“Old Towne Exposed” 2010

A short “film” by Mel Talley & Kimberly Ann Calos exposing the unique personas, places and the allure of historic “Old Towne” Petersburg, Virginia with a cast of the usual characters, misfits and miscreants.

Note: Individual images from this project are not available for purchase although the project poster that includes all images is available for purchase.

conception

the back story revealed

The project "Old Towne Exposed" simply started out like this. After yet another underwhelming “Friday for the Arts” in March, Kimberly Ann Calos started talking about us joining together for a new project. We previously did "Faces of Old Towne".

Kimberly Ann wanted to shake up the status quo. She had lamented (a polite way of saying "bitched and moaned") about the decline, in terms of people traffic, of the once popular “Friday for the Arts” as well as a general slowing of foot traffic around "Old Towne". Business was slow for everyone. Her focus was to come up with something that would attract people down to "Old Towne" and spend their money.

Having some pretty messed up corneas that needed transplants, I had surgery on both eyes over the previous year and a half. This slowed me down a bit photography wise. It had been a while since I have done any serious shooting so I was ready to take on a new project. It had been even longer since I have done an exhibit. Although I was ready to shoot again, I was only interested in shooting/exhibiting a project that I found challenging, interesting and different. Like Kimberly Ann, I was ready to do some shaking up of things as well with my new store bought eyes. Little did we know back in March how much shaking we would ultimately do.

While our motivations differed (business vs. creative), our goals meshed together. Both wanted to create something "different" that would be a catalyst to draw people from the surrounding communities down to "Old Towne". If we gave people a reason to make "Old Towne" a destination, they would also discover the unique restaurant, shopping and entertainment offerings as well. The planets had aligned and the timing was right for the two of us to come together for yet another extravaganza of sorts. Simply put, Kimberly Ann and I would do what we are best at. I would shoot an exhibit and Kimberly Ann would make an event out of it. The only thing left was to figure out what the heck we were going to do.

Over about a week, Kimberly Ann passed a couple of ideas by me that didn't really catch my interest. She then reminded me of an idea I brought up to her a year or so earlier. I wanted to take photographs of everyday local people appearing nude within their element or surroundings. I was inspired by a fundraising calendar ("Nekkid Men from the Center of the Universe") done up in Ashland a couple of years ago which included fourteen local men.

Now taking photographs of common everyday folks that includes strategic nudity (i.e. some parts are kept hidden) is hardly neither new nor original. Examples of this are all around with the creation of calendars, etc but such a project had never been done in Petersburg. Usually the projects are smaller in scope and lacked a true diversity of people. I wanted to take this concept to the next level. I wanted this project to include men and women of differing ages, races and body types. Kimberly Ann reminding me of this project idea sparked my interest.

We decided to portray the diversity of personalities and people of “Old Towne”. The area's historic and architecturally rich buildings would be the setting. Getting people, let alone a "variety" of people, to do such a project would certainly be a challenge in itself. The reason I brought this idea up originally to Kimberly Ann was simple. While I could shoot such a project, I knew I would need her unique power of persuasion and enthusiasm to get people to join us in the madness and participate.

Now that a concept was figured out with a target date set for May's "Friday for the Arts" on 5/14/2010, it was time to "plan" (sort of) this beast of a project.

planning

a short film

Since I am the photographer of this project, it was automatically assumed by some that I came up with the "film" idea but this concept belongs 100% to Kimberly Ann. From the very beginning, Kimberly Ann envisioned a long negative strip of images reminiscent of a film contact sheet suspended and flowing freely through her shop. She wanted to use the catch phrase "a short film".

On a creative level, I felt Kimberly Ann's idea worked but for very different reasons. We had decided early on that all images would be black and white. The concept wouldn't have worked if the images were in color. We had a group of very different images in terms of color and tonality. Having them displayed so closely together would have caused visual havoc to anyone looking at it. I felt the "film" idea bound the images together creatively as a true "collection". Additionally it saved cost associated with mounting and framing.

I could make Kimberly Ann's idea a reality only because I do all my own printing and graphic work. Her idea also appealed to me for practical purposes. A fact of the matter is that if a creative and cost effective way to deal with these images was not thought of, I wouldn't have done the project. Framing/mounting individual prints was cost prohibitive and I would have found it unacceptable to simply tape unframed individual prints up on a wall. The "film" idea made it possible for me to print and hang the exhibit in an acceptable fashion.

fundraiser

Taking the lead from the Ashland project, I wanted to connect this project to a fundraiser for a local non-profit. In my mind, this gave a "reason" when people asked "why?". It would also be a "reason" that may motivate people to want to take part. I was inhibited to simply go up to people and simply say "hey..... will you pose nearly naked for me so I can have a photo exhibit". I wanted a solid "reason".

Kimberly Ann and I decided we could have a silent auction selling individual prints of the project's images as well as have a project poster to raise money. All monies would go directly to the non-profit from the person who made the purchase. The non-profit had to be able to accept credit cards, etc and be agreeable to be charged back for the actual printing cost of each print produced/sold.

I never anticipated we could raise a lot of money for a non-profit but the project could give a non-profit great exposure and publicity if Kimberly Ann's past marketing efforts were any indication. Finding a non-profit that we could raise money for was another matter. I did have a non-profit in mind from the start but the project but early on, I got the impression that this was a little bit too "unusual" for them. I was told unofficially that one of the directors on the board would never go for it so I did not push things.

We did have a newly formed non-profit waiting in the wings wanting to be a part of this project and be the recipient of the proceeds. The non-profit was headed by Carole Matthews and was the "Petersburg Animal Welfare Society" (PAWS). Carole would also be a participant in the project. This selection was enthusiastically received by a number of the participants who are animal lovers.

creative control

Early on in the planning I told Kimberly Ann that since it was my photography that would be out there and judged, I would have to have the final say on any image that would be shot and ultimately displayed. I wanted to be able to say "no" when ideas for photographs were given if the idea really did not fit in with the vision I had for the project.

This control however did not extend to who would be allowed to participate. While Kimberly and I targeted individuals that we wanted to be a part of the project, all who wanted to jump on this bus to indeed come along for the ride were allowed to if they had a solid presense in old town. I simply had to deal with what was presented to me to shoot. A point came that the bus was full and we could not accept anyone else. Even up to the week before we were going to display, people were still calling Kimberly Ann with an "I want to do it".

