Publish the ShutterSlut Archives
ShutterSlut has photographed the San Francisco queer scene for 25 years, documenting on film up to 2005 before making the switch to digital in 2006. These aren't the photos of an outsider, they're from the viewpoint of an active participant shooting his friends, spending time performing drag onstage at Trannyshack while storing his camera in the DJ booth during the numbers, reveling with the drunken masses during the annual Trannyshack Reno bus trips, the Sugar boat parties, huge fetish events and small afterparties, from SF Pride to the Folsom Street Fair- he was in the thick of it all with his camera.
Now the time has come to finally open up the archives and get these photos out to the world. While small versions are being released on the RetroQueerSF Instagram account, he's really excited about the idea of releasing a book filled with high quality, high resolution photos, with memories of the events and people who made (and make) San Francisco such a magical city for the LGBTQI+ community and our allies.
All funding raised will go towards scanning and preserving the 35mm negatives, as well as the ground work towards getting a book published (research, releases from participants, legal discussions, etc)
How the funds will be spent (known expenses):
1) Scanner: Plustek OpticFilm 8200i AI, $499 +taxes - dedicated negative + slide scanner, super high resolution (3600dpi - 7200dpi, compared to the 600dpi my prints were scanned at). Each scan creates two TIFF images: one raw, one with dust & scratches removed.
2) Storage: G-Technology 14TB high speed external drive, $450 +taxes - dedicated to the book project, high speed to ensure I can work quickly.
3) Designer for the book: $tbd. I already have an excellent designer who is part of the scene committed to working on this project, we just need to see what it's going to involve once I get further along.
4) Lightbox for viewing & choosing negatives: Kaiser Slimlite Plano lightbox, $130
5) Loupe for viewing negatives: about $25
6) Lawyer: $tbd. Setting up possible non-profit for the book, other legal issues.