The site Kickstarter – one of the most popular and effective platforms that allows members to collect donations for their projects – was created with the help of creative people who didn’t have enough money to realize their ideas. Inventors, innovators, writers and photographers all go to the site to “kickstart” a fundraising campaign, penning the details of their idea, what they need the money for, and attracting those who are willing to help with different kinds of bonuses – from a simple “thank you” to a tangible gift. Thanks to Kickstarter, the first professional 3D printers, the game console OUYA and a strap that turns an iPod Nano into a watch have all appeared in the world.

Quite often these campaigns are run by photographers or directors who want to publish a photo album or shoot a film. From time to time, Bird In Flight talks about the more interesting projects.

Author: Joe Veneer.
Project: Book and website about the intimate lives of roommates.
Cost: $9,000.

In his project, “The Roommates,” New York photographer and director Joe Veneer researches the voyeurism phenomenon – the urge to spy on the intimate moments of a person’s life. He has photographed 75 different people from creative professions over the course of two and a half years and decided publish the photos in a book. At the beginning Veneer paid his own way to reach his subjects, but hasn’t got enough money for the publication of the book and site.

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Author: Stuart Friedman.
Project: A book about the Indian restaurant chain, “Indian Coffee House”.
Cost: £9,000.

For British photographer Stuart Friedman , the chain restaurant “Indian Coffee House” was his refuge while working in India over the course of two decades. He photographed the buildings themselves and their interiors, communicated with regular customers and staff and captured the India full of kindness and courtesy that you can’t find on the streets.

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Author: Noritaka Minami.
Project: A book about “Nakagin,” a capsule tower.
Cost: $10,000.

The photography book “1972” tells us about a 13-story tower called “Nakagin” in Tokyo – the world’s first incarnation of “capsule” architecture for practical purposes, built in 1972. The building consists of 140 modular rooms, each of which is attached to the base of the structure by only four bolts. Tokyo residents are ambivalent towards the tower, so photographer Noritaka Minami decided to show them and the rest of the world how the building influenced the development of architecture and the culture of postwar Japan as a whole. In addition to other incentives, those who donate $3,500 or more have the chance to become members of the Nakagin tower supporters club.

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Author: Benjamin Friedman.
Project: A book about how similar the Icelandic landscape is to the moon.
Cost: $4,500.

In 2014, young Canadian photographer Benjamin Friedman spent two months in the north of Iceland and became interested in its topography. He lived in a small town and the local landscapes bore a stunning resemblance to those of the moon, in his mind. In addition to pictures, the book has a story about Australian screenwriter Emma Gibson. The photographer plans to issue between 100–150 copies depending on the amount of money collected.

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Author: Malcolm Lightner.
Project: A book about mud racing on buggies.
Cost: $23,000.

Photographer Malcolm Lightner was just a child when he was taking in races through the swamps on improvised buggies in the town of Naples (Florida). After many years he realized that this event truly reflects the Floridian mentality and he decided to dedicate a photo project to the races. Lightner was able to finish taking the photos, and now all that’s left is publishing the book.

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Author: Grigorij Richters.
Project: Disaster film.
Cost: £33,000.

“51 Degrees North” tells the story of Damon Miller, a young director who accidentally finds out about an upcoming disaster on planet Earth and is preparing a documentary on the last weeks of the planet’s life. Project author Grigorij Richters invited well-known astrophysicists to help craft the idea, and at the same time lent support to Asteroid Day, a movement dedicated to defending Earth from meteorites. While the film has already been shot and edited, the director is collecting money for the final edit and distribution of the reels.