Additionally, like other projects I have done of this scope (i.e. a lot of people), I also did not want to go through a proofing process with the individuals that took part in this project. I simply did not have the time to do this. I would be the one to decide which images would ultimately be used. The participants would simply have to trust my judgment.

displaying the work

In general, I spend a great deal of time and effort when it comes to my photography and producing prints from the images I capture. Actually some would say that I am far too obsessive with good cause. The same amount of effort goes into the presentation of my prints when I do have an exhibit. A primary concern I always have is the lighting of prints that are to be exhibited publicly. I have politely turned down numerous requests in the past to exhibit because the venue wanting me to exhibit simply did not have adequate lighting.

Kimberly Ann was well aware of my concerns about lighting and how the "film" will be hung. Her response to me was "it will get figured out". I left it in her hands and put my efforts into producing the images.

Kimberly Ann thought up various ways the exhibit could be hung and lit. While creative in nature, some ideas were not practical because of the fragile nature of the paper that the "film" would be printed on and/or cost to light properly would be prohibitive. She went to Randy Haase, a local contractor who specializes in the restoration of historic buildings, with one of her ideas but then the wheels started turning in Randy's head and he remarked to her that he would get back with her.

Randy had previously agreed to be a participant in the project. While visiting with him to get ideas with regards to his photograph, he discussed with us an ingenious plan of using doors to display the project. We both thought it sounded fantastic.

Randy wasted absolutely no time constructing the future "Haase Open Door Gallery" in Kimberly Ann's store. In fact, it was ready a full month before the display was to be hung. What was amazing was that the display alone, with nothing hung on it, got people talking when they first saw it during the April "Friday for the Arts". It was unlike anything they have ever seen with a common reaction simply being "wow".

Kimberly Ann had an electrician come in and put in a series of clip lights on Randy's creation. I dropped by early one evening and Kimberly Ann flipped on the lights on the display. I immediately knew that "lighting" was not going to be an issue for what we were doing. I was more then pleased with the whole setup. I cannot write adequate words to describe Randy's creation but you can see it in the "Virginia Currents" video I have posted and hear Randy describe the inspiration for his creation.

Well we had a project planned that was "different" as well as a very "different" way to hang the exhibit. With the method of hanging taken care of by Randy and the lighting taken care of by Kimberly Ann, the pressure was on me to produce some decent photography that was "different".

shooting

bare all?

This project was never meant to be a "nude study" of sorts. Early on in the planning process, Kimberly Ann and I agreed to the extent a person would actually bare him or herself. I am far from a prude but for this particular project, I did want to have limitations to what would be shown in an effort to have this exhibit accepted by a large part of the community. A more "cutting edge" exhibit or artistic statement would have to come at another time.

We wanted to bring positive attention to "Old Towne". This was our primary goal. More than one person warned me that I was attempting to walk a VERY thin rope with regards to what would be considered "tasteful". I personally felt that constraints were needed in an attempt to keep me upright on that rope.

Bluntly stated I decided that there would be no genitalia, full-on bare buttocks shots nor any female nipples exposed. A fully bare side of a person (hips, breasts, etc.) would be acceptable taking these constraints into consideration. This was the arbitrary line in the sand I decided to draw. Whether it was the right line or not wouldn't be known until the show was hung, viewed and judged.

During the course of this project, some people would not quite understand my dogged adherence to these constraints with a comment along the lines of "it wouldn't be a big deal if his/her ______ was showing" or "I don't care if people see my ______". This may very be the case but they weren't up on that tightrope with me. It wasn't their work that would be judged in the "context" of trying to bring positive attention to "Old Towne". I also felt a great deal of responsibility to the participants who agreed to do the project. The "vision" of the project was described to everyone as well as the constraints put in place. I did not want to risk a person regretting that they participated in the project because there were images that went beyond the original "vision" of the project that was described by me.

All this said, I "initially" envisioned strategic posing with a whole LOT of skin showing but I never lost sight of the limitations we agreed upon. Kimberly Ann and I laughingly noted that there would be some participants that we would need to rein in when it came to what they would be willing to expose. Whether the project was "tasteful" or not would be judged when the project was eventually hung.

finding the talent

While there were some folks I personally reached out to, getting the talent was primarily the domain of Kimberly Ann. From the beginning, I told Kimberly Ann that we want 20-25 images for a solid project.

We had some people get on the bus with no hesitation while others would require a little more coercing. We would have some people initially enthusiastically volunteer; only to back out. We would have some people who really wanted to do it but feared consequences from their employer, church, etc. Unfortunately, I had some really creative ideas for some specific individuals that would never be shot because we couldn't get them to participate. Along the way, we would be surprised by some who were willing to do this project with no hesitation. We would be no less surprised by some who decline originally expecting them to agree with no hesitation. We would not really know what we would ultimately end up with until the last shot was taken.

The actual motivation why a person would volunteer to do this project would vary from individual to individual. A fascinating story could be written on this particular aspect of the project. Contrary to what many may think, this was not a collection of people who were exhibitionists.

All participants were required to sign a release that would explain in detail the constraints in which their picture would be used. We did not want anyone surprised later on with regards to any aspect of the project and how their image may ultimately be use.

lights, camera, action

From the beginning, I wanted to have a solid shot already pre-visualized before going into any shooting situation. Then it simply would be a case of setting up any lighting needed and deal with posing. While other ideas may come up during the course of the shooting, I wanted to at least come in with a shot already planned. While some shots actually did happen this way; I had to simply deal with what was presented for the majority of them and do some on-the-fly creating and shooting.

In a lot of cases, it would not actually be revealed the extent a person would bare him or herself until the actual shoot regardless of what Kimberly Ann or I may suggest to them prior to the shoot. I would explain that the wearing of bras, tube tops, etc. would actually make shooting a flattering image tougher because of the resultant bulges of skin that would form. This would make me shoot around not only the extra clothing but the bulges as well. I had no intention of using Photoshop for body sculpting. Kimberly Ann and I would try to gently convince them to disrobe and to trust that nothing would be peeking out that shouldn't. Some were comfortable while others weren't. At no time was anyone pressured to do anything they weren't comfortable doing. Again, I simply dealt with what was presented to me.

Each image has a story around it when it comes to whose "idea" was behind a particular shot. Certainly no blanket statements can be made. Many of the shots were a combination of ideas from the participant, Kimberly Ann and me. Some shots were fully staged in advance and the only thing I had to do was show up and perhaps only do some tweaks to the posing/staging while others were on the other extreme and I had to figure things out from scratch when I arrived. In all cases, I still had to decide how to light and shoot the image.

