Rasmus Rasmussen dot com

I recently launched an actual website to act as the official home of my photo project ‘12 Seattleites’. This is the project where I follow local Seattle people around, documenting their lives with the goal of ending up with a portrait of the city itself, through its inhabitants.

I thought it would be a lot easier and faster moving than what turned out to be the case. Finding the right 12 strangers, willing to let me into their private lives, then arranging the right days to go photograph them, requires a lot of footwork and administration.

To get me started, I got some help finding the initial subjects. This investment got me committed to following through and gave me something concrete to start with. However, this being a personal (as in not-profit-making) project, I can’t afford to have someone handle all the administrative work.

My strategy for ‘12 Seattleites’ is to let the web help me. I’ve set up a subject application form on the site, so Seattleites coming to it can sign up and be considered for the project. I’m also showing a few photos off, to give a better idea of what to expect. Having a website is, on its own, probably not enough to get me what I need, but it’s a start and a good source to refer to.

So, next step here is to get the word out about the site. Because I’m working alone on all of this, I’ve chosen a soft launch. The site is there, but I am not pushing it aggressively, for fear of burning out. Later, I will contact Seattle based bloggers and media, hoping someone will pick up the story. Simultaneously, sites like Craigslist and Facebook will be used as channels. None of this, of course, involves picking up a camera.

I work on many projects at once, often jumping back and forth between them. ‘12 Seattleites’ just reached a milestone with the site launch, so I’m taking the opportunity to let that energy seep into other things for a bit and focus on getting some actual photography done.

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• First Seattleite Shoot
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• Putting Microstock on the Back Burner
• Portraying My City