The following post by Miki Johnson was copied with permission from the Emphas.is blog.

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One of the most important, but possibly least understood, aspects of crowdfunding is what makes a person decide to support a specific project? Understanding this will help more projects reach their goals, help organizations like Emphas.is focus their energies, and possibly give us a glimpse into the kind of journalism that audiences will be willing to pay for in the future.

To help answer this, several backers of Tomas van Houtryve’s project graciously agreed to answer a few questions. We asked them:

• How they found out about the project
• Why they decided to support it
• What the experience of being a backer has been like
• If they would recommend Emphas.is to friends or suggest any improvements

We were happy to hear that everyone would (and did) recommend Emphas.is to friends, and that their suggestions were mostly for technical improvements to the site (which we’re working on). Their input gives us an important glimpse into the mind of a backer, but this is obviously a small sample, so we will continue to do more interviews. If you have any input, whether you’re a backer or not, please share it in the comments!

Kimo Quaintance, 36, is an American living in Munich, Germany, and a lecturer in International Relations at the University of the German Federal Armed Forces. He’s been involved in photography for nearly 20 years, mostly as an amateur.

Last summer he and a social anthropologist colleague organized a photo elicitation/photo repatriation project reuniting archival photographs with their source communities in the Marsabit area of northern Kenya. This summer they’ll be using photography as part of their research exploring Somali diaspora trade and trust networks throughout Kenya.

“This was the first project of its kind I’ve funded. I heard about it through Tomas’ Facebook page and I encouraged my friends to support it through my Facebook page, which I know a few people responded to.

Last summer I had an exchange with Tomas over the idea of crowdfunding. At the time he was experimenting with the micropayment service Flattr, which I was skeptical about for numerous reasons.

I kept an eye on his work, however, and felt like he’d hit upon a good approach with Emphas.is. He’d obviously thought a lot about the relationship of the photographer to their audience/supporters, and was smart with the way he was adding value for his supporters. With the larger concept of crowdfunding, these questions of engagement and added value are essential.

“For a number of reasons, I don’t think we have much of an audience for simply consuming photojournalism anymore.”

It’s not that people don’t care about quality photojournalism, it’s just that our media environment is both saturated and fragmented, so both the emotional impact and market for quality photojournalism have been greatly diluted on the societal level.

That said, some of the same forces that have been diluting the impact of photojournalism also open up new opportunities for photojournalists to build personal connections with their audience. This requires a willingness to open up the process of photojournalism and empower an audience through direct engagement. Fortunately, I think Tomas has figured that out, and is using this opportunity to share his skill and experience in a more direct way. That approach represents a type of humility and willingness to nurture an audience that resonates very deeply with me as a teacher.

Tomas did a nice job of trying to serve a number of different audiences with his behind-the-scenes updates. Personally, I was most interested in the vignettes that wouldn’t have made it into a final presentation, and especially in the exploration of his tools and techniques for actually doing this kind of work.

“I supported this project partly in the hopes that I could learn things that would help me in my own photographic work, and on that level of teaching, he certainly succeeded.”

Tomas appreciated that this kind of engagement is only meaningful when there is a dialogue rather than a broadcast. His responsiveness to questions and audience contributions was a model that others who want to use the same approach should take very seriously.

At the moment, I’m not following the project so closely. I’m trying to learn what the “market” wants by following my natural feelings, rather than any idea of what I “should” do. Interestingly, I stopped following it after he reached his funding goal, which makes me think that much like storytelling itself, the most successful projects will be ones that find a way to maintain suspense and surprise throughout the process. In that way, I think it was quite lucky that he started the project before the funding target was reached, as it created a real sense of urgency and suspense to the whole process, that when combined with quality substance, made for a very engaging experience.”

Gwen Lafage, 33, lives in San Francisco, where she moved five months ago from Paris. Formerly a business director for advertising agencies, she is passionate about photography and is currently starting a new photo project in San Francisco.

“I had already seen Tomas’ photos on the VII photo agency site, and I really enjoyed his perception of the world, his photographic style. I read a lot about photography so I was aware of Emphas.is before its launch, and when I saw Tomas’project there I instantly decided to follow him.