Some ideas presented did not fit too well in the project for various reasons and I would have to say "no". However, an alternative idea would always be thought of. I would shoot only one setup for a given shoot. I would shoot until I felt I got a shot. The fewest number of shots taken on a shoot was five. There was one occasion I knew I got the shot on the 2nd shot but kept on shooting at the insistance of the participant. The 2nd shot on that shoot was used in the project.

The bottom line is that all the shoots were relaxed, comfortable and pain free for all involved but this was largely due to the wonderful folks who participated and trusted Kimberly Ann and I when it came to this "different" project.

controversy

We knew that the concept of the project (nearly naked people) would raise some eyebrows but we wanted to do something "different". We wanted to do a project that would generate some attention. Not only did we want to draw people down to view the project but we wanted this project to be a catalyst for people to discover the unique shops, restaurants and entertainment offerings of "Old Towne". Very early on, the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper ran a story on the front page of their Sunday Business Section (Easter Sunday Edition) that included the headline.....

"Petersburg residents to pose nude for Olde (sic) Towne photo show"

with a picture of Brent (later on known as the "naked flute boy") that was taken by one of their staff photographers during one of my shoots. Not only was this the headline on the front page of the Times-Dispatch business section but was used as a teaser on the front page of paper as well. If people had not already learned of the project by word-of-mouth, they certainly knew about it now. The project was now "exposed" and Brent instantly became the unofficial poster boy of "Old Towne Exposed".

I thought my reputation as a photographer would overshadow any concerns. The concept was simply an attention grabber. I was confident that once people saw the actual work I shot; any concerns would simply fade away. However; the Richmond Times-Dispatch story would fuel overt as well as covert opposition to the project. Things would become real silly.

On Wednesday morning, May 5th, Kimberly Ann learned that a petition was presented to the Petersburg City Council the previous evening (see below) to "put a stop" to an exhibit that hadn't even opened yet. Kimberly Ann went up to the Council Clerk's office and got a copy of the petition and brought a copy by my office. We were told that City Council accepted the petition without comment. The only thing Kimberly Ann and I knew was that no one had approached either of us with any concerns about this project.

I must question how this group could ever think it could block an exhibit on private property that no one had seen. These images were closely guarded. Outside of Kim and myself, NO ONE had seen the project images. The most that the participants had seen were an image or two from their own shoot on the back of my camera while we were shooting in order to give them a rough idea what their pose/photograph would look like. The organizers did have Brent's picture (taken by the Times-Dispatch photographer and appeared in the story) stapled to the petition. Later on, these people would be interviewed by the media regarding their views. They did not block the display but conversely brought a LOT of attention to the project which led to even more people coming to "Old Towne" to view it.

media

Richmond Times-Dispatch

What came first; the media or the controversy? Well in the case of OTE, media reporting actually fueled the controversy and criticism we would encounter prior to the exhibit being opened to the public.

Kimberly Ann called me on 3/29/2010 telling me that the Richmond Times-Dispatch wanted to do a story on the project. At this stage, aside from the shot I took for the logo, I hadn't taken a single shot of a person. We just got the logo finalized on the 24th and Kimberly Ann sent out an email calling for participants....a casting call of sorts for our "short film". The RT-D wanted to send a reporter and photographer down to cover one of our shoots on the 31st to be published in the Sunday paper on 4/4/2010.

I certainly wasn't too thrilled over the situation for various different reasons. We didn't have a shoot planned for the 31st. It wasn't known at this point if we would have enough participants to pull this project off. This and the fact that I haven't taken the first shot yet, I felt having an article written at this stage was grossly premature. If I had some successful project shoots under my belt to get into the swing of things, I may have been more receptive of the idea. This however would be the very first shoot. Kimberly Ann didn't want to pass up on this opportunity for "publicity". What came to my mind was that I was on a "runaway freight train". This would only foreshadow things to come with regards to this project. Kimberly Ann ultimately got her way and plans were made for two rather impromptu "shoots" (Brent & Garry) on the 31st.

Like many of the images taken for the project, I simply had to deal with what was presented to me and try to make the best out of it. I did have a safety net though in the case of the "reporter shoots". I knew going in that both Brent and Garry were easy going and if there was a need for a reshoot, they would have done it. The bottom line is that the reporter and photographer would see me shooting people who appeared nude.

Garry's shot was going to be indoors so anytime during the day was fine but that was not the case with Brent's planned shot. I had a totally different shot envisioned for Brent which was to be taken in the early morning sun at a specific location. The planned location would not work for the "reporter shoot" since the reporter was not coming down until late afternoon. I had to come up with a different shot. Kimberly Ann suggested a location and I was able to figure out a shot once we arrived there.

Not having shot for a while, I did have a little rust. Coupling that with a reporter and another photographer watching me do my thing did not make for an ideal situation. Both shoots were rather laid back and went well. The reporter remarked how fast and effortless things went. The personalities of Garry and Brent led to the shoots being relaxed. She asked "how long do you think it will take to complete the shooting. Six months?". I explained to her that the target date for the exhibit opening was 5/14 which was a mere 45 days away. This surprised her.

A primary concern I had with the timing of the article was the potential of hurting our recruitment effort. I was also concerned about people dropping out of the project as a result of the article. This was a reason I thought the article was premature. Without participants, there would be no project. The article was published 4/4/2010 (Easter Sunday). It wasn't in the "Lifestyle" section where one would expect such an article to be but on the front page of Sunday "Business" section with a big picture of Brent playing his flute. There was also a teaser on the front page as well.

The bottom line is that I was not too thrilled with the article. I felt the reporter really overused "nudity" throughout the article and didn't quite explain the "intent" behind the project too well. It will never be known whether this article hurt participant recruitment or not. It did provide fuel to those individuals who actively tried to sabotage the project and persuade folks from doing it. There is no evidence that it actually helped with the recruiting effort. This said, I did not anticipate the effect that the article would have on the "perception" of the project which went beyond simple eye rolling. This article would be a catalyst for the drama that would come.

Since the opening, Kim has said that having an article written early on was a scheme of hers to lock me into the project. She was afraid that I would back out over criticisms of the project. First of all, it was the article that caused most of the criticisms to begin with. I would not have backed out of this project because of criticism of people who have no basis for their criticism. Additionally, the people whose opinions that do matter to me had already been told about the project. I had already assured them "I will not embarass the family". I was confident that once the show was hung, the work would speak for itself. I knew the "vision" I had for the project was solid. Secondly, if it turned out that I didn't get the results (by my own judgment) I wanted, the project would not have seen the light of day regardless if the RT-D article was written or not.

