Alison Travels

PDN Emerging Photographer and F Stop Magazine

2012-02-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

This morning I found out that one of my images in my "Bingo Culture" series was chosen by the editors of PDN to be the photograph of the week and month on their website! The photograph they featured is one I took while I was in Fort Collins, Colorado last December.

Also, this morning I learned that five of my images were selected to be in the Portraits Exhibit Group Show featured on F Stop Magazine. I have screen shots from both. My five images selected for F Stop Magazine are the bottom five on the left.

You can see PDN's site by clicking HERE and F Stop magazine by clicking HERE.

Meeting My Neighbors and Taking Their Portrait

2012-01-27T22:49:00.000-08:00

I've lived in the same place for nine years...as far as I remember. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's been nine years. When I travel, I rent my home out, but I have been living here the majority of the nine years. Besides a few select neighbors, I have no idea who my neighbors are or what their life is like. I see interesting people walk by and sometimes I wonder about who they are. There are a few who walk by everyday like clockwork and I have a nickname for them, based on their style. I always look forward to "pirate" walking by and I hope to get his portrait one day.

When I'm on the road, I don't mind approaching strangers since they will never see me again most likely but when I'm in my own neighborhood, I tend to avoid meeting anyone that is within viewing distance. It could be that I am pretty shy or might not have the energy to talk to anyone, or perhaps both.

One of my photography instructors told me in front of the class that I spend too much time in my head. He is right. Then I thought..."How does he know this?"

I tend to think and think about things and ideas until it drives me crazy and the only way to get it out is to do it. Most likely this isn't the brightest of ways to motivate but it seems to have served me well for the most part. I have to admit that sometimes it takes someone saying something to get me to take action.

I decided that it's time to talk to people that live around me. The other night I went for a walk and smiled and said hello to everyone I passed by. It's a fact, smiling is contagious. For someone who usually puts her earphones in for a walk, I was surprised on how easy it is to meet people. Not only meet them, but each person I met allowed me to take their portrait. Sometimes I would start with a smile and a compliment while other times I didn't know what to say so I just blurted out, "may I take your portrait?" Not only did they say yes but many were flattered I asked and one woman was so thankful that I talked to her and said hello. How could you have a bad day after an experience like that?

Do you know your neighbors? I challenge you to say hello and introduce yourself. I bet you will be glad you did. Here are some of my neighbors I met on my walk yesterday. I intend to continue to meet as many neighbors as I can in the next few months.

My Bombay Beach Adventure

2012-01-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of Bombay Beach, you might think the name would be fitting to a place that is similar to a tropical paradise. You would be right, except that it no longer is the thriving community that it once was in the mid century.

I've always been curious about the Salton Sea and the surrounding areas and decided to take a visit a few years ago to wander around neighborhoods and see what I could find. As I turned the corner to the community of Bombay Beach, it was as I imagined it to be. Very few of the homes are lived in today. When I visited a few weeks ago, I heard an explosion and once I headed in the direction of the smoke, I noticed that one of the trailers was engulfed in flames. I asked a passerby what happened and if everyone was ok and he said that the owner crossed the wires to the propane tank, and he's ok...as he walked by me and disappeared around the corner.

I came to visit the town alone with my dog, Max. At the time of the explosion, we were exploring abandoned homes and walking around the streets. Because I was in my car near the fire, one neighbor came out and yelled at me to get away. I decided to drive the car to a safe distance and I parked it while I jumped out and headed to the fire with my camera in tow, not really knowing what I was doing. My natural instinct was to photograph what was happening at that moment. Most residents were in their homes with a few people standing around. I heard sirens as trucks were approaching to help. Right before the fire truck arrived, I man pulled up and jumped out of his car 50 feet from me and yelled, "hey you!! Better take that camera away!" I slowly put the camera down and ignored him while he was standing there staring at me while making a gesture of his hand slitting his throat then pointing at me. At this time, I was the only person standing out in the open so I decided it might be best to head back to the car, which I did.

Eventually, the fire was put out and nobody was hurt. I don't know the entire story of what happened, but I am still intrigued by this area. After this visit, I watched the documentary, "Bombay Beach" on Netflix. It portrays life in this area pretty well. I would recommend it. Also, Anthony Bourdain took a trip here a few years ago and ate at the Ski Inn. I have yet to eat there, but I plan to go back. Believe it or not, I would love to live here for a while to document the neighbors. In the meantime, here are a few photos from that day.

"Brothers" Receives Juror's Award By Henry Horenstein For Family Dynamics Exhibit

2012-01-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

I was so thrilled to learn that "Brothers" was selected by photographer and juror, Henry Horenstein for the Family Dynamic Exhibition at The Kiernan Gallery in Lexington, Virginia especially since I admire his work so much.

In his Juror Statement, Henry writes, "For most people, a good likeness of their subject is good enough, and there's nothing wrong with that. We want to see what Uncle John and Grandma Bea look like and we want them to look their best, if possible. But I think it gets a little more complicated for the "serious" photographer, whether professional or enthusiast. We want a good likeness usually, but we also want the photo to say more about the person (or persons) than simply what they look like. This is the reason I chose Alison Turner's image of siblings for the Juror's Choice Award. To me, it shows its subjects in good light - carefully framed and with excellent lighting and technique. But it also suggests the complicated relationship - close but wary - built into so many family relationships. "

The show will run at the gallery from February 6th through March 4th. To read the entire statement, click HERE.

Reflecting on things I did in 2011

2011-12-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

Instead of making a resolution each year, I like to set goals or just write down what I would like to accomplish in the year to come. When I turned 39, I set out to accomplish 39 goals during the year and amazingly enough, I completed almost all of them. I try not to beat myself up too much if I didn't do something I intended to do or not do. So here we are on the last day of 2011...it's a reflective type of day (oh lookie, even a literal photograph for you) for some and for others, they just want it to be over for the chance at a fresh start.

This year, I intended to set out and write down 40 goals but each time I thought about it, I set out to do something else instead. The nice thing about blogging important things or thoughts you might have is that you can go back and see what you were thinking at the time or remember what you did. As I get older, it's nice to be able to look back on the computer instead of having to use my brain to remember what I did. I can barely remember what I did yesterday.

Based on cheating and looking back at my blogs, here's a list of 30 things I accomplished in 2011 (from January through today) You can click on the highlighted part to read the entire story if you feel like it...

1. I went bowling with my friends on a rainy day

2. I wrote a list of the best iphone photography applications

3. I wrote out my best tips for traveling with your dog

4. I sorted through Family Photographs

5. Met two strangers in person (In Mexico) that I met online a year prior

6. Threw a surprise party for a friend and pulled it off!

7. Watched a street fight

8. Had photographs published in the March issue of Trailer Life Magazine

9. Ate a date shake

10. Photographs made two spreads and my first cover of Airstream Life Magazine

11. Attended the Modernism Week Vintage Trailer Rally in Palm Springs

12. Did a photo shoot with two roller derby girls

13. Photographs published in a "camping with your dog" (including self portrait of me and Max in Yosemite) article in Dog Fancy

14. Was selected as the artist for the newly built transit mall in the heart of downtown Long Beach.

15. Selected to be the official photographer of Alumapalooza for the second year in a row.

16. "Dissolve" was selected to participate in the Art Of Photography show in San Diego

17. "Brothers" was selected as a finalist in the Photographer's Forum "Best of 2011" hardcover book

18. Tackled the garage and finally let go of emotional things

19. Photograph was selected for the Cover for Airstream Life Magazine's Fall 2011 issue (including a spread of 8 portraits inside)

20. Went to my brother's wedding

21. Photographs licensed to publish on Airstream, Inc. website

22. Documented the protesters of Occupy Los Angeles

23. Photographed the people of Downtown Los Angeles

24. My "Bingo Culture" series was featured on Lenscratch website

25. "Dissolve" chosen for the Dreams exhibit at the Center For Fine Art Photography

26. "The Wedding Guest" was chosen for the Portraits Exhibit at the Center for Fine Art Photography

27. My blog was selected to teach American Slang in a textbook in Sweden.

28. I wrote my story of the past three years and it was published on Salon.com

29. I wished Leonard Knight a happy 80th birthday at Salvation Mountain

30. I found out via video that I was selected to participate in Onward Compe

I am so thankful for the things I was able to accomplish in 2011. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this if it weren't for the people in my life, and the people I came across in my life. Since there were too many photo shoots to mention, I put some of my favorite photographs I took in 2011 in a video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.

I look forward to what 2012 will bring! Happy New Year everyone! xo

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Max and I would like to wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season!

Be sure to spend time with your favorite people and animals. They are worth more than any of the "stuff" that's passed around.

