photos

Hard to tell by my website, I know, but the project is still going strong, and keeping me very busy *s

Last month, I shot the first in a series with Calyb, who will begin transitioning in December. Peace and blessings, Calyb *s The early photos show a very nervous person, who just started getting a bit more comfortable, as we were losing light. A second session is scheduled for a coming weekend.

Oh, and Calyb is the Incredibly Kind Person who's been working toward creating donations to the project. Much love!

Next, PJ and I were down in Philly on a cold Autumn afternoon, where I shot 18-year-old Meg outdoors, in a park near her dorm. Meg is the youngest person to join the project, and I welcome her thoughtful commitment and generosity of spirit. We'll be doing a second session, after Winter Break . . .

This past Saturday, author TJ Fleming made an appearance at my home, where we were able to complete a quick session, between various holiday commitments. TJ is stunning; I'm hoping to have approval for those photos within a couple of weeks.

Sunday brought great light, after several days of snow and clouds. PJ was once again willing to grace me with her modeling skills, in a new set of figure studies . . . with guitar.

Beyond the second sessions I currently have scheduled, I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus from working on the project in December: my family will be with me, and I'll be photographing all of them *s

Thanks to Joe, who reminded me to post an update . . . you're a sweetheart.

~Emmanuela