This said, the article was THE catalyst for the eventual commotion that arose about this project and this was not a bad thing at all. All the "controversy" did elevate the awareness of the project unlike any art exhibit ever done in the area.

Read Richmond Times-Dispatch Article

WTVR 6 CBS

Wayne Covil, reporter for WTVR 6 CBS, notified Kimberly Ann of the petition the morning after it was presented to the Petersburg City Council.

Wayne’s regular news beat is the Tri-City area which includes Petersburg. The three of us know each other and are friends. Well the elements of nudity and petition was one juicy story for him that was for sure.

He contacted Kimberly Ann about doing a report on the project but he wanted some of the photographs to show. Until now, I have closely guarded these images. Aside from a few I showed Kimberly Ann, no one else had seen these images to include the participants themselves. Previously, the reporter from the Progress-Index wanted to see and perhaps use some of the images for his story and I refused for a variety of reasons that I elaborated about below.

Since Wayne was a friend, I was confident that he would give at least a balanced report on controversy surrounding the project so I gave him access to the very small images used to plan the layout of the panels printed which you will see in his report above.

Progress-Index

Well the very local (two blocks up the street) Progress-Index came very late to the party and that was only because of the "controversy" that had ensued. Despite the fact that the project generated interest (before any controversy) from the much larger and statewide circulated Richmond Times-Dispatch as well as the award winning PBS television documentary program "Virginia Currents", the managing editor of the Progress-Index told Kimberly Ann earlier on that he had no interest in doing a story. He felt that a story would give Kimberly Ann's store too much publicity. Somehow he completely failed to see the aspects of the project that other media outlets had found interesting. We had a unique artistic project that included 47 people of all ages and races.

Early on and before the so-called "controversy", a poll question was asked on the Progress-Index FaceBook page whether OTE was good or bad exposure for Petersburg. There were only positive comments but the question/comments quickly disappeared from their page. This was an example on how committed the powers-to-be at the newspaper were on not providing any coverage for this project that was happening in their own back yard.

I received a call from a Progress-Index reporter on 5/7/2010 wanting to interview me about the "controversy". The story was finally published on 5/13/2010; the day before the opening. I felt the reporter did a good job on the article. He let two polar opposite sides state their case but there wasn't a follow-up to inform about the "reality" of this objectionable project once it was opened to the public.

Now if a "controversy" that centered around a project that no one had seen was worthy of a front page article, the question needs to be asked....why wasn't there a follow-up article? What were the attitudes of the general public (and the petition organizers) once they were able to actually view this project? Did the project bring people down to "Old Towne" the following night? After all, this was a stated goal of the project organizers. Did the project have any impact on businesses in "Old Towne" the evening of the 14th? Wouldn't getting answers to these questions be ummm...."journalism"? A "comment" questioning the lack of follow-up that was posted on the newspaper's website did not survive the newspaper's screening process and never appeared.

On 6/6/2010, a "Letter to the Editor" from Virginia B. Hughes was published in the Progress-Index. Kimberly Ann nor I know Ms. Hughes but we do certainly appreciate her kind comments about the project. View articles below.

Read Progress-Index Article

Read Letter to Progress-Index Editor

WCVE PBS "Virginia Currents"

Prior to the opening, OTE was "exposed" to an even greater degree when John G. Warner (managing producer and videographer) of the award winning PBS show "Virginia Currents" paid a visit to one of our shoots. I was photographing kb saine (Producing Artistic Director) and Elise Boyd (Actor), both of "Sycamore Rouge", that evening. He did an on-camera interview with kb as well as taped some of the goings on during the actual shoot. John also came back and shot some more interviews during our pre-opening that we had for participants and selected guests. While asked by John to be interviewed, I begged off. Because of the fear of sounding like an idiot, I simply chose to stay on my side of the camera. Kimberly Ann, Randy and kb handled the interviews just great.

The story was heavily promoted on NPR and first aired on 5/13/2010; the evening before the opening of the exhibit. A crowd of OTE participants gathered at Wabi Sabi, a local "Old Towne" restaurant/bar, that evening to watch "Virginia Currents" on the big screen. Wabi Sabi's owner participated in the project. I was there as well but while watching, I was also busily laying out the project poster on my laptop at the same time. This poster needed to be done prior to the next evening when the exhibit opened.

Unlike the other media reporting, no mention was made of the petition or controversy. The focus of their story was on the project and the people participating in it. We posted a link to this story on FaceBook as soon as it was available on the net for viewing.

social media

We decided early on to use "social media" to spread the word about the project. This was a very fast way to get the news and happenings of OTE out to the masses. Our FaceBook activities did generate interest in the project but not only from folks coming to view the finished exhibit. Our FaceBook presence motivated some individuals to contact us and volunteer as participants after reading about the project.

I stated up front and made it VERY clear that there would be no postings of the project images on FaceBook. Some participants did post about their shooting session experiences and were complimentary of Kimberly Ann and me on how things were handled.

We did post links to the various news stories about the project. We were also the first (a good week before the media) to report about the petition against the exhibit. We posted a scan of the preamble of it. We hid nothing, with regards to the project.

The FaceBook page not only attracted fans from the local area but also throughout the US as well as some other countries. Even two months after the exhibition closed, we are still attracting new fans.

putting it all together

crunch time

With the shooting complete, it was time to sit down and go through the hundreds of images and put the exhibit together. We had about a week and a half before the project would be hung. While Kimberly Ann offered to help, this was something only I could do and she realized this.

Actually, selecting the images was not all that difficult. There was always an image that set itself apart from the others whether it was an expression or body position. While the frustrations I experienced early on had abated, there was still a concern whether I had a decent collection of photographs or not. After the selections were made, I started to look at the images as a "collection" as oppose to individual images, I realized for the first time after many weeks that we may actually have something that didn't suck too badly. Coming to this conclusion, I gave Kimberly Ann a call telling her...."we may actually pull this off after all". Over the next week I would have a lot of final processing and graphic work to do. Additionally, I would still have to print the exhibit.

Late on the Sunday evening before the Wednesday pre-opening, Kimberly Ann and I laid out the order of the images. In all reality, it was Kimberly Ann who laid out project. She was less tired and more functioning then I was. At this stage, after perhaps 14 straight hours in front of a computer, my mind was pure mush. I just wanted to get an order of shots so I could start building the "film". I was certainly not up for the task of laying out the image order at this stage. I simply watched as she started laying the 2x3 pics out on the conference room table at my office only to make a comment here and there. After the order was set, I could do the graphic work for our "film" and subsequently print the exhibit. I did continue to work through the night.