If you are going to drink, be sure to be the passenger so we are all safe on the road.

We are thankful for all of you and wish you a very peaceful Christmas.

Selected to Participate in Onward Compe'

2011-12-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

I knew that the winners were going to be announced today for the International Onward Compe' photography competition, judged by Todd Hilo. Usually, I check email in bed before I get up to see if there is anything urgent to do first thing in the morning. I received a bulk email from the Onward folks with a link to a video where they announced the photographers selected for the show.

I pressed play on my iphone while I was still laying in bed barely awake. I didn't have my glasses on (which I need when I'm on the computer) so I was squinting to see the names on boards passing through the screen. As name after name came up, I told myself that I was sure I didn't make it so my focus shifted to see if I knew any of the people announced.

All of a sudden, my name came up. I was in disbelief. I rewinded the video to watch it again and paused it on my name to see if the spelling was correct, to be sure that it was actually my name. I played it again all the way through and then started thinking that it must be another photographer with the same name until they flashed all of the images at the end and I noticed my image, "The Wedding Guest" appear in the blur.

Just to make sure, I had some coffee and looked at the video again. To my amazement, my name was still there. The video I woke up to is embedded above. My name appears at second 54. I am just thrilled to be included! Opening reception is February 11th In Philadelphia. Click HERE for more information.

Art Show, Snow and Findings in Fort Collins, Colorado

2011-12-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the last blog, I spent a few days in Fort Collins, Colorado to attend the "Dreams" photography show at the Center of Fine Art Photography. I was fortunate enough to have one of my images chosen for the exhibit by judge, Aline Smithson. The center is a beautiful art gallery full of photographs that changes every month or so. My image, "Dissolve" is currently on display and available for purchase at the center, just in case you were wondering.

I am taking photography classes in Los Angeles and signed up for one taught by Aline. I submitted to this show without knowing her but once it was time to take her class, I knew that name sounded familiar. I finally put two and two together and on the first day of class, I showed my work including the image she chose. I have now taken two classes with her and I have to say that she is one of the best photography teachers around. I am not the only one who thinks so, either. She is listed as one of the best workshop instructors featured in PDN (Photo District News) magazine. Be sure to take a class in Los Angeles or Santa Fe...you will be glad you did. It was nice to be able to hang out with her for a few days during the show and before the show we went out and took some photos of snow. I think it's the first time I've seen snow in a few years.

After the show and art events the following day, I decided to take a drive around the city and the outskirts to get lost and see what I found. For the most part, people stayed indoors where it's warm and who can blame them? I found some interesting lawn art, took some self portraits, and visited the locally famous Swetsville Zoo. Bill Swets is an artist and has been building "zoo" creatures since 1985. All of his creations can be found around his property. It's open to the public to walk around to view his art and if you're lucky you might get a glimpse of the artist himself, as I did when I got in the car to leave. It's quite the sight to see if you are in the area...I would recommend it.

The town is also full of great restaurants and shops located in the heart of downtown. Here are some photographs I took during my weekend in Fort Collins. Oh, did I mention Bingo? That had to be the highlight for me.

Bill's Creations:

Bingo In Colorado

2011-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

If you didn't know already, a project that I have currently in progress is called "Bingo Culture." I am traveling to different bingo halls across the country to meet players and document the game as it is played in different states. Throughout my journey, I've documented halls in Maine, Georgia, California, South Carolina, and Massachusetts. I have just now visited a hall in Colorado.

I went to Fort Collins Colorado to attend the opening of an exhibit I was selected to participate in at the Center for Fine Art Photography. After the opening and events throughout the weekend, I had a day to spare so I thought it would be nice to visit a local bingo hall to meet the locals.

I wanted to get there early because most players arrive long before the game begins to claim their playing space to start setting up their game cards. In this case, many brought tape to secure several cards into one big sheet to play on the table...spread out like a poster. I am always interested in the lives of the players and sometimes they are open to meeting a stranger. I was in luck this time since all of the players at this hall were so sweet to me. I sat down across from Beatrice, or "B" as she wanted me to call her. She said, "My name is Beatrice but don't call me that." I asked her about her life and when she started playing bingo. She told me about her grandkids and kids and her late husband. She is 89 and started coming to the bingo hall after her husband died to get out of the house and be social. As she put it, she said, "Well, it beats sitting in front of the boob tube!" Indeed it is.

Sometimes I get emotional and reflective when I look back at the photographs I've taken of the players. Partly because it's a dying breed. There are very few young people here playing and as "B" and I agreed, it will die off as the players die off. This is why I am documenting it. Well, more than just that. I miss my grandparents and when I meet these players, it makes me feel good that they are out doing something fun and social. I enjoy talking to the players and learning about their life.

There isn't just a bingo game going one at the hall. They serve home made food (I loved the deviled eggs), have side games of a bingo equivalent of a lottery "scratcher" and one of the players makes these beautiful dolls that are raffled off each week.

Yes, "B"...it certainly beats sitting in front of the boob tube.

Thanksgiving Day With My Family

2011-12-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

The American tradition...Thanksgiving. A time to get together with friends and family to participate in the annual tradition of finding out how much food you can eat before you feel sick. This year, my Aunt Lynne decided that we should all meet at the San Diego Zoo for a thanksgiving meal. I had no idea that the zoo was open on Thanksgiving, much less that they were serving meals. I joked to everyone that they would most likely be serving the animals that have died that year at the zoo. Many people took that seriously so I stopped saying that. However, it wasn't far from the truth. They were serving other animals that weren't fortunate enough to have residence there.

Throughout the week, I watched traveling stories of horror on the news about how backed up the freeways were so I decided to travel on Thanksgiving morning. I drove to San Diego to meet my cousin, Wendy at her house in Linda Vista. Earlier in the week, she posted pictures on Facebook of a dead raccoon on the side of her neighbors house. For days it laid there and she was completely disgusted that nobody properly disposed of it. After a while, it didn't smell so she figured it was a taxidermy raccoon. Once I saw a photo of it on Facebook, Mr. Raccoon had to participate in their family portrait. When I arrived, Wendy and I took a walk to the neighbor's house and I knocked on the door. The music was blaring and once the door opened, I didn't see who was on the other side from the metal screen door but I said, "Hi, we're your neighbors and I am a photographer...may I borrow your raccoon?" The voice on the other side said, "sure" and the door closed. Mr. Raccoon fit in just perfect with the family of Wendy, Don, Pasa, Goldie, Colin and Jennifer! The following day, we went back to the house and Wendy asked if we could adopt the raccoon. It is now a part of my family. It's me, Max and Mr. Raccoon!

After the family portrait photo session, Wendy and I headed to the zoo to meet up with my mom, her mother and their partners, Allan and Erick, respectively. After our meal, we wandered around the zoo looking at some of the animals. I am fascinated with people watching animals at the zoo. It's a bit sad and makes you wonder if there are any other species on this earth that have pets like humans do. I know the animals at the zoo aren't considered "pets" but do other animals have pets? Anyway, as I walked by the gift store, I saw some animal masks that would be perfect for some "couples portraits" of my mom and Allan as well as Lynne and Erick. They were good sports to play along, even though it might seem a tad creepy.

After the zoo, Wendy and I headed to her father and step mothers house. I don't get to see Dick and Judy very often so it was nice to spend some time chatting and having a piece of pie. Dick makes me laugh and this photograph of him taking a photograph seems to fit his personality well.

I am thankful of my loved ones on this holiday, as well as every day in between. I know we are all nuts (perhaps I may be the freak show leader), but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Here are some photographs from the day...

My Story On Salon.com

2011-11-29T23:00:00.000-08:00

I was asked to write a 2,000 word essay on my story. I've written blogs here and there about how I started on my journey and all of the steps I took to get here. Today, Salon.com published my story that I wrote about the past three years of my life and it ended up on the front page of their website. Needless to say, I am thrilled and a bit wary at the same time.

I don't mind writing personal things here and there about myself (which I do) on this blog, but I couldn't believe the amount of support as well as criticism I received for it. Everyone has an opinion and not everyone can do, is willing to do, or even wants to do what I have done and continue to do. There is a lot of talk about the money I made at my job in the corporate world. The fact is, my first job after college (and many jobs after that) was minimum wage and I never in my wildest dreams thought I could make six figures. At one point, I told my boss that I thought I was making too much money. I am certainly not in that situation today, but it's the choice I made and yes, I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to be in that circumstance.

In any case, it's a summary of quitting my job and quitting alcohol to gain a life.

A sincere thank you to all that have followed me, and continue to follow me on this journey and for all of the help I've had along the way from the kindness of strangers. I enjoy sharing my experiences with you.

