Hey Michelle, so we’re getting closer to the end of your Kickstarter campaign; what do you think of the response so far?

I’ve received support from people I never expected, gotten a lot of positive feedback about the project itself, but I have just a week left and I’m only halfway to my goal. Most Kickstarter campaigns see the most pledges in the last week, so I’m hoping I can still reach my goal.

How did the idea for this project really originate?

I wanted to do a personal photography project that actually meant something to me, and skating was just an obvious choice.

One of your criteria was to not shoot ‘traditional’ skate photos. Why the emphasis on that approach?

I just wanted to challenge myself to do something different and take photos that said “this is what skating means to me.” That meant not worrying about getting the shot of the biggest and best trick but focusing on the lifestyle, chill street sessions, the themes of camaraderie and individuality in skating, and the art in the details.

We’ve briefly talked about scheduling the gallery show on Friday night, and possible conflicts. Can you tell everyone what you’re planning, and how you’re working to accommodate people’s hectic schedules?

Nothing is finalized yet, but the general plan is to open the show around 4:00 pm to the public on Friday, February 24th (the day before BCSD 2012). Bladers can check it out before heading to Modern, or attend later from 11:00 pm to 2:30 am, which will be more of a private party for bladers. We’ll have a separate room to set up things to skate. In addition to boxes, I’m working to have some skateable art obstacles. Food and drinks are being planned right now. It’s also a perfect venue for a video premiere if anyone is interested. I really think it would be cool for this to be an all-out event.

I think we can imagine what bladers will say/think when they see blade life pics, but what you do think the general public’s reaction will be? Any guesses?

I’m not sure. So far the reaction has been really positive and supportive. In fact, some of my biggest supporters are non-rollerbladers. It will be interesting to hear what the general public has to say about it.

What sort of hurdles or lucky breaks have come your way while working on this?

My biggest hurdle has definitely been funding. I’ve already put so much money into this project, and the biggest expense is making this show happen.

One of the best things that happened during the project was a two week road trip to Toronto, Rochester, NYC, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Woodward. This gave me a chance to cover a lot of cities and people in a short time.

I was also extremely lucky to have found the Tangent Gallery to work with. It has the right look and size that I wanted for the show, and the owners are really working with us to make this into an event by allowing us to bring in things to skate, too.

Have you learned anything unexpected about the subjects you’re shooting or working with?

Not really, ha ha. A lot of them have actually been my friends for years.

This is going to sound like a shitty question, but it’s not meant to be: what are your plans in case the Kickstarter doesn’t meet its mark?

My original plan was to fund the show completely by myself. After doing a ton of research and realizing that just the prints alone would cost $8,700, I knew that the only way I could make it happen by this year’s BCSD would be to get some help. I was hoping to raise half of the costs for the show through Kickstarter, but if that doesn’t happen, I don’t want to have to cut down the show into something too small. That would kind of defeat the purpose. So it may be postponed until I can raise the funds for the show I want to do.

Are there other photographers in blading that have inspired you to pursue photography? If so, who are they?

Chris Majette. When I was on Denial’s team, he was my biggest influence. I loved his photography and he actually sent me my first SLR camera. I owe him a lot. More recently, I love the style of Wes Driver, Ryan Schude, and Dan Busta’s photography.

What is your favorite image you’ve captured so far?

I think the project works best as a series of images, so I can’t say I have a single favorite image.

Anything else people should know about right now?

There’s only a week left, so please check out the Kickstarter site and the rewards. I’d really love to make this happen for BCSD 2012. Thank you to everyone who has already pledged! I can’t wait to see everyone at the show!

Visit The Rollerblading Project website here.