100 Cameras Inc. Press Release

Unique Project Seeks to Capture the Astounding and Ordinary Moments of American Life

100 Cameras to Traverse the Country with Cameras, Photographers, Film and Imagination in Tow

Seattle, WA – April 25, 2005 – 100 Cameras Inc. is about to embark on a unique journey encompassing thousands of miles of road, a hundred cameras, a bunch of photographers and many, many rolls of film. The Seattle-based group has turned their joint fascination with cameras and road trips into a medium-spanning project that seeks to capture the image and essence of the American life that dwells next door, up the street and a hundred miles down the road.

Photographs allow us to see and reflect on the past, be it our own, our family’s, or our country’s. Yet each camera also has a history of its own. 100 Cameras has collected machines that reflect the different phases in American history, echoing the aesthetics and technical innovation of various eras. From the earliest cameras developed for amateurs and children to the pop culture defining Polaroid of the 60’s and 70’s, to the cell phone cameras of the new millennium, the design, marketing and subsequent embracement of photography as our culture’s mirror is a fascinating metaphor for the American landscape.

Gathering talent from its own backyard as well as the entire country, 100 Cameras has already signed 15 of 75 professional photographers who will be invited to show how these diverse machines see America differently. Some of these talented shooters include: Fred Licht of Los Angeles, www.fredlicht.com; Donna Day, www.donnaday.com and Jimmy Clarke, www.jimmyclarke.com , of Seattle; and widely published Day-in-the-Life-Of photographer Forest McMullin, www.mcmullinphoto.com, of Rochester, New York.

100 Cameras’ jaunt across America will be broken into three, three month excursions, and will include small towns and big cities, giving those 75 professional photographers, amateur shooters they come across and everyday lovers of photography alike, a chance to capture the people and places of the amazing and varied country in which we live.

The tangible results of this mother-of-all-road trips will span mediums, including photographs, music and film. The centerpiece will be a comprehensive book that will offer something for anyone interested in photography, cultural anthropology, or the American road. Highlights will include:

• A history of each camera, including related packaging and advertising;
• Images captured on the road by each camera;
• A travel log documenting the circumstances of each image; and
• Personal musings from various sources, including the photographer and subject, as well as the personal histories attached to the camera itself.

More information on participants, locations and how to get involved is available at www.100cameras.com.