To read the full article, click HERE

Leonard Knight's 80th Birthday at Salvation Mountain

2011-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

This wasn't my first trip to Salvation Mountain, but it might be the last one seeing Leonard there. A few weeks ago, he had his 80th birthday party at the mountain and I knew I needed to make the three hour trek to see him again and to wish him a happy birthday. Leonard Knight has touched the lives of so many by building this mountain out of adobe clay and donated paint. His motto that surrounds the mountain is, "God is Love." You will see this phrase all over the mountain and surrounding vehicles. He welcomes everyone to visit and appreciate his work of art. As many have seen and experienced, he greets everyone by saying, "Welcome, make yourself at home." The photo above of Leonard was taken during my first visit a year and a half ago.

Throughout the day, there were stories of how Leonard's creation and philosophy have helped them through difficult times and they would in turn, share this with him. One by one, people came to take a seat next to him for a moment to express gratitude. He has a hard time hearing so you can see him struggle a bit to understand what people are saying. Several people enjoyed telling stories to Leonard about how he has touched their life in some way. He always keeps a positive attitude with his signature "thumbs up" gesture.

My first visit to the mountain and to meet Leonard was in March of 2010. He was still living at the mountain but since he is slowing down a bit, he is currently living in a home in a nearby town.

Salvation Mountain is a sight to see if you haven't already. I hope it will be preserved over time so future generations will also be able to enjoy it.

Teaching American Slang To Teenagers In Sweden (And How To Meet Strangers Online)

2011-11-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

If you told me a few years back that my blog would eventually end up in a textbook to teach English and English slang to kids in Sweden, I would have used way more slang words! I write like I talk (for the most part) and I don't agonize over words to use that would make me appear like I am some brilliant intellectual writer. Well, I am but that's besides the point.

At the beginning of my journey wandering the states three years ago, I wrote about my feelings, fears and mostly about what I did (if it was interesting enough). Little did I know that my blog about meeting strangers in real life would end up in print in a Sweedish textbook.

I agreed and licensed my blog for them to use but really didn't know in what context they would use it. I didn't really care but it was refreshing that they would reach out to pay me for my words instead of just using them or my photographs without reaching out to me first.

They used my blog I wrote on March 19th, 2009 titled "Meeting Strangers Online." When I write blogs, I don't think too much about it. I just sit down, write, add some pictures and click on "publish." I don't think about who reads it or where it might potentially go. I am sure some of you are thinking, "um, yeah...I can tell."

I would have never guessed that someone in Sweden would think it was compelling enough to publish as a teaching tool to young minds. I suppose in their eyes I fit into their idea of some crazy American lady that would travel around and meet strangers and other crazy people. If that's what they were looking for, they found it!

I am glad I did what I wrote about in the blog. I met people that will be lifelong friends. Was it a bit scary and unnerving? Yes, of course! Most people would tell me that meeting a guy who lives full time in a van would not be the best idea in the world for a solo female traveler (it really isn't so do not think I am telling you do do this) but I did anyway and that wasn't the last time I met up with him. We hit it off right away and became friends. The same goes for Cat who is a dear friend to me now.

After I wrote this blog, I went on to meet many more "strangers" who are now part of my extended family. I will write a blog about each one someday. For now, here are some iphone images of the book that kids are learning from in Sweeden. At the bottom of each page there is a blue strip to help kids understand what my words and phrases mean like, "creature of habit", "what the heck" (I approved "heck" over the word I originally used), "keep in touch", "hit it off", "branch out", "pig out" and words like "killer" "Trailie" and "creepy".

The best part is the Q and A at the end of the blog entry. I had to think about some of the questions to see if I could answer them on a blog I wrote years ago. There is a section to "read and reflect" and then to "reflect and share." It was a good chance for me to reflect and share as well. Here are the questions if you care to reflect and share (you can read the original blog HERE):

1. Why was Dave a tad creepy, according to Alison? Would you have met him? Why?
2. Which meeting did Alison seem to enjoy the most? Why? (I don't think I said anything about enjoying one more over the others but I suppose that is up to the reader to interpret.)
3. Have you ever met a stranger in the same way that Alison did?
4. Why are we such creatures of habit?
5. What have you done outside of your routine that has changed your life?
6. Would you travel across America in just a trailer? Why? If you were going, what safety precautions would you take?

I would like to know your answers to the bottom half of the questions. I guess I didn't think it was a big deal at the time and continued to meet more strangers long after this post was written. I still haven't had a dangerous encounter but then again, I am pretty cautious on who I meet in person.

I think stepping out of our comfort zone is the only way we will grow as a person and learn more about ourselves and others. Give it a try if you haven't. I bet you will be glad you did.

Olvera Street and Union Station

2011-11-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

I have lived in Southern California most of my life and have to admit that I've never taken the journey to explore Olvera Street or Union Station. It was near Halloween so Olvera street was filled with activities, music, tourists and locals celebrating the day of the dead or rather, "Dia de los Muertos".

I spent a few hours wandering around this small block of outdoor islands. Many children were getting their faces painted or shopping for masks to be a character in "Lucha Libre" even if they didn't really want to as you can see in the photograph below of a frowning boy. Needless to say, it was entertaining to watch.

After my short stroll through Olvera Street, I headed to Union Station to take a tour. What a beautiful train station! There was a wedding going on so I asked the bride and bridesmaids if they wouldn't mind posing for me...they said yes. It's easy to be entertained there. All you need to do is take a seat and observe. You will see many different types of people come in and out of the station. I also enjoyed watching people who watched other people. I turned my camera around on one of the chairs to see what the couple was doing behind me.

It was a fun day of exploring the city I live in. I look forward to visiting more neighborhoods I haven't had the opportunity to tour. There is so much to see here. I love all of the personalities Los Angeles has to offer and I look forward to seeing more.

"The Wedding Guest" Selected For The Portraits Exhibit At The Center Of Fine Art Photography

2011-11-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am so thrilled that my photograph titled, "The Wedding Guest" was selected by judge Anna Walker Skillman to be in the Portraits Exhibit at the Center of Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado. All photographs selected will be on display at the Center's gallery from January 13th through February 25th, 2012. I feel very honored to be among the talented artists in this exhibit. You can see all of the selected images by clicking HERE.

As the Center of Fine Art Photography describes on their website, "Anna Walker Skillman is the owner of Jackson Fine Art, one of the premiere photography galleries in the nation. Anna Walker Skillman began her career working at the Haines Gallery, a leading contemporary art gallery in San Francisco . In 1993, Anna moved to Atlanta to manage the studio of famed Atlanta artist Todd Murphy. After working with Mr. Murphy to establish his career for five years, Anna turned to photography and joined Jackson Fine Art in 1998. In March of 2003, she purchased Jackson Fine Art from Jane Jackson who became curator of the prestigious and renowned collection of Sir Elton John. As the gallery director and co-curator for the past five and half years, she is honored to have the opportunity to continue a reputation of excellence in exhibiting photography by both emerging and established artists."

Bingo Culture Series Featured on Lenscratch

2011-10-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to have some images of my "Bingo Culture" series featured today on Aline Smithson's website, Lenscratch. You can view her post, as well as more photographs from my series, HERE.

One of the projects that I took on last year on the road was visiting several bingo halls across the states. Here is my statement about the project:
In 2010, I hit the road to photograph America solo; living out of a tent and bringing along my dog for the ride. I did not have a preconceived agenda, rather, I wanted to discover worlds that were unfamiliar and meet people I would not have otherwise encountered. Each day I would make a decision on what direction I would take. While traveling in Maine, I discovered a Bingo hall and it provoked a curiosity about a subculture that I was aware of but hadn't given any thought towards. What I discovered was a community of dedicated players who travel to the same place, set up in the same spot, and bring along the same good luck charms with the hopes that this will be the day they win big. It’s a place where hope and despair come hand in hand throughout the night as the mind lets go of everything but what numbers are being called. Each location I encountered would bring in a true sense of community, each with their unique set of personalities and characters. As I continued my travels and visits to Bingo Halls across America, I realized I was looking at a cultural phenomenon that will be lost to future generations.

The People Of Downtown Los Angeles

2011-10-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

I awoke last Saturday morning before the sun and headed to the heart of Los Angeles. The destination was the Flower Market to do some street photography with a group. It was not my idea to get up at this hour and head to the city, but I went along with it and it turned out to be an interesting adventure. I am always up to try new things and this was something new.