“I like the idea of photojournalists going places that are not top priority in the news.”

I like that some of them dedicate themselves to long-term project to give us a deeper perspective on a story. And I loved the idea of being able to follow a photographer though a project, to better understand the details of his daily life, how he manages his day, how people react to his presence, where he stays, who he meets, etc.

I decided to back Tomas’ project specifically because of his previous images, and because he was going to a country I wished to see. I traveled for a year a few years ago, but because of a motorcycle accident in Malaysia I had to shorten my stay in south east Asia and I didn’t get to visit Laos, which was part of my plan.

I really enjoyed Tomas’ posts; they were very well written, very detailed, and very real. I also enjoyed being able to start a ‘relationship’ with him. It felt as if I had a friend writing me emails from the opposite side of the world, which is really different than reading a story in the news.

I’m very concerned by the changing model of photojournalism and the threat it presents for photojournalists, and everyone else. News travel fast with the Internet, and we can get easily overwhelmed, but newspapers don’t have the money to pay for long-term projects anymore. We rush through news and don’t take the time to read a good story, to learn more about something.

I love that some people have innovative ideas and are trying to solve these issues – Emphas.is is a great idea! I mentioned it and Tomas’ project to my friends on Facebook, Twitter, and on my blog.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing more images, to getting the final book, and hopefully an exhibition, possibly at my new gallery, Carte Blanche in SF! I would be interested in being involved in the book-making process or on the selection of images; of course not for everything he does, but maybe for some of it.”

Selim Korycki, 36, was born in Poland and currently lives in London, UK, where he has been a freelance photographer for the last few years (and was a bike messenger for ten years before that). He will graduate with a photography degree from University of Westminster next year.

“I came across Tomas’ work from North Korea following an online link about two years ago — I was glued to the computer screen. Having grown up in a country ruled by a socialist government, I was interested in how socialism and communism are being represented since the Iron Curtain went down.

The experience of living in both political systems — a socialist republic and a western democracy — gives me a unique point of view on both. Tomas’ work on 21st-Century communism totally fascinated me. Over the last couple of years I kept coming back to Tomas’ website and blog, and that is how I learned about Emphas.is and Tomas’ plans to go back to Laos.

My main reason to back his project was the “behind the scenes” access to the preparations, itinerary, choice of places/people/situations. It is a great way to learn. The ability to see images/footage that may not make it to the final edit is simply priceless. So are the comments and thoughts of the photographer.

“Memories fade away quickly and any writing about the project at the later stage is likely to be very different than blogging right there, right then.”

Another reason to back Tomas’ project was the ability to contribute to creation of a body of work that would communicate what is happening in Laos, which many Western visitors perceive as an exotic place they visit to get stoned.

I have pointed a few of my friends towards projects featured on Emphas.is. Why? All those projects are dealing with important issues that otherwise may not get the coverage they should be getting.

I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the final edit of the images, the actual visual narrative. I’m also very curious to see the published project, and to find out which outlets will decide to disseminate it. Also what impact the project can have on the situation in Laos, and on Western perceptions of the country.”

Andrew Stanbridge is a 32 year old photographer based in Portland, Oregon, and Southeast Asia, who describes his work as “toeing the line between photojournalism and fine art documentary photography.”

“I think all photojournalists know about Emphas.is at this point through the grapevine. I have been following Tomas’s work for some time and was excited to see that he was going to approach Laos finally in his quest to document the surviving Communist nations.

I have been photographing in Laos intensively for the past 12 years and contacted him to see if he wanted any advice as to places to photograph, themes, contacts, etc. From there we started a fun back-and-forth of emails, before and during his trip.

“I will be backing many projects on Emphas.is, since I see it as a big part of the future of how independent projects will be possible.”

I was ready as soon as the site went live, thinking about which ones to back. I also have shared and continue to share the idea of Emphas.is, as well as individual projects that either fascinate me or that I think may intrigue particular friends.