On Tuesday evening, Kimberly Ann had a crew ready to help hang the show. I was busy with the final printing so the hanging of the project was all on Kimberly Ann and her crew. She came by my office to pick up the first segments of the "film". I had two or three segments ready (out of a total of eight). When she arrived, I rolled them out on the floor for her to see. This was her first time seeing what the "film" idea would actually look like. It had all been conceptual up to this point. Her eyes went wide open and she simply had a big smile of delight on her face. That was all I needed to see. I could tell that I exceeded all her expectations by that initial reaction she had. Many over the coming days would have this same reaction of "delight".

Later in the evening, I took a break from printing and went down to Kimberly Ann's shop to see what was going on. They had four of the segments already hung. This was my first opportunity to see how the segments would look once hung on Randy Haase's creation. Well my expectations were exceeded at this stage and everything looked great. I had some small talk with the crew there and then went back to my office to complete the other segments. The next morning (Wednesday), I delivered the final two segments around 11:30 AM. Once everything was in place, Kimberly Ann would cover the entire exhibit for the remainder of the day until that evening when it would be first unveiled to the participants and invited guests at the pre-opening. A great deal of stress was finally lifted. The project was printed and delivered.

the pre-opening

We had planned far in advance to have a pre-opening for the participants and selected guests. We had this on Wednesday, May 12th. This was an important evening for me. The participants would see their images and the collection for the first time. They had trusted me throughout the process. Their reaction to project was far more important to me then the eventual reaction of the general public. I did not want any regrets about participating in this project.

Bringing beverages and food, the folks started to gather. Many of them had seen the images quickly flash by during the WTVR spot but despite this; I do not think this diminished the reaction they had once the project was actually unveiled. There was some nervousness that night. I was nervous over the participant's reaction and of course, many of the participants were nervous as well for obvious reasons. We did have a photographer and reporter from the Progress-Index there and later on, "Virginia Currents" would also come for some more interviews and additional footage. As a side note, the Progress-Index photographer couldn't have taken a less flattering picture of me if his life depended on it.

At this stage, I was working on perhaps 10 hours sleep from the previous Saturday night/Sunday morning but this lack of sleep was all worth it once I saw the excitement and expressions of delight when the sheets came down to "expose" the project for the first time. I just sat back and observed the reactions.

I found it simply amazing to watch this diverse crowd of people interact and simply have fun together. In many cases, you had people who never met before instantly become friends. I was observing right in front of me exactly what I wanted capture in "Old Towne Exposed". I was observing a microcosm of how the diversity of people who do live and work in "Old Towne" works in such a phenomenal way. It is a culture that is welcoming. It is a culture that embraces all types of people without any pretensions or political motivations.

Kimberly Ann would cover the show up again until Friday.

the opening

The evening has finally arrived. Would the work live up to all the hype that neither Kimberly Ann nor I caused? Would people feel cheated in some way and complain that there wasn't enough skin being shown? I wasn't worried that people would think the exhibit was offensive in any way. My worry was centered around whether people thought the photography was interesting.

Earlier in the week, we did have a media source tell us that a group did apply for a permit to protest the exhibit. To be honest, if this became a reality, it would simply be icing on the cake. There would perhaps be even more media attention on the project and "Old Towne" with the reporting of the protest. I had even decided to bring my camera with me that evening to capture the protesters at work and include it in the project just like I had the petition. It would only make the organizers of the petition/protest look even sillier. The protest never did occur but these additional people weren't missed because of the amazing number of people who did come down to see project.

I had plans to go eat a leisurely early dinner and perhaps get down to Kimberly Ann's store at around 6:00 PM or 6:30 PM; a time frame I thought people would start to filter through. I got a call from Kimberly Ann while I was getting gas at the Wawa across the bridge around 5:15 PM frantically asking "Where are you? People are here and want to see you." I finished getting gas and made my way down to "Old Towne".

It was uncommon for people to come down to "Old Towne" this early for "Friday for the Arts". I had trouble finding parking. Some venues aren't even open until 6:30 PM or 7:00 PM. When I arrived around 5:30 PM, there was an unusual amount of people out on the streets already. There was a great early crowd in Kimberly Ann's already but come around 6:00 PM or 6:15 PM, the crowd grew and stayed constant throughout the evening.

Unlike any exhibit I have ever seen, people weren't coming and milling around for a while to socialize and visit. The way the display was set up, a natural line formed and people would make their way around the exhibit and once they would see it, they would move on out. There simply wasn't room for any milling around and the person behind would keep the person in front of them moving along. Some would remark later that they felt pushed along and that is why they came back to see the exhibit over the coming days. To our amazement, the crowd was constant and kept on overturning. In simple terms, we were "slammed".

Typically, there are lulls in the action when it comes to "Friday for the Arts". I had planned on sneaking out during these lulls and go by some other openings around town. Well this never happened. Once I was there at 5:30 PM there was no chance of sneaking out because the crowd remained constant. The number of wonderful comments I receive from complete strangers was overwhelming. This told me that even though the hype may have gotten people down to see the project; once they got there, they enjoyed the project as well.

Because I was stuck in a corner inside Kimberly Ann's building from 5:30 PM on, I had no feeling for what was going on outside. I got reports from friends how downtown was absolutely packed. I also got an ego boost from them telling me that there was a LOT positive chatter about the project going on in the other venues with a remark that "everybody is talking about it all around town". We also had some very excited participants who would come by throughout the evening as well.

Later in the evening, Russ (an OTE participant) had some food delivered from his restaurant (The Bistro At Market And Grove) to Kimberly Ann's store. This was simply a wonderfully kind thing for him to do. We were all starving since we had been trapped in the store all evening.

Kimberly Ann had originally planned to close the store at 10:00 PM. She ended up closing her doors at 11:00 PM. Even at this late hour, she still had to tell people that it was time to go. All through the night, we would simply remark to each other "can you believe this?". We were both exhausted.

the immediate aftermath

After Kimberly Ann closed down her shop, we decided to make our way over to Wabi Sabi for a drink. Along the way, we were stopped on the street by people congratulating us and making many kind remarks about the project.

We finally got to Wabi Sabi and it was packed with people. We were treated somewhat like celebrities upon our arrival. I had complete strangers coming up and giving me their compliments about the show. We also ran into participants who still were very pumped over the whole evening.