You can smell the freshly cut flowers for blocks. All of the smiling faces, beautiful colors and happy people were nice to see but it wasn't really what I wanted to look at.
I decided to skip the market of tourists to get lost in the streets of downtown Los Angeles at 6:30 in the morning. The idea and essence of "street shooting" to some photographers is to take a photograph unnoticed. Yes, I can do that but for the most part, I like to interact with my subjects. Because of where I like to go, most of the time I don't necessarily blend in with the surroundings I choose to place myself in. Most people will notice me. In some cases, the locals were more than happy to pose for me. Even though I prefer "non posed" photographs, I enjoyed these two men being more than willing to be in front of the lens.

I walked up and down the streets until I got a little lost. For a moment, I felt uneasy but I kept my head up so I wouldn't miss anything. A tall blonde holding a large camera and wearing flip flops in the heart of the city in the early morning isn't something the locals come across I suppose. There were mumblings with everyone I passed and one individual said, "hey lady, you want to take my picture?" To that I turned and said, "why yes I do!" Once I pointed the camera towards his direction, his friends surrounding him cracked up and yelled, "ahhhhhh, she called your bluff!" He hid and ran around in circles and when he finally calmed down, he lit a joint and told me to take a picture. I did.

I eventually headed back to the flower market to breathe in the delicious scents and to take a last look before I left. The city is so beautiful in the morning, especially on a Saturday when it's void of weekday workers.

Occupy Wall Street Demonstration In Los Angeles

2011-10-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

I ventured downtown to do some street shooting and capture the people involved in Occupy Los Angeles. The energy was high and everyone I saw was peaceful and friendly to each other. There were some debates among people with different opinions but that is what I love about this country. We can have a difference of opinion and share it peacefully. I wanted to show some photographs of what I observed on Saturday for the people who aren't in the area and want to know what is going on. You can draw your own conclusions and opinions. I have more photographs on my facebook fan page. You can be a fan and see more photographs HERE.

Photographs On Airstream, Inc. Website

2011-10-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

As you might know, I photographed the people and the activities of Alumapalooza in 2010 and in 2011. This is the event held at the birthplace of Airstream in Jackson Center, Ohio. In the new redesign of the Airstream.com website, my photographs are displayed in the President's Letter section (the photograph I took of Bob Wheeler was from Alumapalooza 2010), Community Section and the Favorites section. I am thrilled that my travel website (the one you are on now) is named second in the "People" tab. I look forward to Alumapalooza 2012!

Here are a few screen shots from the Airstream.com website and after the screen shots, I have attached the video slideshows I put together for each year. You might guess that I love animals (especially dogs) if you watch the slideshows.

My Brother's Wedding

2011-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

My brother tied the knot the other day in San Diego to his long term girlfriend, Aurora. It was a small ceremony at the courthouse and a gathering at their home afterwards. It was quick but sweet. They had a photographer on hand to take photographs, but I wanted to take a few to remember the way I saw things. Here are a few from the day.

And yes, the bride is wiping off the car they drove to the courthouse. It's my step father's car (the one with the beard) with the "grumpy old man" personalized license plate. He will be 90 in a month.

We are all a bit slightly skewed from "normal" but that's the way we like it.

The Last Self Portrait

2011-10-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

I usually take photographs during the day. I was challenged to come up with something at night. However, I didn't want the usual street scene with lights, neon, and car headlights.

A friend of mine likes to play a game inspired by the tv show, "I shouldn't be alive." Or as I like to call it, "I should be dead." This game is to choose one of the most extreme weather situations to see which one you would rather try to survive in. The choices are (you are all alone with nothing in these situations) in the middle of the desert, in snow, in the middle of the ocean or the rainforest. We debate on which would be the least painful and perhaps the most "survivorable." I chose the rainforest and maybe the desert second. What would you choose?

Anyway, back to the assignment. I struggled on what to photograph until I passed by some chopped up pieces of wood in a small industrial area. The first thought that came to my mind is the scene in the movie Fargo where a person gets fed to the wood chipper. What if I drove by and saw an arm or leg mixed in with the pile of wood? Well, why not recreate what was already on my mind?

So I did. After the wood pile, I was excited to do more self portraits of scenes where you might see legs in areas where you least expect. Perhaps these are murder scenes as viewed by people passing by or perhaps it's suicide and the camera documents the photographer's last self portrait. Either way, its what you interpret in your head that makes up the story.

So, this might veer from my normal "style" but a welcome one in my mind. It's a piece of my inside being reflected in a photograph. The "last self portraits" were taken in order of the wood, wood chipper, by the telephone pole, and hung from the stairs. As soon as I began, I couldn't stop thinking of more scenes.

Maybe these scenarios should be included in the "I shouldn't be alive" game. Well, I suppose these photographs are from the "I didn't survive" program. Either way, it was fun to do. As I showed these images to my class, one student shouted out, "you're sick!" That was the best compliment I could have received. I think he's right.

Art Inspired By Art

2011-09-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

This past week I was asked to come up with a photograph inspired by another painting or photograph. My mind instantly went to one of my favorite images of all time, featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono taken by Annie Leibovitz. I am currently reading her book, "at work" in where she describes how this photograph came about. Sometimes, the best shots you take are the ones where you are not in complete control. You will have to read the book to learn why. Unfortunately, this was one of the last photographs of John Lennon before he was shot the next day.

I love it when my friends are up to participate in my crazy requests. I asked Jamie and Traci if they wouldn't mind recreating this photograph, but with a modern spin. I didn't expect them to jump on board right away but they both agreed and thought it would be fun. It was.

I came over with a large ladder, sheet and my camera. We moved all of the furniture out of the way to place the sheet on the ground and then they put their comforter over the sheet. I have a sliver of the couch showing and instead of jeans thrown over, their dog Ollie decided that the blanket looked like a nice place to lay down so he curled up next to them. In this photo on the right, you can see the ladder with my foot and ollie's tail on the bottom of the sheet to give you an idea of what the scene looked like.

This photograph at the top is my favorite of the bunch. It shows the love between these two. A big thank you to two of my dearest friends for playing along.

Bringing The Past And Present Together In A Photograph

2011-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

This week I am challenged to photograph my family in a unique way. The timing of this project couldn't be more perfect. As I blogged about it earlier, I am going through all of the boxes in my garage to either donate or sell. This also means going through boxes and boxes of old photographs. Many of these photos I haven't seen since I packed them away...whenever that was.

I read an entry on the Lenscratch blog about another site called, Dear Photograph. This site posts photographs of photographs taken in the past into the present. I loved the idea and decided to go through the box of photographs I collected to see if I had any from my childhood home taken outside. I sorted through what I had and found a few taken in the front of the house and in the backyard. I decided to take a trip to my childhood home to see if I could line up the photographs I had.

I haven't been to this house in over twenty years. Even though it's only thirty minutes from where I live today, there hasn't been a reason to be in that area. As I drove near, my instincts took over and directed me to my old home. Needless to say, it was quite the experience. Everything seemed so big as a child. The neighborhood was the same but different at the same time. I must have been driving about 10MPH in the neighborhood recalling experiences as a child as I approached the house. I parked, gathered some photos and knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect.

A soft voice behind the door asked, "who is it? who's there?" What do you say to that? I just said, "hi, I used to live here." She opened the door slowly to see who I was and what I wanted. I extended the photos and said that I used to live there and wanted permission to take photographs around the house. I don't think she really understood what I was trying to do but once she saw photos of her home and what it looked like in the 70's and early 80's she smiled and greeted me. She wanted to see everything I had. I showed her the photos, identifying myself, neighbors, my mom, grandparents and told her what it was like living there as a child. She took me out to the backyard to show me what it looked like. I haven't seen that backyard since I was 14. My father built a koi pond that is still there today. She said that birds would eat all of the big fish so it's filled with smaller fish. My dad also loved to take care of his bonsai and all of the plants on the property. She said that she loves the flowers in the front and loves the koi pond. She told me to tell him thank you. He has since passed, but it was sweet to hear.

She saw a photograph of my mother standing next to the olive tree in the front and kept looking at it saying how beautiful my mother is. I asked her if I could take he photograph and she said yes. As I snapped it, I noticed her standing in the same way as my mother stood, as well as wearing stripes and jeans (see above). We chatted for a long time and she even moved her car out of the driveway so I could take photographs and she also let me walk in the backyard to take more pictures. She even came out with a bag of apples for me to take home. I am very fortunate to have had this experience. I will remember it forever.

Letting go of my things gave me much more than I expected. I am grateful for the fifteen years I had in this home and for the experience I had yesterday. Even though my father and grandparents are not longer with me physically, I feel them coming back to life through these photographs. Below are a few I found and recreated.

How did I do it? There really isn't a trick but just try to line up the photograph with the scene. It's not as easy as it looks, especially if you are the person holding it and shooting it. They aren't all perfect, but as perfect as I could get it. These are all straight out of the camera taken with my iphone and point and click. I would highly recommend this experience to everyone.