I went a little larger on Tomas’s than I expected (being the starving photographer that we all are), but I was excited to add his small book to my library of Laos-related publications. I also think that we photographers need to have each other’s backs, be it sharing advice, equipment, encouragement, or money.

As a backer, I felt the same way that I do whenever I come into contact with people who are interested in similar subjects and are not carrying a big ego on their shoulders. I think that the myth of the photographer is held by those not in the field. Most of us know each other as the same sort of people, scrambling around the world, figuring out the best way to tell the stories that resonate with us.

I am looking forward to sharing a Beer Lao with Tomas somewhere in the world and comparing notes on our experiences in Laos. In the meantime, it was great to get both the personal notes from him, as well as the updates that he created for all his backers on Emphas.is.

In the end it is about the rewards of knowing that I got to help in little ways to make a very worthwhile project come to fruition, as well as being part of the beginning of a powerful new crowdfunding model for photographers.

Now I’m looking forward to seeing how Tomas puts the photos together to tell the story that has evolved during his travels. I am particularly interested in the defined project of Laos, but will also be paying attention to how he fits it into his broader project on communism. I imagine that certain images will take on more meaning as he begins to edit, and I hope to see some stories/reflections along with those images when he is ready to share them.”

Anja Lampert sent this comment to Tomas unsolicited, and he suggested I include it in this post, since it highlights yet another way his work has been helpful to a backer.

“Hi Tomas! I find your blog entries really interesting and want to say thanks for this opportunity to get some background info on your project and Laos itself.

I never knew about Laos (apart from that it existed on the map), about the heavy bombings during the Vietnam war and how people are still living with the aftermath of this era until I had to research some info about Benzoin Resinoid.

I work for a cosmetics company and we use quite an amount of this resin. We buy it from a few villages in Laos, and it was quite complicated to get in touch with the people who produce/collect it. As I had to hold a training session on this particular ingredient, I also found out more about Laos, but then discovered that most people hardly know anything about this country, and that it’s not easy to get information about how people live there.

This is a great opportunity for me to get some more information about this country, plus having all this information brought along with pictures, which are a pleasure to see!”

(Compiled and written by Miki Johnson)

The following interview by Miki Johnson was copied with permission from the Emphas.is blog.

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The Emphas.is team is so grateful to the photographers we’ve collaborated with and the 750+ backers who have pledged more than $60,000 to their projects. Many people have taken a leap of faith on this new funding model for visual journalism — now it’s our responsibility to return the favor.

In this post, and more to come, we hope to contribute to the growing discourse on innovative journalism funding models and to help develop success strategies for Emphas.is and other crowdfunded projects.

We’re excited to kick off with Tomas van Houtryve, one of the first photographers to have his project fully funded on Emphas.is, despite the fact that he was forced to fundraise and update backers while simultaneously making the photos he was fundraising for. Luckily for all of us, he succeeded despite the obstacles (something photojournalists are known for, after all) and has returned from Laos with important insights and advice.

COMPETITION VS. COMMUNITY

From reading Tomas’ posts from Laos, I was excited to learn that his backers were already impacting the quality of his work, and not simply by supplying him with financing.

One of his backers has worked and photographed in Laos for 12 years and gladly shared his thoughts and contacts. “It was really really helpful,” Tomas says, and convinced him to stay longer in a few places he was initially planning to just pass through.

I wondered if Tomas had ever experienced anything like this before? He hadn’t. Mostly because, in the past, he never would have publicly broadcast online what story he was planning on doing for fear that another photographer might try scoop him.

“This turned the tables completely, turning people from potential competitors to supporters,” he says. “It turns out, at least on this story, any worries of competition were unwarranted, and I had a lot more supporters out there than I would have imagined.”

Tomas now has around 130 backers who he communicates with regularly, posting exclusive updates on his Making Of Zone and fielding questions and comments. So what’s it like to have so many people invested in his story? For Tomas, it’s “fantastic.”

“A backer means so much more to me than just a reader in a magazine because they have a stake in the story; most readers are equally distracted by the ads next to the story,” he explains. “That increases the pressure a little bit, too, but not more than having an editor who gave you money to accomplish a story. In either case, when someone invests in a story, you’re going to feel a sense of commitment and want to get it right.”

