In 2008 whilst working as a photographer I met the furries during a magazine photoshoot and over the next ten years I developed a project which had real resonance and longevity as it was about the furries and for the furries. That is the project, At Home With The Furries which is now available as a beautifully crafted limited edition photobook, have a look here.
Each photoshoot I did, whether it was with Smirnoff, Lupus Londonwolf, Chill, Broccoli or Bhavvels started with a conversation. What do you like to do at home? As a person or as your character or perhaps we’d think about a chore that we could do together. When I arrived at their home we would refine the idea a little more and at some point some way down the line there was a photographic project with 30 amazing furries allowing me to tell their story. Who had allowed me into their lives. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to all of them and that’s why the project will only ever be used in a positive way, for good.
When I starting putting the book, At Home With The Furries together in 2016, working on it and refining it and refining until I eventually self-published in late 2018, it was as though a switch was tripped over that summer and my mind was suddenly open to new possibilities and ideas. That’s when the mermaids found me.
In my photography I’m looking to tap into that part of all of us, the magical part, the calm part of the imagination that lifts us up. A part that we can return to again and again. It’s a combination of portraiture and words, I act as the conduit to allow people to tell their stories in a very intimate way.
So when I came across the mermaids, I found my way forward with a new project, with the working title of The Mermaid Project. At Home With The Furries was entirely self-funded and took a long time to complete. I want to tell the stories of mermen and mermaids using Patreon to help fund it. https://www.patreon.com/broadbentius
Patreon is a long term crowdfunding platform which for a monthly fee gives patrons access to updates and posts from me as I put the work together. You can choose to be an Oyster, Flying Fish, Dolphin, Selkie, Kelpie, Kraken, Poseidon, Aphrodite or Atlantis Patron and access starts at £1 a month. Pledge as much as you can afford. Your support will allow me to build and develop The Mermaid Project. https://www.patreon.com/broadbentius
I’m also going to be posting in Patreon about my experience of publishing At Home With The Furries as a book, which will include plenty of practical tips and thoughts as to how you can publish your own photobook. Everything from the big decisions such as cover options, editing, sequencing and crowdfunding down to the nuts and bolts of publishing such as ISBN numbers and packaging. Here is for example a list of the top of my head of everything you should be thinking about before you publish your book. I’ll expand on this in the coming weeks and months on my Patreon page.
I’m currently working on a really excellent post featuring the thoughts of some great photographers I’ve got to know over the past few years which will be a positive reflection on my very popular blog post, The 9 golden rules for doing a photobook crowdfunder. In short why not have a look at the Patreon page and come over and support me! https://www.patreon.com/broadbentius
My Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/broadbentius
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Thanks for your support
Tom
Broadbentius' Blog 