One thing I know for sure...life goes by too fast. Not to get all preachy on you or anything, but try to enjoy all of the moments you have now with your loved ones. Listen to what your parents and grandparents say, take photographs, appreciate what you have and don't obsess about the things you don't have.

Me and my grandmother, "Mama Lois" in the backyard

With all of the kids on the block on our first day of school

All of us on our way to school

Being silly in front of the camera

Leaving on our family road trip. That's my mother, me, my brother, grandmother "Mama Lois", and grandfather "Big John." My dad took the photo. Yes, we all got in that car and drove from Los Angeles to Vancover, B.C.

The backyard, then and now

My brother and I

My close neighbors, Carrie, Sandy and Chris the first day of school.

Riding a pony on the front lawn. A guy with a pony would walk around the neighborhood asking if you wanted to take a photograph on it.

Me with my really sweet haircut in my extra cool swim sweats

My mom, haming it up in her satin pants

Me holding our family cat, colors

First day of school (seems like the only time we took photographs in the front)

And finally, on my big wheel. I loved this thing...jumped on it right when I got home from school every day.

One City Block Of Cigarette Butts

2011-09-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

I was challenged this week to create a typology.

"Typology is the study of types, and a photographic typology is a suite of images or related forms, shot in a consistent, repetitive manner; to be fully understood, the images must be viewed as a complete series."

I've done this in the past, not really knowing what it was called or really... why I was doing it. A few years ago, I documented all of the textures I encountered on the ground during my travels with "What lies beneth" and every day for a month in 2009, I visited the same house on the beach at different times of the day with my "Race Point" series of photographs.

This time, I took a walk around one city block in Long Beach and photographed cigarette butts laying on the ground.

At first, I just shot each one as I saw them on the street or sidewalk without thinking. After a while, I started to notice them taking on unique personalities. It was as if each one had a history and character by the way it looked, where it landed and what was surrounding it. Yes, I understand that it's trash. However, if you look further, you might be able to see what I saw. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go as far as giving each butt a name... but I could have.

This photograph is a result of the selected cigarettes I captured within one city block in Long Beach. There were many more that didn't make the cut, but this gives you an example of what is on the ground, even if we don't notice it or are too familiar to notice or care. Besides, we would rather focus on the good...like our new city bike lane!

At the time I took these photographs, let's just say that I didn't necessarily blend in. People wanted to know what I was doing, why I had a camera and what was I taking a photograph of? Some guy came out of a coffee shop to have a smoke and came up to me. He said, "hey... I like to take pictures of the ground too." It just goes to show you that if you do what you love, you will be noticed by people who also love to do the same...even though it may not be exactly the same.

Answers To Ten Questions In Photographs

2011-09-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

In a new class that I am taking, our assignment was to tell the class a little about ourselves by answering ten questions in photographs. On this blog, I thought about giving you the literal answer at the end of the entry about how the photograph spoke to me, or what it says but I will leave that up to your imagination. Here are my answers in photographs that I took:

Who are you?

What did you look like as a child?

What is your main character trait?

What inspires you the most?

What do you normally never take a picture of?

What do you love about photography?

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?

What is the first thing you touch in the morning?

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

What is the meaning of life?

Here are other photographic answers to these questions from photographers... What do your answers look like?

Self Portrait Assignment

2011-09-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's the project I dreaded...the self portrait. I'm taking a class and needed to come up with a self portrait this week. As with most photographers, I would rather be the one taking the photograph and not being the subject. However, I've seen some amazing examples of what some photographers are doing with self portraits. One of my new favorites is Kelli Connell. I also enjoy the self portraits from Jen Davis.

Seeing so many wonderful self portraits from so many talented photographers can both inspire and discourage you, depending on what your brain tells you. For me, I absolutely LOVE looking at photographs from all photographers and the group of self portraits that Aline Smithson presented were no different. Very inspiring! Self portraits can be discouraging since it's such a daunting task for some, me included.

I have many ideas in mind and I may or may not share them here. I will however, share this one. I took a break from my garage purge project to see if my idea of throwing my camera in the air would work. I have several photos of me jumping up and down in front of the camera while it's on a timer to laugh at myself and to see what comes from it. I thought, "why don't I stay still and have the camera jump around?" Well, I don't think I said that out loud but I wanted to try the timer idea to see if something could become of it. On my iphone, I have one application that automatically takes one photograph after a ten second countdown. I stood on grass just in case I didn't catch my iphone and because I don't have a cover or any type of insurance for it. The click of the "shutter" seemed to be delayed a bit so I would focus on my feet while it counted down and try to throw the camera in the air to get it to snap the photo around the same distance between my waist and feet.

I took around thirty or more shots and twenty of them I kept because there was a hint of me in the photo (strand of hair here, a toe there, etc.). Also, most were blurry since the phone tends to flip around when you throw it in the air. Once I had one in focus I stopped and put these two together. I still plan to do more self portraits down the road. For now, I will stay behind the lens.

Letting Go Of Emotional Items and Excess Stuff

2011-09-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

I've haven't blogged about my life in a long time. Sure, I post things here and there when I am excited about accomplishing something with my photography and want to share that with you but haven't really talked about other things I've been doing.

My Mother and Step Father are moving to Mexico. I took this picture of my mom on the beach near where they are going to live. Obviously, she's excited for the move. They've lived in a beautiful house in Sedona for ten years now and wanted to live near the water on a small budget. They found a place right away that suited their needs so they are packing up and moving out. I drove to Arizona to help my mother get ready for the move. We didn't pack up what she would take with her. Rather, we got rid of everything she has collected over the past several years. We took trip after trip to the good will to donate a lot of the clothes she hasn't worn in the past six months. Needless to say, the task was overwhelming.

When I returned home, I looked at my garage at all of the items I've kept in storage for so long. Many boxes I haven't opened since I moved into this house. I just moved them with me when I move to another place. I knew that I needed to do something about those boxes and everything else I own.

When I was on the road for the past three years, I didn't miss anything I left behind at my house. In fact, living with just the items I had in my car was enough for me. Now that I am home, the excess "stuff" that I have saved over the years has been weighing me down. Way back when, I thought that when you are successful in life, you had to accumulate things. In the late 90's and early 2000's, I lost my dad, my dad's parents and my mother's mother. My grandparents lived in Georgia and once they both died, my brother and I rented a uhaul and gathered all the things we knew they loved the most and took them back to California. I have kept all of those things since. It was finally time to take a good hard look at what I am holding on to, why I am holding on to it and if I really needed it.

I can't blame all of the stuff on my grandparents. I've collected my fair share of things over the years. I suppose if I put my items it in a box and hid the box away in the rafters somewhere, it would disappear. If only that were the case.

The past few weeks and months I have dedicated time to my garage to either throw away, donate or sell what I own. It hasn't been easy. In fact, it's quite an overwhelming and sometimes emotional task. I started with the large items and am working my way down.

The hardest part is letting go of something that a lost loved one owned and cherished. I had to think about the reasons I kept it. If it's in the garage, I am not using it, therefore I don't need it. Even though they loved that item and it reminds me of them, it won't bring them back if I hold on to it and if I let it go, I still have my memories of them forever in my mind. I reminded myself of this over and over.

Beyond the emotional items, there are the things I held on to because I thought, "one day I will use it." First of all... if I forgot it even existed, I can't find it to use it so when am I actually going to use something I don't remember having? Then there are the collection of things. I saved just about every wine cork I had from about every bottle of wine I drank and I saved many bottle caps from the beers I (and friends) drank. Hundreds and hundreds saved. For what? A reminder of how many bottles of wine I drank? To include them in an art project I will whip up? Most likely I won't whip up that project and I haven't had a drink in 891 days so what's the point? They are gone now. I also came across two binders full of rejection letters I saved when I was trying to get a job out of college. I have hundreds of these letters all sorted by region and type of job I applied for. That's an uplifter. The list of random items goes on...

I am hoping to have only the basic things I use each week remaining. Quite frankly it was overwhelming to start and take down all of the boxes in the rafters and open one by one. The photographs take the longest. Sometimes, I will only get through two boxes in a day. I have made a lot of progress and will continue to do so in the weeks to come. Hopefully, I will still be alive to enjoy my life once I am finished.

I mentioned my project of getting rid of things on facebook and a friend introduced me to a website where these guys are living the minimalist lifestyle and loving it. A lot of their posts made a lot of sense to me. Especially letting go of Sentimental items.

I would challenge you to do the same. Not only am I freeing up space in my home, I am finally able to let go of my loved ones by letting go of their things.