Ok, but wasn’t there ever a moment of hesitation, where it felt like maybe he was giving away his secrets?

“Not at all,” Tomas insists. “I can’t, in good financial conscience, sit on the Internet all day telling people how I work. But if I’m paid as a teacher, or if backers are contributing, that’s sustainable, it’s not time lost. And it’s even nicer to be able to do it out in the field, instead of entering an academic structure or setting up a workshop. That’s a golden combination.”

TELLING A BIGGER STORY

While in Laos, Tomas posted eight updates, ranging from traditional journalistic reports to personal reflections and observations. In one he discussed Phonsavan, “one of the most heavily bombarded places on earth,” where locals use unexploded ammunition as building materials, including “four bombs which were used as columns to prop up a chicken coop.”

He also included a more technical post about his equipment, and a lighthearted tangent on a mysterious suitcase filled with Russian electronics he found in an attic (which turned out to be an early computer). Comments on the posts help Tomas understand his audience’s interests and gave him an important outside perspective.

His backers were eager to know: how Laos compares to other communist countries; how they can help people in Laos; and if Laos is experiencing effects from recent uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. Some backers grew up in Eastern Europe under Communist regimes themselves, and were able to their share and compare their own experiences.

Grateful for the context his backers added to the story, Tomas was keen to respond to their comments and questions as quickly as possible.

“I’m trying to give people a vastly different experience than they would get from a newspaper or magazine website,” he says. “If you post a comment there, no one ever gets back to you, or it often becomes a shouting match with other people leaving comments.”

Backers also helped Tomas see his work with fresh eyes, expressing how hard it was to relate to and understanding a place as war-torn and impoverished as Laos. They asked Tomas to follow up on more pictures of daily life, ones they could relate to better, which he did later in the trip.

“When you only show the extreme points of a story, it’s a little intimidating; it doesn’t always give people a bridge into the topic,” Tomas realizes. “I’ve been working on this topic for a long time, so it was good to be reminded what pieces of context they needed to understand the story.”

BUILDING YOUR BASE

Working with an enthusiastic pool of backers seems like an ideal situation, but what we really want to know is: How did he convince 130 people to support his project in the first place?

Tomas’ experience echoes a rule I’ve heard over and over from every corner of the social media landscape: You have to be there already. It sounds simple, but also like a bit of a Catch 22.

Long before posting his project to Emphas.is, Tomas had already joined every social media platform he came across: blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a social micro-funding site called Flattr. Over a year or so of regular use, he’d built up a small audience on each one, people who trusted him, liked his work, and were therefore willing to support his Emphas.is project by donating and/or by sharing it with their friends.

“I think Facebook was quite effective, but its downside is that friends, family, and colleagues are all mixed together, so everyone is getting the same kind of message,” he reflects. “These tools aren’t perfect, but if you let them build up organically, then send out consistent messages, it eventually filters out to the wider public.”

In addition to the help Emphas.is gives all photographers in promoting their projects, attention was funneled to Tomas’ by his posts on several blogs. These likewise grew from relationships he’d established earlier.

Like many photographers, Google Image searches have helped Tomas find his photos scattered across the Internet, mostly on personal blogs. “The bad news is, I’m not getting paid for the use and reproduction of my photos; the good news is the person who put this on their blog is clearly interested in my work,” he thought.

First he contacted the bloggers and asked them to include a Flattr button next to his images, at least reminding viewers that someone had spent time and money to make this image, even if the remuneration from Flattr was mostly “symbolic.”

“That got me in conversation with quite a few bloggers I hadn’t been in touch with before,” Tomas says. “Those people were then interested to hear more as I was experimenting with Emphas.is.”

EDITING BY COMMITTEE?

Part of Tomas’ proposal includes the creation of a mini-book from his Laos work that backers will receive, as well as help to edit and decide which policy-makers it’s sent to. I imagine the idea of “editing by committee” makes many photographers cringe, so Tomas outlined his idea for me.

