Creep - Adventures of a Café Levitationist

When I first started my adventures as a levitationist (outlined here), I planned it as a month-long project.  Lo and behold, seven months later I'm still at it.  Statistically put, I've posted 202 daily levitation pictures on instagram as of today!  

What most people don't realize is that I have people staring at me or giving me weird looks in 80% of my levitation pictures.  They're just not always shown in my instagram crops.  I actually have a whole folder full of pictures that have captured weirded out and startled expressions of those that witness my levitation.  I've been saving them for a rainy day, but I thought I'd share a few in this post.

this one came out more extraterrestrial than I intended.

To give a recap of the process behind these levitation pictures, what I do first is set up a self-timer on my digital camera (which I prop up on a yellow stool I carry around, since I don't have a tripod).  Then I run into place and jump at just the right moment when the beeping timer counts down and/or the blinding flash goes off.

So I think people have a pretty good reason to stare.  Even if you know what I'm doing, it's a spectacle.  And if you don't have any context...well it looks kind of insane.  People sometimes ask me if I'm exercising.  I guess I am...indirectly.  I generally take 20-30 shots per location...so I think the 20-30 jumps plus the running back and forth keeps me fit.

When I take pictures on stairs, this involves a lot of climbing stairs in a hurry before jumping at just the right spot.

I know it doesn't look like many stairs. But it's a ten-second timer. And I do it many, many times.

There's a reason why I don't do pictures on the stairs anymore.

And for pictures like the following, I know it looks like I'm teeny-tiny and very far away...and that's because I am.  I run as far as I can in the allotted 10-second self-timer.

Very far.

I'm pretty sure it's hilarious to watch me do this.

Some people ask if I need any help in taking the pictures, and while I appreciate the thought I usually turn them down.  Once I was taking pictures next to the road and a guy stopped at the light asked me if he wanted me to take the picture.  I had this sudden vision of him grabbing my camera and driving off into the sunset while laughing maniacally, so I declined.  I'm sure he had the purest of intentions though.  Maybe.

My initial goal was to showcase Seattle in my levitation shots -- meaning that I took pictures at usual famous locales from Pike Place Market to the Fremont Troll...But as I continued, I also wanted to have pictures of Seattle that would be familiar to locals, but not necessarily recognizable to tourists.

What has become a big part of this, of course, are the cafés of Seattle.  I've taken levitation pictures at over 30 different cafés in the Pacific Northwest so far.  I feel like coffee and cafés are integral to the Seattle culture.  Plus, I love coffee...so it's natural to combine them with my hovering adventures.

However, taking pictures in cafés is more challenging than an average levitation shot.  I don't have control over lighting or space, there are people constantly bustling about, and a lot of people are in intimate conversations or studying and don't appreciate someone jumping around them to take pictures.  Understandably.

Like this guy in the back that packed up and left. If you are somehow reading this, I sincerely apologize, sir.

The biggest difficulty though is that I'm actually painfully shy (as I discussed in more length in this blog post), and sometimes the thought of taking these pictures in public makes me shrivel up on the inside.  When I'm taking pictures outside, I can experiment more with jumps or how to twist my body.  But more importantly, I can always choose my timing to wait until people aren't around.  Sometimes I'm about to jump for a picture and then someone walks by...so I immediately assume nonchalance and pretend I have nothing to do with that conveniently set up camera three feet away.

Don't mind me.

In stores or cafés, it's impossible to pretend I have nothing to do with the blatantly beeping camera.  I try to get a good shot as quickly as possible before I annoy too many people.  I hate the thought of being in someone's way and I'm not the naturally graceful type that has a good concept of space.  I was trying to work with cramped quarters at a café once and I accidentally kicked over a chair when I jumped up.   Oops.  (I assure you though that since then, I have been very conscientious about my space when I'm levitating).

This might be part of the reason why I have a bit of a guilty conscience when I attempt pictures in shops.  Yesterday while I was taking pictures at Neptune Coffee, one of the baristas came over to ask what I was doing.  I flinched and immediately blurted out:  "Oh I can stop right away!"  ...but she was just curious about what I was doing right in front of the counter.

Consequently, I always buy coffee in the cafés I patronize since I feel like I'm bothering them.  Once I start my floating shenanigans, I'm sure it dawns on the baristas why I tipped a little extra.

It all makes sense now.

Enlarged picture to the right for better viewing of slightly perturbed barista.

I used to ask people around me if they minded while I took pictures.  But I felt like it turned the actual taking of the pictures into some sort of an event.  I don't fly very well under pressure (ha ha).  Plus, explaining what I do doesn't always illuminate the matter.  Sometimes people will be totally fine when I ask them and then when they actually see what I do, they look a bit scandalized and ask me to stop.  I've had people get a bit upset and tell me to leave quite a few times.

This is always a bit disappointing (especially since by this point I've already embarrassed myself), but it's completely within their prerogative and 100% justified, especially since I'm worried I scare away customers for cafés sometimes.  Once I was taking pictures on the second floor of Bauhaus Books and Coffee and while the place is usually bustling, a few times I heard/saw customers come up and take one long look at me jumping...before turning around to clamber back down the stairs.  When I was finally packing up after finishing the pictures, I heard a couple come up the stairs with a startled exclamation of "Wow!  This place is usually so busy!  What happened?"  I looked around the room and gave them a puzzled shrug.

I have no idea.

I console myself by thinking that sometimes I provide conversation starters for people that might be running out of things to talk about.

"What do you reckon is going on there, Hank?"

"Looks like they're out of creamer again and what the--"

"Gwen, I just saw something kind of strange."

I am of course incredibly grateful and indebted to café patrons and employees that put up with my crazy antics.  I've even had some baristas apologize for getting in the way of my camera, which is completely backwards.  I'm the one that feels bad for getting in your way.  I hope some of you will endure my hijinks for a little while longer.  I promise not to terrorize your customers.

Well, I'll try.

In all seriousness though, a thousand thanks to you beautiful baristas and coffee shops of the northwest.  I've met and gotten to know so many interesting and wonderful people through this project.  As always, I'm most appreciative of any suggestions on where to levitate next in the great Pacific Northwest.  And if you're a Seattle café owner who is reading this and most certainly does NOT want me to take levitation pictures at your place, feel free to let me know that as well.

In the meantime, you can find me on instagram @bungeejumpwithme.

The following (all fantastic) cafés were levitated at and pictured in this blog post.  In order, they are:

Café Solstice - 4116 University Way NE, Seattle
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - 1115 12th Ave, Seattle
Ristretto Roasters - 2181 NW Nicolai St, Portland
Kaladi Brothers Coffee - 517 E Pike St, Seattle
Neptune Coffee - 8415 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle
Coava Coffee Roasters - 1300 SE Grand Ave, Portland
Bauhaus Books & Coffee - 301 E Pine Street (currently moved)
Heart Roasters - 2211 E Burnside St, Portland
Bakery Nouveau - 137 15th Ave E, Seattle
Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea Co - 2200 56th St, Seattle