Airstream Life Magazine Fall 2011

2011-09-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun last June in Jackson Center, Ohio for the second annual "Alumapalooza" event! Held on the grounds of the Airstream Factory, hundreds of dedicated Airstream owners gather to meet, learn, and mostly have a good time together with their common love of Airstreams.

I wrote a little about my experience HERE and put together a slide show of some of the photographs I took while I was there. You can see that slideshow by clicking HERE.

I am thrilled that eight portraits I took (including the cover) are featured in the Fall, 2011 edition of Airstream Life Magazine. Sign ups are already happening on their official Alumapalooza website, so I would get your reservation in early for 2012. I hope to see you there next year!

"Brothers" Selected For Photographer's Forum "Best of 2011" Hardcover Book

2011-09-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled that my photograph, "Brothers" was selected by the folks at Photographer's Forum to be included in their hardcover "Best of 2011" book (out in December). I took this photograph while I was visiting the Vintage Trailer show during Palm Spring's Modernism week back in February. I wrote about my experience during the week HERE.

When I am at an event, I usually stand around and observe all of the people around me as there were many characters at this particular show. These two boys stuck out in my mind right away and I immediately approached their parents and asked if I could take their photograph. The parents were visiting the show and said, "sure!" (For the curious photographer, the parents also signed a release) The boys were very animated by running around and making faces. I was trying to tell them to hold still and they weren't listening until their father yelled something at them in French. At that moment, my "stop smiling and hold hands" was understood and for one brief moment, they did what their father told them to do in French and I snapped this photograph. Once second later, it was back to playing and making faces.

I usually take portraits of people doing what they are doing at the time of doing it. I would like to say that I came across these boys holding hands with this look on their face but with just a little direction (and a father yelling in French), they ended up looking how I envisioned them. I am not in any way diminishing how cute they both are making faces and running around (I know all of you parents out there enjoy looking at how precious and unique your children are), it was a brief moment that I am thankful of capturing. Children with serious faces are more interesting to me.

"Dissolve" Chosen For The Art Of Photography Show

2011-07-21T15:54:00.001-07:00

I rarely enter my photographs in photography contests or juried shows. However, I pay attention to what comes into my life and what people say to me. If someone suggests something to me, I figure I need to do it to see what happens. That was the case here. I took a portrait photography class a few months ago and the instructor suggested I enter something in the "Art of Photography" show. I wasn't going to at first but then I decided to do it since it was suggested to me.

I was thrilled to hear the news that the one photo I entered was chosen for the show.

My image "dissolve" was selected by judge Anne Lyden (Associate Curator at the J.Paul Getty Museum) for inclusion in the 2011 Art of Photography Show at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery in San Diego. My photograph was chosen from 15,444 entries from 72 countries. In all, there will be 109 pieces shown. To see a list of all participating photographers and the country they are from, click HERE.

The opening reception is August 13th and the show runs until October 16th, 2011.

Antsy McClain And The Trailer Park Troubadours

2011-06-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

If you love trailers and the trailer life, there is a good chance that you've heard and seen Antsy McClain and the trailer park troubadours. Ron (aka: Antsy) and I have been emailing back and forth for about a year to see if we would be in the same general area in our travels. This time, it worked. We happened to be at the birthplace of Airstream, Jackson Center, Ohio. This was the perfect time for a photo shoot. He brought along his son who I wanted to photograph as well as soon as I met him. What a great father/son duo.

I was happy that Ron asked me to take portraits of him in my "style." He wrote me a note a long time ago commenting on my photographs so I was thrilled to finally meet him in person and do a shoot in the back lot of the Airstream Factory. He noticed an Airstream that has seen better days and lucky for us, the door was open to do a shoot inside.

He's very entertaining on the stage and off including a very sharp wit and friendliness that is contagious. He travels all over the USA to perform so he may be in your city right now. Check out his music and schedule HERE.

Thank you Ron for being such a wonderful subject to photograph.

Alumapalooza 2011 Photograph Slideshow Video

2011-06-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

There were so many favorite photographs from the event to list each on the blog so I put together a little video with some of the wonderful people I met in Jackson Center, Ohio a few weeks ago.

A big thank you to all who allowed me to photograph you with your family, including your dogs and cats. I look forward to next year!

All of these photos are available to purchase by clicking on my website here at www.AlisonTurnerPhoto.com

Alumapalooza 2011

2011-06-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

It was that time of year again. A time where all of the many dedicated Airstream owners come together at the birthplace of Airstream in Jackson Center, Ohio.
In the course of a week, the open field in the back of the plant transforms into a small community of people with their common love of Airstream trailers.

This was my second year of documenting the event for Airstream and Airstream Life. I have been looking forward to it for months. The airstream owners are like my second family. Everyone is so down to earth and friendly. Because of this event, I've met some people that will be lifelong friends.

Many of the people I met last year were here again but there were many new faces added to the mix. For the entire 5 days I was there, I would circle the property several times, walking through rows and rows of Airstream trailers looking for people outside and the door open so I could photograph them.

Some came to me with their framed photos from last year and so many people told me what an inspiration I was to them. One woman said that she was there, traveling with her dog because of me. It was flattering but mostly I felt so happy that she was realizing a dream for herself.

I am truly grateful to have been able to be a part of such a fun event and be among a wonderful community of people. I look forward to seeing your faces next year! A big thank you to Rich and Brett (shown bottom right) who managed to coordinate each moment.

Here are a few photos from the festivities. As you will see in the event album, I tend to gravitate towards animals and love to document the relationship between owners and their pet.

To see all images from the festivities with purchase options, click HERE.

Long Beach Transit Mall Photograph Installation

2011-05-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be chosen as the photographer to showcase eight images of Long Beach for the new Transit Mall! The mall is located on first street between Pine and Long Beach Blvd. in Long Beach, California.

I would like to thank Craig Watson with the Arts Council of Long Beach and the Transit authority for selecting my photographs to represent this beautiful city. Each photograph matches a poem that is located on the other side of eight newly designed bus shelters. You will now know exactly when your bus will arrive with the new technology installed at the mall and are able to relax in comfort with the state of the art sail cloth shaded shelters.

The grand opening celebration of the new Mall is scheduled for June 2nd at 5:30p.m at Promenade Park (off First St., between LB Blvd. and Pine). I hope you are able to make the opening and if not, please be sure to take a stroll down first street if you find yourself in downtown Long Beach.

My images of Long Beach are for sale on my photography website so you are able to have these prints at home. To see more, click HERE.

Photo Shoot In The Laundromat

2011-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why I picture certain people in certain places for a photo shoot but for some reason, I thought my friend Carrie would be perfect at the laundromat. Luckily, she agreed.

After deciding on a location, it was time to sneek in and start an impromptu photo shoot in the early evening at the laundromat while people were inside doing their laundry, as expected.

I used natural light since we were near a window and had plenty of daylight shining in. I gave Carrie little to no direction on what to do except to kneel down, move her arms or move just to the left or right. She decided to jump in a basket and lay on the bench as part of the fun that day. I also wanted to get a shot of her outside on the pay phone since it seems to be a rare sight.

Carrie's red hair and spicy personality worked well in the situation at hand. It's hard to believe but she was a bit nervous for the shoot but it didn't take long for her to warm up and actually enjoy it. I think her bright personality is what shined though on her photographs.

In The Tub

2011-05-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've had a vision for a long time of my friend (and artist) Jamie in my bath tub and I was thrilled when she agreed to help me realize my vision of her. I enjoy taking photographs in places that can be the most intimate and vulnerable place to be such as a bedroom or the bathroom. Lately, I have been obsessed with the bathroom.

I didn't want bubbles, but a bath that was still, while leaving something to the imagination. The trick to accomplish this was to fill the tub with a mixture of vitamin D milk and warm water. Jamie was a sport to do a photo shoot in the tub and was open to just about everything I suggested.

A week later I was able to photograph artist and friend, Traci in her bath. This time, I took a photo of her reflection from the bathroom mirror while I was standing on the toilet angling the camera down towards the cabinet mirror. I chose to have it empty with her in her white robe.

After this, my friend Carrie was also open for a shoot. I wanted it to be a little different this time. Once I asked her to submerge in her head in the water, I noticed that her makeup easily washed away in the water and smudged on her face. To make it a more dramatic effect, I had her apply more eye liner and slowly submerge in the water with her mouth closed and then again with it open.

These photographs are the results from these shoots.

A big thank you to my friends for trusting me and being open to play around with this idea.

Bringing Ideas To Life

2011-05-03T14:59:00.000-07:00

A bulk of my daily thoughts are of photographs. I imagine ideal situations and what would work for an individual based on their spirit and personality. Sometimes when I get these ideas, I jot them down on a piece of paper to remember for later. I have a few pages of them for people I know.