He plans to do the “top level” edit himself, sifting out images that are technically flawed or weak. He mostly plans to ask for input when he has doubts or questions. His backers include professional photo editors, fine art photographers, as well as those completely inexperienced in photo editing.

“I think it’s good to get a trained eye, but also somebody that’s fresh,” he reflects. “People who have a fine arts background are interesting too; they might like ambiguity, while people from another point of view will like images that clarify.”

Tomas has also been inspired by the spirited conversation in his posts’ comments and now plans to incorporate the words of his backers into the mini-book. It’s a kind of homage to Gilles Peress’ influential 1984 book, Telex Iran, in which his images are “captioned” by telexes, communications to and from Peress’ lab technicians and the Magnum agency.

“Those images were made in 1979, so it would be really interesting to apply his concept to this completely new way of communicating and funding a project” Tomas says.

(Interview by Miki Johnson)

*UPDATE, APRIL 4, 2011: The project reached and surpassed its funding goal of $8800. It could not have happened without the amazing outpouring of support and generosity from 130+ backers, plus dozens of others who shared and posted the project link. To everyone that pitched in to help this project, I offer my most sincere thanks. This is very exciting, and I am thrilled to learn that so many people care about this issue and are willing to support in-depth photojournalism. Again, thank you.

Previous post continues below.

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Thanks to the combined contributions of 100 supporters, we have raised $7371 in the last 24 days. I am truly inspired by the generosity and enthusiasm that this project has sparked. I extend a huge thank you to everyone already involved.

Now, it is down to the wire. There are only 4 days left to raise the remaining $1429 needed for the project. That means four days left to get a signed collector’s edition Laos mini-book, or a limited-edition art print from North Korea, Nepal, China, Moldova, Cuba, Vietnam or Laos. There are only four days left to get access to the project’s “Making Of Zone,” where backers are already posting dozens of interesting questions and comments.

If you are still wondering whether you should get involved or not, now is the time join us!

A NEW KIND OF JOURNALISM

In partnership with Emphas.is, an innovative internet startup, this project is a groundbreaking experiment in community-funded photojournalism. For the past three weeks, I’ve been simultaneously fundraising, photographing in Laos, and sending exclusive updates to project supporters.

My intention is not only to build a community of supporters that care about this subject, but to distribute this underreported story in a powerful way. Mini-edition books will be sent to prime backers, human rights groups, NGOs, and influential policy makers, while a multimedia piece will be featured in VII The Magazine.

YOUR ROLE

By contributing, you become an active participant in shaping the future of photojournalism. If this project is successful, it will offer new proof of the importance of in-depth visual journalism, and show that dedicated individuals are ready to stand up and support it.

Crowd-funding on Emphas.is is all or nothing: if we don’t reach the $8800 goal by April 5th, all contributions are returned to backers’ accounts.

MOMENTUM

Since this project campaign launched 24 days ago, it has gathered considerable interest in the press and on blogs, with mentions in The New York Times, The British Journal of Photography, Wired RAW File, A Photo Editor, Photo District News, Photoshelter, Eclats de guerre, and  Rapporteurs Photo. We’ve got some serious momentum behind us, and the finish line is now only days away.

If you haven’t already done so, please add your contribution to the project and join in spreading the news.

As cruise missiles and air strikes rain down on Libya today, it is worth looking back at the legacy of previous American military bombing campaigns. Since the end of WWII, the U.S. has bombed at least 25 countries.

Of all of them, no country’s population was hit as hard as that of Laos. The entire war in Laos was carried out in secret, without congressional approval and far away from TV cameras. Only the CIA and the Laotian people knew what was happening between 1964 and 1973, when U.S. warplanes dropped over two million tons of bombs on the landlocked nation, which amounted to more than two tons per person, based on the population at that time.

As part of my project which is being supported by Emphas.is backers, I just spent several days photographing one of the most heavily bombed areas in human history. Four decades later, the bombs are still around. Munitions that didn’t explode on impact continue to detonate and claim lives of civilians in Laos today. Scraps of war junk have become fixtures in a grim landscape.