While I hoped we would have a decent crowd for the opening, my wildest imagination would not ever have conjured up the reality of what did happen but then again, I am a pessimist by nature. Even the proverbial optimism of Kimberly Ann did not anticipate the reality of what ultimately did occur.

The next day I went down to Kimberly Ann's shop and she had a good size crowd there shopping and looking at the exhibit. We were still both somewhat in a state of shell shock from the evening before. A local restaurant owner came by to see the project since of course she was running her business the night before. I did ask her how the previous evening turned out business wise for her. She stated that they had perhaps the best night in a couple of years. I did encounter another shop owner and asked her about her evening. She told me how great it was but what was even better was that there were a lot of new faces that came by her store. I was flattered when she simply stated that "everybody is crediting you and Kim getting people down here". I would get similar such statements from other business owners about that Friday evening.

A young lady came into the store and remarked how she saw the exhibit the evening before after seeing the WTVR newscast. Neither Kimberly Ann nor I knew her. She was a resident who lived out in Walnut Hill but never been down to "Friday for the Arts" nor really explored "Old Towne". She stood there telling Kimberly and I how much fun she and her husband had that evening going around and exploring "Old Towne" after seeing the exhibit. Not only was this a living and breathing example of what we were trying to achieve with the exhibit, the City Manager just happened to be there at the same time listening to what she was saying.

I did receive some phone calls from those people who couldn't make it down asking me how things went. I would simply preface my comments with "I know what I am about to tell you will sound like I am bragging but to simply say that we had a successful night would be an understatement" and then I would go on and tell them what had happened. People who know me realize that I tend to downplay things. We would hear many similar stories over the coming weeks.

The bottom line is that the project did get people down to experience "Old Towne". What started out as a photography exhibition that was made into an event; the exhibit actually morphed into a phenomenon of sorts while we weren't looking unlike anything that has ever been seen in our town.

the cast who dared to bare

Zack, Carolyn & Zoe, Bob, Sheryl, Anita, Scott, Joe, Theresa & Sam, Ola, Belinda, Russ, Kathy, Harrison, Steve, denise & Alisha, Howard, Chris & Sarah, Jez, Orisegun, J, Carmen, Randy, Carol, Charlie, Stephanie, Montoya, Gail, Jeff, Paula & Toosdhi, DJ, Dana, Van & Mari, Renee, Bobby, Garry, Kimberly Ann, Brent, kb & Elise, Chris & Dr. Bob

What can I say about the brave folks who took part in this crazy project Kimberly Ann and I concocted except that each and every one of them were wonderful to work with and I personally felt I made some new friends in the process. I was asked "how many people didn't make the cut?". An image of everyone I shot was included in the final project. Everyone made "the cut" but there was never any thought to leave anyone out. If a particular photograph was weak whether it was poor shooting on my part or I felt it did not portray the person in a flattering manner, I would simply reshoot until I got it right.

As I told each and every one of them right before the unveiling, there wouldn't have been a project without them. That is how important they were when it came to the creation and eventual success of "Old Towne Exposed"

final notes

process

For many years I have heard artists speak of an existential "artistic process" when it comes to creating their art to an extent of giving a greater degree of importance to this "process" then the final created piece itself. I have heard some photographers speak of the "process" as well to include giving more importance to the act of shooting then the final image. Many years ago, doing a radio interview, I was asked about my "artistic process" and I simply did not know how to respond.

I have never been able to get my head around what this "artistic process" concept is all about. I basically see something and decide whether it is interesting enough to shoot or not always with the final image in mind and really nothing else. Perhaps this "process" thing is discussed/taught in art classes, etc. but then again, I have never taken art classes or even a photography class for that matter so it is hard for me to identify with this thing.

All this said, the process (non-artistic) we went through doing this project whether it was the recruiting of people or the drama that would subsequently happen was somewhat interesting and this is why I decided to share it here on my website. I was tempted to volunteer to give a talk about the project to the local camera club because of the photography challenges I encountered as well as outside pressures faced but decided not to go there since the powers-to-be of this club found this project objectionable from the start.

While I still don't know what this "artistic process" thing is all about, I did have to reframe my initial vision and expectations along the way when it did come to shooting this project.

creative frustration

I did go through a great deal of creative frustration the first half of shooting this project. Yeah...this may sort of sound like pretentious artistic gibberish but the frustration was certainly there. In some cases, I simply wasn't getting the results I had initially envisioned but at no fault of the participants. I should be able to create an interesting photograph regardless of what I am presented. In short, I initially wanted to shoot images that were artistic and creative with a lot of skin.

I decided to do this project because of the "challenge". While at first the challenge appeared to be getting participants; getting results that withstood the scrutiny of my toughest critic (me) became far more challenging. I did have constraints when it did come to shooting but even with those constraints, did I bite off more then I could chew? Did I write a check that my talent (or lack there of) couldn't possibly cash?

The first constraint was "time". From the first shot taken, there was only about 40 days to have a project that was ready to be hung. I have a full-time job so all shooting/project work would be done during the evening and on weekends. Because of the time crunch, I quickly realized that I wasn't going to hit home runs on every image. While I had definite ideas for some participants; I would simply have to resort to do some on-the-fly shooting with others and making best of the situation.

Admittedly, because of the fast pace of the shooting schedule, I wasn't always "on" or at my best coming into a new shooting situation. At times I was simply mentally tired which affected my ability to be creative. This project was not a cookie cutter type of shooting such as shooting events, weddings, portraits etc. when there are standard shots you shoot over and over again and can be done almost on autopilot. None of these images would be "standard" and had to be created. Unfortunately, at times I must admit I found myself settling for achieving the lower "it (the image) will do the job" standard in some cases because of the time crunch. This added to my frustration.

Another constraint would be shooting within the participant's comfort zone which differed from person to person. There was also a self-imposed constraint to take flattering images of each participant as well. Who would want a photograph of him/herself on public display that shows rolls of excess skin, cellulite or what have you. Sure, I could use Photoshop to make someone 40 lbs. lighter and do major work to eliminate major body flaws but then again, it would no longer be a photograph of the person. It would no longer be "real". As a result of these two shooting constraints, I certainly was not getting "maximum skin". You would see far more of the person if you encountered them on a beach. I had to eliminate this frustration but the only way I could do this was to change my mindset with regards to the project photography. This was something I had to reconcile from within.