I was challenged to make one of these ideas a reality. I took the challenge and I am glad that my friend Kristy Jo was up to help me realize the vision I had of her.

Most of my portraits include the surroundings to give you a sense of place of where I took it. I don't tend to get close to the face until now. I am starting to move in closer to get a more intimate look at each subject.

K. J. writes her own music and plays the guitar so I wanted to incorporate both in the shot and keep it up close. I saw she had a small wall painted in chalkboard paint so I thought it would be perfect if she hand wrote some lyrics on it and stand in front of it with her guitar on one side of her face, her face in the middle and the lyrics on both sides of the frame. As you can see with my scratchy sketch, I was able to get close to my vision.

When I take a portrait of someone, I am open to let things happen naturally. She turned the guitar around and hugged it and it turned out to be my favorite of the bunch. Although I wanted the image I drew out to be serious, the one that seemed to bring out her personality is the one with the smile in it and by chance, her "smile" lyric happened to be in the background.

I look forward to get more images out of my brain...

At The Beach With Ariana

2011-04-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Ariana has the best hair and the most brilliant blue eyes. I always knew I wanted to photograph her. We finally were able to take a day trip to the beach for a photo shoot. She was a great sport this day to roll around in the sand and plants for me. Thank you Ariana!

Dog Fancy Magazine June Issue Article About Camping With Your Dog

2011-04-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Max and I are excited to be a part of the June issue of Dog Fancy magazine! In an article written by Becky Blanton, it's all about traveling with your dog. For the past three years, I've traveled the country with my dog and can't see a road trip without my best friend. The first year was with my dog, Maggie and the past two years have been with my little man, Max.

The article also features all photographs taken by me, including a self portrait of Max and I camping in Yosemite last summer.

When I am not camping alone with Max, I enjoy meeting other women on the road who also enjoy camping. The other photos are of Martha and her dogs, taken when I camped with the "silver sisters" (women who camp together with their Airstreams) and Zola and her little baby on my trip with the "Sisters on the Fly".

I am looking forward to more camping adventures in the future! The June issue of Dog Fancy is on newstands now.

Morning Coffee With Kristy Jo and Valentina

2011-04-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

When I spent most of my days on the road, I took photographs every day. Even on days when I didn't feel like shooting anything, I did. I did it because I never knew what I was going to come across and the amount of time I had in one spot was limited. That was the motivator to keep going. Now that I am home, it's been a challenge.

I am taking photography classes and this is an added push to get me to get out and take photographs. Most of my photography has been done by chance. Meaning, I like to take pictures of what is going on at the time and capturing a moment with no interruption with direction. Now, I am in complete control of a situation. Actually, I am never in control but I can get an idea and run with it to see what happens.

I have been thinking of certain situations for my friends to try to capture their personality and essence. This is not an easy task but it's been fun the first week trying.

My friends Kristy Jo (K.J.) and her girlfriend Valentina (Val) said yes for me to come over and photograph them around their house. We mingled for a while while we sipped coffee. I looked around the house and decided to take a few shots in different rooms, hanging out on the porch and my favorite, sitting in a planter tub outside in the backyard. Once I saw the tub, I immediately got excited. Good news for me is that they were up for anything. Even their dog, Clayton Wembley was up for anything and he made himself at home.

It was a fun morning of shooting and chatting a bit before we all carried on with the day. I look forward to sharing more shooting adventures with you here soon.

Los Angeles Brewery Art Walk

2011-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Even though I won't be traveling and living out of my car for a while, I always enjoy exploring things nearby that are fun and interesting...especially when it comes to art. There is a community in the heart of Los Angeles that used to be a brewery and now it's a city in itself of artists. These artists live and work in the spaces of the Brewery Art complex.

Lucky for us, they open their studios to the public a few times a year for us to be able tour their home/work space. It's a wonderful tour of amazing artists of all mediums. I did this last year and blogged about it and I plan to go back. A photograph I took of the experience was licensed by Palladium Boots to use on their website under their explorations video. You can see that video HERE. Along with the art walk, the video mentiones other jems in the Los Angeles area to explore. To find out more about the brewery walk, click HERE.

Even if a vacation seems out of the question for you right now, I bet there are places nearby that you can visit to give you the feeling of being in another world.

Long Beach Transit Photographs

2011-04-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be a part of the reopening of the Long Beach transit Mall in downtown Long Beach. In the next few weeks, work will be completed on the project including eight canopy shelters, serving an average of 20,000 commuters daily.

Eight selected photographs that I took of Long Beach will be on display in and around the new mall to coordinate with the "nautical" theme expansion. I spent about four months walking on the beach each night and a few mornings with my point and click camera capturing everything I came across on the beach. Images from these moments will be blown up and installed around the mall so people can experience the beach without actually being at the beach. I look forward to the completion and encourage you to use public transportation. You never know what you might come across.

The photos from this blog are some I took during those months, but you will have to see the chosen ones once they are installed in a few weeks.

The press Telegram writes, "After months of work, improvements to the Long Beach Transit Mall downtown are nearing completion.
Eight canopy shelters and public art should be completely installed in the coming weeks and transit operations will move back from Ocean Boulevard to First Street on Sunday, said spokeswoman Marcelle Epley on Monday.
Last August, Long Beach Transit announced that it would begin a $7 million modernization of the regional transit hub on First Street between Long Beach Boulevard and Pacific Avenue.
The Transit Mall, which serves an average of 20,000 commuters daily, has grown since opening in 1982 and now accommodates passengers taking Long Beach Transit buses, Metro Blue Line trains and buses and Torrance Transit.
Funded with federal stimulus money, the project will feature improved night lighting, upgraded landscaping and newly designed bus shelters with public art.
Done in partnership with the Arts Council of Long Beach, the public art will feature photographs by Long Beach photographer Alison Turner and nautical-theme poems by Long Beach poets, as well as poets from Long Beach literary magazine, Pearl."

For the full article, click HERE

The Start Of A New Decade

2011-03-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today is the beginning of a new decade for me. I put out a list of 39 things I wanted to accomplish on my 39th year on this earth and I am proud to say that I completed most of them over the year. Now on to a new decade of my life and more adventures to come.

Thank you to everyone who followed me on my crazy "driving around the USA in my tent adventures" for the past year, and the year before that. It was an incredible few years and I hope to experience many more things to come. As I did before, I will compile a list and share that with you.

As I mentioned, the past three years I have been wandering around the country with my dog, camera and tent. I made the decision to go back to school for a year to see where that takes me. I am always up for learning and it will keep me in the same place for a while. This doesn't mean that I won't take a break for adventures here and there. I plan to continue this roller coaster ride called life.

I look forward to more and sharing it here with you.

Roller Derby Girls And Cake Pops

2011-03-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged and for those of you who are stopping by and wondering what's going on, I apoligize. I've been doing this and that and haven't found the time to stop by here. Well, here I am again! Yesterday I was asked to shoot a photograph for an ad for blueberry bakery celebrating the one year anniversary of Moxi roller skate shop in Long Beach. I love cake and derby girls so of course I was happy to be a part of it!

The vision was to get a couple of derby girls fighting over a cake pop in typical derby style. Looking oh so tough but so cute at the same time. I don't know how these women do it. I used to roller skate around my neighborhood as a kid in my quads and thinking about it now makes me a little nervous. It's not that I don't want to do something fun, it's just a long way down if a small pebble gets in the way of a long stride.

I am six foot tall so it would make me about six five in skates. A long way down...and oh yeah, I am about to turn 40 with minimal health insurance, so there's that too.

It doesn't keep me from admiring these woman who participate in the sport. I've been to a few bouts in Long Beach and my photographs are on the Long Beach Roller Derby's website as well as many more on my photograph website.

For today, it was about cake pops and roller skates. I met these ladies early in the morning and once we got to the shop, it was time to strip down to their skating attire. As this was happening, a man happened to be standing in the right place at the right time to get a glimpse of two women stripping in the middle of the street. I'm sure as he stood there, he had no idea about what was about to happen. From the look on his face, I think it might have been his lucky day.

Thank you ladies for being such great models! I look forward to the next bout!

Palm Springs Modernism Week Vintage Trailer Show

2011-03-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Last week I was lucky enough to tour some amazing vintage trailers and meet their owners during the modernism week in Palms Springs. I arrived a few days early to spend some time with my friend, Kristiana Spaulding who is a jewelry designer, stylist, and proud owner of several trailers, one of them she showed during the event. Max came along for the ride and we all stayed at an RV park in the area for a few days before the trailer was moved to the Rivera to be on display for the public to tour.

I met up with people I met at Alumapalooza including John Long who is a proud owner of a bowlus and author of a book on the history of this trailer. John, Kristiana and I woke up at the crack of dawn to photograph this wonderful trailer at the home of designer, Trina Turk before the event.