As I am traveling through Laos, I am sending out exclusive updates from the field to project supporters. If you would like to get involved in this project and receive the updates, the minimum contribution is $10. Books, prints and other rewards are available for larger contributions. Every bit helps, and I need your support to spread the news to others to make this project a success. The deadline for participation is April 5th.

Please visit the project page on Emphas.is to get involved:

http://emphas.is/web/guest/discoverprojects?projectID=308

(Once registered, you can access more images and the latest updates from Laos by clicking on the “Making Of Zone” tab.)

Update – March 8, 2011: The Emphas.is website has been launched and early participation is now finished. The links in this post have been updated to take you directly to my proposal on Emphas.is.

In advance of the official launch of Emphas.is, my crowd-funding proposal about 21st Century Communism is now open for early participation.

The first round of backers started pouring in last night. A warm thanks to Susan Glen, Kevin Moloney, Franck Joucla Castillo, Craig Ferguson, Danielle Alberti, Stephanie Davis, Ashley Gilbertson, and Mira Kamdar for being at the front of the line!

To join them, visit the proposal page on my website and then fill out the early participation form. Please note, early participants will not be charged anything at this time. When the emphas.is platform becomes fully operational, you will be contacted to follow through on your commitment. Check out the video and project synopsis below.

21st Century Communism: Laos | support this project

Project synopsis

For the past seven years, I’ve been documenting the last communist holdouts around the world. Surprisingly, communism is not dead. Several communist governments have endured and evolved in unexpected ways. Even today, the ideology lies at the heart of several contemporary conflicts and human rights abuses. Such is the case in Laos, which never fully recovered from the war in neighboring Vietnam.

I first traveled to Laos in 2007, and though my visit was brief, it was extremely intense and troubling. I photographed CIA-trained ethnic Hmong guerrillas who have been living in hiding since 1975, when the United States pulled out. They live in the jungle, constantly in fear of attacks by the Laotian army.

Although the story had an impact in the media – with three photos printed on the front page of The New York Times – I was not able to stay in Laos long enough to put the situation in broader context.

Behind the rare headlines, what is really happening in Laos? How has communism survived against the tides of history? In addition to the tragic story of the Hmong opposition, how have the scars of war shaped the current situation?

With your participation, I’ll return to document contemporary Laos, the final step in my series on 21st century communism. Together, here is what we can create:

1) An in-depth photo essay from Laos
The finished essay will be submitted to traditional outlets for publication. It will also be distributed in innovative ways to maximize impact and scope. Read below.

2) A mini-edition book that will be sent to prime backers, human rights groups, NGOs, and influential policy makers.
The mini-book will showcase the Laos photo essay with depth and permanence. For every 10 mini-books ordered by backers, I will send one free copy to an influential policy-maker or organization connected to Laos.

3) A multimedia feature in VII The Magazine
I will reach out to the wider public with a multimedia feature in partnership with VII The Magazine, which syndicates photo features to PBS.org, Lens Culture and other sites.

4) A new form of behind-the-scenes collaboration
I’ll send you exclusive updates from the field and share my insights and experiences as the creative process unfolds. Backers will be able to help select which photos make the final edit. They will also be able to vote on the list of organizations and policy-makers to be sent mini-books.

Budget

My project budget is $8800 USD. Funds contributed to this project will go toward reporting and publishing costs. These include airfare, local transport, food, lodging, translation, visa fees, printing and shipping costs. The VII Photo Agency will cover multimedia production costs. The budget does not include any personal renumeration.

Why?

Since 2004, my series on global communism has entailed 25 separate trips. Seven were financed upfront by the following publications: TIME, The New York Times, Newsweek, VSD, Le Figaro Magazine, La Vie and the International Herald Tribune. Two trips were paid for with a $20,000 grant from the Alicia Patterson Foundation. The rest were paid for out of my own pocket.

I passionately believe in the importance of this work. I’m even willing to pay my own way back to Laos alone if needed. But with your help, we can ensure this underreported story will be told and distributed in a powerful way. I urge you to get involved and add your support.