During a late afternoon drive to Richmond with yet another project frustration on my mind, I had an epiphany of sorts that actually reframed the project photographs for me. Here I had a group of everyday people of all ages, shapes and sizes who volunteered to be a part of this project. Some of these people wouldn't normally have any photographs taken of themselves let alone one for public display. Some did this project as a self-challenge. Regardless of how much "skin" they were showing/hiding, they were still exposing themselves for a public display that would be scrutinized. Additionally they were all doing this project in the blind. They had no idea what kinds of images were taken of others. This took courage on their part and regardless of amount of skin they decided to expose.

I came to the conclusion that this aspect should be celebrated. This was still all in keeping with the basic tenets of the project "Old Towne Exposed". The weight of not getting results I initially wanted was lifted and I was set free from the constraints of what I initially envisioned for the project. Some could say I just rationalizing and gave myself an "excuse". Sure this could be the case but then again, I would like to think it is a case putting the constraints I was working under into a realistic prospective and this eased the frustration I had.

In hindsight, if I kept the blinders on and only took the kind of photographs that I initially envisioned, it would have taken a lot more time to complete the project and would have eliminated quite a few of the participants who did have "limits". Consequently we probably would have lost the rich diversity of people that made the project so successful and interesting.

grading

I was asked by an individual what I viewed as potential downfalls for doing such a potentially controversial project. The only downfall I could see was that my local reputation (if I indeed have one in the first place) as a photographer could take a hit if I did not produce decent results. I was not worried over the perception of me as an individual changing for shooting such a project.

Photographs routinely are graded or critiqued simply by what a person sees hanging in front of them. Many do not care nor understand what work may have gone into creating a given photograph so grading on some type of curve that takes into consideration "effort" does not happen much to the dismay of many photographers out there. If I were teaching a photography class I would tell the students that an uninteresting photograph is just as uninteresting regardless how much money you spent on your equipment, the cold and rain you had to endure to capture it or how much time you spent in front of the computer processing the digital file. I have run into photographers who simply do not understand this.

I am rather pragmatic when it comes to grading/critiquing my own photography. In fact, I am my harshest critic. While it may sound arrogant, no one can tell me anything about any image I take through a "critique" that I don't already know. I know what is right and what is wrong with any photograph I take.

I typically only exhibit images I truly like. In the case of this project, while I thought the "collection" really did work, I cannot say that I was enthusiastic over all the images. My lack of enthusiasm over an individual image was not due to the person I was shooting but my failure to come away from a shoot with a more interesting shot since I was the photographer who was behind the camera.

The bottom line is that I will give the cumulative grade of all the individual images a "C" but I am okay with that because of the VERY compressed shooting window and the fact that all 40 images are truly unique and not derivatives of each other as often seen in photography exhibitions. Because of this, I will take a hit for images that are just "okay" or simply "does the job".

luck

Participants - During the course of the project we had our share of dumb luck going on. I had a rough idea that we had a pretty balanced project in terms of women/men but with people dropping out and people being added, it was hard to keep up. We did take all volunteers. It was simply amazing that when we took a final count, we had 23 women and 23 men who made up the 40 images that were shot. Additionally, we pretty well nailed the demographics of "Old Towne" with the people who did participate but this would not be known until the end.

The Fit - All throughout the project, there was concern as well with regards to how many images could be hung on each side of Randy's creation. It was always a concern that we would not have enough then there came a point there was a concern we may have too many. I would ball park the number of images that could be hung on either side but it was not known until the Friday before the Wednesday pre-opening the EXACT image dimensions that included the film frame. The bottom line is that the project/number of images couldn't have fit more perfectly on Randy's creation. Positive karma was certainly with us.

The Petition - While there were plans to publicize the project around town with posters and mailings, Kimberly Ann and I simply ran out of time to do the things one does to normally publicize an art exhibit. It was lucky that a group of people found the concept of the project offensive enough to start a petition. Because of this, we got far more publicity through the media then we could have ever done on our own. None of this is meant to minimize Kimberly Ann's marketing efforts. She did get the Richmond Times-Dispatch and "Virginia Currents" interested in doing stories on this unique project. I will always consider her to be among the best in the area when it comes to marketing. The petition simply took publicity to a much different level and kicked it into overdrive.

group effort

While "Old Towne Exposed" may be considered a Mel Talley & Kimberly Ann Calos thing since our names are on the poster, the reality of it all is that is this was certainly a group effort of 47 people. Without our brave participants who blindly allowed me to shoot some images of them to those people who pitched in and helped to hang the show, prepare and manage things the nights of the pre-opening and opening, keep track of auction bids, poster/t-shirt sales, etc., this project would have never been a reality.

trust

I experienced "trust" from people that felt I was going to do the right thing when it came to shooting this project. On the other hand, I saw a complete lack of "trust" by a small group of people who knew me and was familiar with my photography.

I was truly humbled by the trust placed in me by the participants. They allowed me to shoot them in a "different" way for public display. No one would not see his or her image until the project was hung. I had some participants tell me that I was the only photographer they would ever consider allowing to shoot them in such a fashion. How I earned this level of trust, I will never know.

That said, there was a small group of people who felt that the project would harm the city and promoted sex, etc. I even had a "what about children?" card played on me. I am not talking about those who organized/signed the petition. I am talking about a small group of people who personally know Kimberly Ann and me. Not only would they voice their unsolicited displeasure about the project around town but took active steps to actually sabotage it by trying to get people not to participate. In some cases they were successful but in other cases they weren't. All of this "talk" was done based solely on the Richmond Times-Dispatch article. I would have thought since they did know me, they would have picked up the phone and asked "Mel...what is really going on?" before spewing their venomous views about a project they knew nothing about but this never happened.

After the very successful opening of the exhibit, I would be told..."it was never about your photography, I knew it would be good". This type of comment simply didn't make sense on any level. The project consisted of only my photography and nothing else. It was hard to stomach all the downright silly "excuses" made in an attempt to do damage control.

This small distasteful aspect of the project didn't affect the way I shot it nor my satisfaction of the results.

do it again?

Time and time again during the opening and the weeks that followed, we received many comments along the lines of "you should/need to do it again next year". A natural tendency would be to do another "like" installment of this project with different people and simply feed off of our original success however, that would not be an easy thing to do. Nevertheless, I was in no condition at the time to even entertain such an idea. I needed time to recover and regroup. Since some time has passed, I have thought about it but my initial gut reaction didn't change one bit.

First of all, there would no longer be any "risk" involved on anyone's part. Judging all that was said, there is little doubt we would have problems getting people to participate a second time around. I may actually be able to get better photographs as well. We had some folks, who originally declined to do this project, admit to us "I (or we) should have done it." when they saw the finished exhibit. We knew all along that there would be people who would end up kicking themselves in the butt for not doing it.

