What I’m Doing Today

Original plans for 3/29/08: Declutter and clean the house, catching up on household duties I’ve been too busy to do.

Revised plans for 3/29/08: Doing a creative project. I have joined a photography competition at the last minute. Doing this with my seven year old son as I think it will be more fun to do it with him than alone. Older son and husband are busy at a Boy Scout event.

We’re going to compete in Film Speed 2008 to be held in New Haven, Connecticut.

I am stepping outside my comfort zone by doing this project.

Thursday evening my parents phoned me to say the local TV news talked about an event happening on today in New Haven. They thought it was right up my alley and said that they imagined that I should do it with my kids.

This is photo scavenger hunt project. They didn’t even know that I’ve done photo scavenger hunts via the web, on Swap-bot.com in the past. This event is a competition in which “professional and emerging photographers” will participate. I love that “emerging photographers”—also known as amateurs or hobby photographers.

The event works like this. We will be handed a disposable camera with 27 exposures available on it. We will have a scavenger hunt list of 24 items. We are to leave the race line (at an art gallery) at noon and try to find the items on the list. We have to do this on foot or on bike. I will choose to be on foot as it is in the low 40s today and that is just too cold for biking. I also don’t think that city biking is safe for a seven year old.

Some of the items on the list for the last Film Speed event were:

A Good Leaf
Playful
Figures
Duet
To Hide
Feel Excitement


At 2pm we can meet at a local restaurant to pick up a boxed lunch. At 4pm we have to be at the gallery to hand in the camera. They will develop the film and give us the photos back, and we will submit the ones we want in each category. We will also be served Irish food and beer (and soft drinks I imagine). We can hang out there as long as we want to socialize. (I do not envision hanging out long with my seven year old nor will I be drinking beer then driving.)

At a later date a reception will be held to announce the winners and to display their artwork in the gallery.

I think this will be fun.


My main concerns are:
1. I don’t want to be cold.
2. I wonder if we can find good stuff to shoot within walking distance. I don’t know that area of New Haven very well.
3. Being on foot would prevent us from accessing some of the best spots in New Haven. I wonder if the very serious photographers will be zipping around on bikes or even skipping the lunch.
4. I hope we are not mugged while walking the streets of New Haven.
5. I hope my son does not complain of being tired while we’re out and about.


I pre-paid the $25 entry fee so we are locked in to go.

I am curious about what the scavenger hunt items are.

I need to go pack a backpack with water and snacks. I’m taking my digital camera along and will snap some other photos with that.

I consider this an artistic pursuit and plan to actively engage my son in this process.

Wish us luck.

Internet links about this event

Capturing New Haven From the Best Angle article in the Hartford Courant

Film Speed 2008 New Haven

Technorati Tags: Film Speed 2008, Film Speed New Haven, photography scavenger hunt.