The photos came out!

They came out! In the first photo you see his car in his garage. This was what led me to confirm that it was in fact his house. My sister told me this was the kind of car he had. In the second photo you can see his vague outline in the dark shadowy area of the left side of the photo. This was the creeppiest moment because it felt like he could spot me at any time! I knew how far away I was but since I could see him so closely it felt like all he had to do was look up and he would be able to see me in the woods looking at him.

From the short time I spent up there I discovered that he might be living a somewhat isolated life. He never left his house that I could see. I want to get more shots of him but this may require me to wait outside his house for long chunks of time.

This may sound strange but I think I'm onto something.

I saw him!

I only shot one roll of film this trip up but I actually saw him (and think I got a shot of him!). It felt like a strange dream to be looking through the 300mm lens at him through is window from the woods next to his house. There he was just sitting there going about his life. I will process the film tomorrow and see what I ended up with.

I felt both scared and exhilarated all at once. I could feel my heart racing as I pressed the shutter release. Although the edge of the ocean was gorgeous - I barely thought about my surroundings at all. Being back at home I can see what I need to do next - focus on this process of going out there and get some shots of the surroundings. I think next time I should shoot some digital images as well. I think I'll also make some sound recordings.

I'll post the photos as soon as I process the film.

for real this time

Ok, so I decided to go back up to try to "see" my father again. I need to do some more research. It was actually kind of scary how easy it was to locate his address, map it out, find out about the area where he lives, what his jobs are, etc. I also have to find a place to rent a long lens. I'm not even really sure how long a lens I need. I've also got to either rent a car or borrow one. I guess a Zip car might stand out too much. I feel like a creeper but if it's truly an art project, I have to do this. I feel strangely compelled in a similar way to how I felt that I HAD to photograph Mommy, Allsun and Klare. I needed to understand them. I have to look more into the laws around photographing his house without him knowing. Part of me doesn't actually want to find him.

found it

So, I found his house. I drove up late at night. It's three hours north of where I live. I did take some photos but then my card got erased some how. It was weird. Next time, I'll bring film. I didn't see him but I saw his car was there. I waited for a while until finally it got late and I decided to drive back down the coast. Above is a map I found on Google.

More research - creepy!

This is his house - found right on Google maps.

Could these be potential hide-outs/stake out spots?

research

I just found my father's address. I'm thinking about going up there to see where he lives in person. I may have to bring my camera and take some photos. Maybe I'll see him. I wouldn't want him to "catch" me, though. Not until I decide what I'm doing.