We also had many ask “why didn’t you ask me? I would have done it”. This is easy for an individual to say after viewing the project but would they have been as brave to step up and volunteer “in the blind” like our original participants did and simply trust Kimberly Ann and me?

Secondly, if we should do it again, there would no longer be that "unknown" element that tantalized the imagination of many wondering what Kimberly Ann and I were actually up to. It was this "unknown" that subsequently caused the eventual "drama" that took on a life of its own. This "unknown" was the catalyst for much speculation and talk. The "drama" and "unknown" that surrounded the project is what got people down to "Old Towne" which was our primary goal. This could never be recreated doing the same thing over again.

Finally, a definite goal of mine was to shoot/exhibit something "different" when I decided to take on this project. Doing a redux of the original project would not be very "different" now would it? Doing this same project again would be me taking an easy way out creatively. I want to continue to challenge myself and do something "different" and perhaps unexpected.

Yes....this is all meant to convey that I have no plans to shoot a new installment of "Old Towne Exposed". I have been there and done that and while I didn't get the t-shirt, Kimberly Ann certainly did sell them. The "film" is rolled up and is on a shelf in my office. No doubt it will sit and simply collect dust since I have little interest to exhibit the original "Old Towne Exposed" locally again; let alone shoot a new installment. It is time to move on and do something "different" but no less compelling and therein lies the challenge.

All this said, I have finally decided to start a new but very different project unlike anything I have ever attempted to shoot before. It has been in the "thinking" stage for perhaps the past three years. I am now in the midst of planning. This project will take me on a journey that will eventually be shared with others through my photography. I am of the belief that this path I have chosen will take my photography to yet another level in terms of subject matter, scope, challenge but more importantly...."relevance". Like any photography however, those who view it will ultimately decide whether it has any merit or not.

in conclusion

There are so many stories that could be told about this project that I actually feel that the story behind the project is far more interesting then the work itself and that is why I decided to exhaustively write about it. Perhaps there is something to this "process" thing I have heard about all these years. All that I have written is merely a glimpse of the project through my eyes.

There were so many rumors going around town about this project before and after the opening, it was hard to keep up with them. Some rumors were that some of the pictures were Photoshop creations.....i.e. I shot the person somewhere else and digitally put them into another setting. Actually a local graphic artist suggested we do that early on in the process but that really does go against my photographic ethos.

With regards to some of my images; it is amazing the number of people (to include self-proclaimed photographers) who automatically assumed that a shot, which may be a little different, was a Photoshop creation instead of being the result of good old fashion photography but that is a gripe to be written about at another time. To address a rumor on another shot, I will wag my finger and state.....I DID NOT PHOTOSHOP A THONG ON THAT WOMAN"S BUTT. Some rumors surrounding the project however were downright vicious and very untrue.

Of course I would get some harmless teasing about the fun I must have had shooting naked or nearly naked women. On some particular shoots, there are some men (and women) that would have actually paid me to be my assistant. While I do enjoy the sight of unclothed women like most any heterosexual man, I honestly took no pleasure from having a completely or partially nude woman standing in front of me. I was simply too busy working. My complete focus during a shoot was to eliminate distractions in the setting, make sure the lighting and composition was correct and that the subject was posed in a flattering manner. Even with that said, many will still sarcastically remark "yeah yeah yeah…tell us another one" in disbelief but that is the honest truth.

I would have never thought a photography exhibit of mine would create so much attention and "talk". That said, all throughout the shooting, the only discussions I had about the project were with only participants or those very few close friends of the project. I only heard of all the "talk" about the project third hand. Unlike other projects, it was odd that I did not get the occasional "how is the project going" from people who know me nor comments from local photographers who routinely ask me about projects I am working on. There was simply an odd silence.

It did amaze me how wide spread discussions about the project actually were. One example was early on when I got a call from a friend who lives up in Goochland. She was having lunch with a group of women in the far west end of Richmond who started talking about this project as a result of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She said she just kept her mouth shut the whole time listening but finally confessed to the group she knew the photographer. She said that the discussion was all very positive and one woman, with a NYC publishing background, thought the concept was great.

Once the project was on display, I was in a waiting room for an appointment up in an office near Midlothian. The head of the practice, who I did not know nor ever met, saw me in the waiting room and came up and told me how much he enjoyed the exhibit. I was sort of dumbfounded but nevertheless amazed by this.

I went into a local Wawa and the gal who was checking me out at the register bluntly asked "aren't you that photographer with the naked people?". My first thought was that I was about to be blasted. I lowered my head and confessed I was indeed the photographer. To my surprised, she went on to say how she didn't understand why those people were all upset over the project and how she felt there was nothing wrong with it at all.

Way before the public reaction of the exhibit, I knew this would be the most ambitious project I have ever attempted to shoot. All along, my major concern was over the "quality" of the final photographs and that they would ultimately be found "interesting". The "talk", while amusing and annoying at the same time, didn't bother me nor influenced the pursuit of putting this project together.

There are no pretentions that these photographs are examples of great photography. I could shoot all better if given another opportunity. That said, as a collection, I was satisfied with the end result. This satisfaction was reinforced by the comments I did received from the actual participants as well as a wide variety (age, sex, race, social standing, etc) of people once the project was "exposed" to the public. Comments coming from some local serious photographers about the technical side such as lighting, etc. were also most gratifying.

Neither Kimberly Ann nor I anticipated the crowd of people who came to see the project that Friday evening of the opening and would continue to come over the following two months. Many would come back to view the project multiple times. Overall, the goals or the project were met or exceeded. We got people down to "Old Towne" and there can be no argument over that but of course there are a very few who criticize the "process".

Unlike other projects we have worked on together, Kimberly Ann and I certainly had our share of knockdown and drag out fights over the course of this project but despite all of this it really boiled down to a comment that someone told me...."Despite any problems you two may have had with each other along the way, look at the wonderful project you two created together. There is a lot of good when it comes to the combination of you two and the results are proof of that."

In all honesty, neither of us would have been able to do this project alone. In short, while the process may have been brutal at times for both, it was our combined talents and a very odd synergy of two very different people, a symbiotic relationship of sorts some psychoanalysts may actually find fascinating to study, that created "a short film" titled "Old Towne Exposed".

project t-shirt - “expose yourself……….we did” (sold out)

project poster (still available)

A project poster was sold as part of the fundraising efforts in sizes up to 24”x36” and is still available for purchase.