About Crossing the USA
'Crossing the USA' is a project for which I, Poike Stomps, will travel, visit and experience all 50 capital cities of all the American States.
In every capital city I'm going to make a photo at an intersection, somewhere in the city, whether it is busy or not. This concept I also used for my project 'Crossing Europe'. However, this concept might have different results in the USA. For example, Americans in certain places rather take the care than walking the streets. Therefore, I might use different approaches such as: a crossing from above the street section or a crossing with cars, animals or combinations of them, instead of people crossing the street.
 

The plan
I'm producing this new project as a follow up from the ‘Crossing Europe’ series with the work title ‘Crossing the USA’. In addition to capturing intersections in all 50 capital cities, I will document the daily life of Americans. Besides that I will document my travels and will follow multiple stories on the road.
I’m in contact with newspapers, an americanist and journalists to show and publish my work while I'm traveling and I’m working on more good connections for more publication of my work. This February, I won a 'Canon Zilveren Camera' (a well-known Dutch innovative photojournalism contest) in the category 'international documentary series'. This generated attention for my work, which I hope will speed up this new project.

While traveling across the USA, I'm open to new stories that come my way and will follow my feeling. 

The example, and a changing role.
After a long period traveling around Europe I set my eyes on the USA .
Since a while I have this urge to learn more about America and for me the only good way is to visit America to feel and experience how it is being there, amongst all people living in you country.America has always been the example for us, for me as an European. It is the place where it all happend before it happens here.
Yes I’m a foreigner, I’m born en raised in The Netherlands where I still live and will live for the rest of my future life but I have always like the fact that my senses are extra open when I'm at new and for me unknown places.I like to feel how America is for a little longer, and not only the East or the West side of the country. I like to see the complete picture. A good average, a little bit of it all.

Where does it come from
I will be traveling all across the United States of America to visit all capital cities of each State.
In every capital I will be traveling towards the capital cities. My goal is to make a photo on a Intersection or junction, there where local Americans cross the street.  I like to picture the daily life, the normal routines, so on many of those crossings from you I hope to see the average American walking the street, or in some cases, driving around in your street.

That idea is coming from my Crossing Europe project, where I made photo’s in 42 capital cities of Europe. Since then I feel more European that I ever did before.
Just as in my earlier Europe project social media will help me to find you, to stay in contact and get connected.  Of course I'm open for other encounters to, I love to write you an email, post a postcard or communicate  with a portrait.

Not alone
The project is self initiated but some parts of it I will do in good company with my girlfriend, she will make some shorter trips with me. She has a longer  relation with the USA and is enthusiastic for way longer about the states. She is an educated Master in American Studies.( Americanist) and will follow her own stories and goals there too but it's a great way to do enhance each-other along the way.

Assistance
In every city capital I love to meet people who could help me getting around, assisting me with photography, as for example, caring a flashlight or getting me out of trouble, and getting me around the city. I can't do it all by myself and love to get overloaded with information from a local who is eager to share it. Show me where the best place in town is, where to eat the best lunch or where to get a good view over the city. etc. If you'r in photography it is usually a plus but not a must, everybody with some spare time is welcome to make this project a wiser project.

More to follow soon, this is just a little announcement for my future plans]

Interested in following my trips and adventures? https://www.facebook.com/Poikecrossingtheusa/

We have to open our eyes again to really see how we all are alike. With minor differences but with more similarities than we can think of. During this project I will open my view and make it as wide as possible.

Crossing Europe, the project before the USA

My earlier project is called Crossing Europe and took me a few years to complete but it is still traveling around Europe within Exhibitions, prizes and all over the world with the published book with the same title.

Below some photo's from my Crossing Europe Project