in situ
/ɪn ˈsɪtjuː/
adverb & adjective
in the original place.
"frescoes have been left in situ"
in the appropriate position.
"her guests were all in situ"
“If something remains in situ, especially while something is done to it, it remains where it is.”
This is a shot I took of AJ of Prime Artisan Knives last year while we were making a hammer in his shed. It was one of those moments when I saw a potential image in my head, and in the moment I made AJ sit on the floor and look out the door. Boom! Nailed it!
So after that the rusty cogs in my brain started to move and I came up with an idea to shoot a photobook featuring Kiwi craftspeople in their workspaces going about their business. Knifemakers, woodworkers, potters and other artisans I can find along the way. It'll be a "TFP" or "Time for Portfolio" type situation where both I and the person im shooting are simply giving our time to the project, and we each get the photos to use. Me for the book and them for their own use/marketing/website/whatever. That way the only thing it'll cost the participants is time and some travel on my part!
Now, Em (One of my patrons) suggested over on Patreon while I was talking about this idea, that I do it as a facebook or instagram account. Thus, Project_InSitu was born! I'll still be compiling it as a photobook, but while I shoot the project no one has to wait for the images and I can share the images in their own space on Instagram.
I like the definitions of In Situ: "in the original place" or "in the appropriate position". In a way it says that this is where this person belongs, doing what they love, in their own space.
Of course this is a daunting project, having to ask people to get in their space with a camera. For the mean time I'm going to keep it relatively local to me to keep travel costs down, but if/as the project gains some momentum I can start reaching out to more people around the country to get involved. Hopefully I can do them all justice!
I have created a Patreon tier at $3 a month for those who want to support this - there will be discounts and the like naturally, but if you know anyone who might be interested in participating send them here :)
So yeah, consider this an announcement of an incoming photobook I guess. Looking forward to getting this off the ground and getting about the place to shoot!