Kevin Wong, a photographer based in Joshua Tree, Calif., seeks to create a book about Route 66 in California’s Mojave Desert, and is asking for donations to help get the project off the ground.
Wong also runs a guided tour company called Mojave Desert Excursions.
According to the project website:
I am creating a book that is a collection of stories and candid portraits of people who live on and/or near Route 66 as it passes through the Mojave Desert. I will record the images of the people who have settled there to live or to work and the passing tourists who revel in the cultural icon that is Route 66. […]
I will establish myself in each of these remote locations during the project where I will offer to photograph and record stories about life on the “Mother Road” (term coined by John Steinbeck). Sign boards will be placed along the highway, in both directions, advertising the project’s goals in the form of a Burma Shave limerick to attract the storytellers […]
Now, the goal of this project is to raise $3000 in 44 days to cover the expenses of funding a traveling, gypsy-like, photo/recording studio along with a major publicity campaign to attract attention for the project, and printing of books. I appreciate any amount you can contribute, and every single dollar means a lot. Plus, I have some really cool rewards!
The whole process is going to be really fun, too. Whatever the level of support gets you behind-the-scenes access, and I’m going to share stories, photos, observations, and questions as I travel down Route 66.
Here’s a video that accompanies the project:
Depending on the size of the donation, Wong promises gifts ranging from postcards to three signed copies of the book and a full day’s Desert Excursion led by him. The deadline to contribute is Aug. 31.