Heads Up Key West
I am so inspired.
Recently I was given the opportunity to participate in a Key West photography project that took pictures of more than 500 Key West residents. In typical Key West fashion I’d had the post card outlining the dates for the project for over 2 months clipped to my bulletin board at work but didn’t make it to a shoot until the very last night @ Mary Ellen’s.
I had been curious about the project ever since I moved back to the Keys in 2013. I think I had just missed the first round of photos, I don’t remember the photo shoots but I remember seeing the finished product up on a wall in a former Key West restaurant named Chicago’s and thinking how cool it was to see my friends and fellow Key Westers displayed in all their glory. When I saw that the photographer, Tom Flip, was recreating the project 5 years later I had to be a part of it.
The last shoot was on September 30th from 7-10pm at Mary Ellen’s. Since it was the last night I figured there would be a hell of a line and so Ed and I got to Mary Ellen’s a little early around 6:45pm. The line was already 15 people/ dogs deep. As we waited to get our photo taken I looked at the people in front of us; some were friends, some strangers, some were strangers that became friends after standing in line together.
I’m not sure if I have some unresolved issues from school picture days of my past but I am THE WORST when it comes to having a solo photo taken. There’s just something about the rigidity and lack of authenticity that I cannot connect with. Shoulders back, tilt your head this way, turn your shoulder this way, yada yada. The finished product is always the most awkward version of myself that is captured. The Heads Up Key West shoot was no different, despite me trying to play it cool I could feel the hives, matching my pink dress, creeping up my neck as I sat down. So there I sat with my quivering lip and awkward smile knowing that this experience would be no different than before. But I was wrong. Although I was nervous somehow Tom was able to take the edge off and capture something different, something real.
Once we had our photos taken we made our way out of the bar and past the line of 50+ people that had now joined in the wait to become a part of this project. I heard that the last shoot happened after midnight and that some people waited more than 4 hours to have their photo taken.
In today’s day and age there aren’t many opportunities where you don’t have control over the image that you are portraying and this was one of them. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one stalking the Heads Up Key West facebook page where Tom Flip had been so diligently posting the photos after each session for us to admire and share. I know that editing is often the most time consuming part of photography so I would be hard pressed to find my photo online by Monday but my curiosity wouldn’t let it rest. On Thursday I saw the post I had been waiting for, all the 2018 shots had been posted on the website www.tomflip.com and that preorders for posters, etc. were available. I scrolled with lazer focus on a mission to find my pic. When I found my photo to be honest I didn’t really know what to think. I mean, it wasn’t what I thought the picture was going to look like, but it’s me. My necklace is crooked and my eyebrows are about 2 weeks over due. It’s authentic. And I’m proud of that.
The photos taken were to be displayed in an exhibit at The Studios of Key West and opening night was Thursday, October 4th. I went to the reception and was blown away. It’s one thing to see all the photos on a website but it’s a whole different level when you see them displayed, covering an entire room. Friends and locals wandered about, pointing out friends and getting their photo taken by their pic in the display. There was an unmistakable sense of pride and happiness that radiated in The Studios as people found their photos and took it all in.
I can’t figure out how to insert the actual video I’m about to reference into this post (I’ve been at it for over an hour now) so below is a link:
Heads Up Key West by Docklight Productions
Along with the display of the photos there was a side room playing a documentary video of the project that really brought out all the feels and tears; namely because the final words sums up my thoughts on living in Key West perfectly “his life was better off having made Key West home. I’ve often said the greatness of Key West rests on the shoulders of those who call it home”.
Lately I’ve been having these feelings where I get overwhelmed with a sense of needing to remember every detail about a situation. I think to myself, I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life. One day it happened while I was riding over a bridge on US 1 and looked out onto the ocean only to see what appeared to be a million little diamonds dancing across the surface. The water was so blue and magical.
Last Sunday, standing at Mary Ellens, it happened again. Omg he outside it may have looked like just a line of 50+ strangers waiting to have their photo taken but I saw something more. I saw people smiling and laughing with strangers and friends. I saw one person turn around to become a human table for a mom of three to fill out waivers and not have to put down the littlest one. I saw a grandmother hunting for quarters so she could play her grandson in PacMan. I saw dog smiles. And human smiles. I saw Tom Flip make people smile and laugh while telling their Key West story with pride and THAT ladies and gentleman is definitely something I want to remember.
When I think back on this project and the participation and buzz it created it on our little island it reminds me once again how in the words of Tom Flip, “the spirit of this community shines. Long live the Conch Republic.”