During the event, I met the Funky Junk Farm's owner trio of John, Ed and Steven. They all were very patient with me as I took their portrait a few times. They had a few trailers on display that were all unique and different. Their personalities matched well with their home on wheels they had on display. Thank you to all of the owners who allowed me to take their photograph and for Airstream Life for hosting the event. I look forward to an even bigger showing in 2012!

For More Photographs from the event, click HERE.

Indio Date Festival

2011-03-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

I took a trip to the date festival to visit my entertainer friends John and Ellyn. They do a traveling bubble show for fairs around the country for the kids. They are both great people and I love being around them and seeing their show was a treat. It's not the easiest thing to travel around the country and be "on" several times a day doing the same show over and over while performing as if it's the first time.

I spent the day visiting with them and walking around the fair taking photographs of things I came across. It's always interesting to see what the fair has to offer and I had the opportunity to hang out behind the scenes in the "entertainer community city".

As much as I love seeing the smiles on kids faces, I always feel a bit sorry for the animals that travel with the fair. There were camels, zebras, tigers, lions, and a monkey on a leash ready to pocket your cash once you held it out.

At night is when everything comes alive. I love the neon, the smiles and the carefree feeling in the air. It reminded me of summer. I am looking forward to the change in season.

Airstream Life Magazine Spring 2011

2011-02-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to have my photographs included in the Spring 2011 edition of Airstream Life Magazine, including the cover! As I traveled the country, I was fortunate enough to meet so many amazing people and on Labor Day weekend, Max and I headed to upstate New York to gather with Westy owners for their annual Westyfest event. The cover photograph was a candid moment between Tim Frazier, his wife Margaret and their dog, Lucy in front of their Westy.

Inside, there are more photographs from the event including Zach and Deb Wood's son Zane. I just love Zane and he is a joy to photograph. When I first arrived, I was able to take a portrait of friends Peter, Dick, Bill and Juju. Bill owns the property that everyone camped on and even offered Max and I our own Westy to stay in while we were there. We accepted and fell in love with this way of camping. I love my tent but have to say that the Westy is easy to fall in love with.

There is also another article on Robert Ramirez's Pin Up Hair design and his Airstream. I met Robert when I went to the Johnny Cash festival last year and took photographs of all of the pin ups and festivities. I was immediately drawn to his airstream and business.

A huge thank you to Rich Luhr for the opportunity!

Date Shakes In Indio

2011-02-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend with some friends in the desert and if you like dirt, cactus, golf and the like...it's the place to be! Indio is known for dates and Shields is the place to go for the their world famous date shake.

We stopped there on the way out to sample some dates and partake in what many say is the best date shake in the world. Most stopping by are tourists looking for a sugar rush and to sample some of the many varieties of dates. One couple I talked to at the counter live in Colorado and they make it a point to stop by Shields just to continue their tradition of drinking a shake every time they come to California.

I sampled several dates and the shake. Delicious! I haven't had a date shake in the desert since I was a little kid and it was just as I remembered. If you are in the Indio area, it's a stop not to miss!

Photographs Published in Trailer Life Magazine March 2011

2011-02-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

"We have more fun than anyone" is the motto of the group, Sisters on the Fly. I found out about this group a few years ago and decided that since I had a teardrop trailer, it would be a good idea to join them to meet other women who love to camp. I joined and went on a few outings with the Sisters in Arizona and Sisters in Califonia. Indeed, they do have a lot of fun.

There is a bond between these sisters that is as tight as family, or sometimes even more so. I'm always up to join and support groups that empower women to do what many are afraid to do, like towing your own trailer or ditching the husband and kids at home to get out on your own.

A few of the photographs I took of these wonderful ladies have been published in the March 2011 edition of Trailer Life Magazine in an article written by Becky Blanton.

Thank you ladies for the great time! I hope to see you again down the road.

Painted Max

2011-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

On Halloween, Max wanted me to enter his photo in a costume contest that painter, Kellie Straw was having on her facebook fan page. He dressed up as a fisherman. You can see the photo HERE.

Max and I were so thrilled to learn that he won! For a prize, Kellie painted Max doing his favorite thing...having fun at the beach. She painted his portrait using a photograph I took of Max on the beach in Cape Cod last year with the wind in his face.

I love her work and I love this painted portrait of Max! She even has note cards available of this painting HERE.

Thank you Kellie!

Taking A Class And Watching A Fight

2011-02-08T16:18:00.000-08:00

I am always up for learning something new. I was lucky enough to be able to take a flash class at the Julia Dean Photography School in Venice beach for the day. Most of my photographs use natural light so I wanted to take a class to use a flash the correct way in certain situations. It was very informative with both technical learning in the class room and a few assignments in the field.

I love people watching in Venice beach. We all had a partner and an assignment to go out and practice using a flash for a fill light. My partner and I walked down the boardwalk and I found a spot where he would be sitting in the shade for practice. He sat there and I started taking his photograph and playing with my camera settings when this man approached us. He stood pretty close to me and was obviously out of it. He couldn't focus on me and he smelled like death. He tried to tell us how to get the best shot and how to compose it to make it look interesting. I didn't like how close he was standing next to us. My partner was nice and said, "oh yes, thank you for that information" while I backed away and waited for him to leave.

He left and we continued our practice taking photos of each other making sure we remembered everything technical we learned in class. About a minute after meeting our new stranger "smells like death" friend, my partner pointed behind me and said, "hey, isn't that the guy that just came up to us?"

I turned around and sure enough, he was in a fight with a Venice regular, "Mr. Muscle Man." I don't know if that's his name but I see him each time I am there and he does have muscles and I am pretty sure he's a man so that's what I will call him. As soon as I saw them fighting, my instincts kicked in. No, not to break up the fight but to take photographs of the action! They first wrestled to the ground then popped up with a few punches here and there while a crowd formed. It got pretty nasty when "death breath" started flicking his blood on "Mr. Muscle Man." I kept snapping away, forgetting what I was there for. Shortly into the fight, my partner said, "ummm...ok, well...do you want to practice over here?" Practice? What? Oh yeah, I forgot that I was taking a class and we were on an assignment. Eventually I had to pull myself away and put my technical brain back on. I felt like a kid at the park wanting just a few more minutes to play. I pouted a little inside and broke away from the action.

After our outside assignment was up, everyone gave their CF cards to the assistant to upload on the computer so we could all share what we did on the big screen. Uh oh, I didn't expect for that. While everyone followed the assignment correctly and had three pictures on their card, mine was full of the fight that, at the time seemed more interesting. I tried to hide and not give my CF card to the assistant, but he remembered me and asked for it. Of course I was first to be critiqued since my name starts with an "A". Julia flipped through my images trying to find the flash assignment and then said, "what is this?" I had to say, "oh, um...yes I slightly veered off the assignment for a few minutes." A little embarrassed, she was kind enough to look through them and give me feedback on each one and the class thanked me for capturing the moment. I felt a bit of relief after that.

I am glad I took the class. Very informative and Julia is a wonderful instructor. If you are in Southern California, I would recommend looking into their program if you want to learn something new about photography.

Here's the sequence of the fight until I was pulled away...
My money is on "Mr. Muscle Man" to win.

How To Pull Off A Surprise Party

2011-02-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

My good friend Jamie turned 30 the other day and Traci thought it would be a good idea to throw a surprise party for her at my home. Well, I suggested to have it at my house. It's been a few years since I've had a get together here since I've been traveling most of the year in my tent while the house is rented to vacationers.

We started planning this party about a month in advance and I don't know how she pulled it off. Each time I would see Jamie, I wanted to talk about the party or tell her who was coming. There were several moments where I almost blew it or freaked out that someone might blow it by accident in her presence. Each time someone would bring it up around me I would say, "shhhhhhhh!!!!!" People looked around and thought I was crazy. That's not unusual but I just didn't want to talk about it out loud just in case Jamie was standing near by.

Durning the last few days of coordinating, I seriously don't know how Traci was able to pull it off. Jamie would call when we were setting up or the taco man would call while Jamie was in the room and panic would settle in on whether or not Traci should pick up the call. Then it was time to get her to the house. That was another roll play on why I would want to bother them before dinner to drive all the way to my house when the restaurant they were supposed to eat at was in the opposite direction.

Everyone got to the house, Jamie walked in thinking I was going to give her a gift and as she walked in the door..."SURPRISE!!!!!" She was surprised...and very touched I might add. Seeing her expression that moment was worth the month of stress and lies.

No slip ups. No, "I'll see you at your party" mistakes. As soon as she was surprised and I snapped some photographs, it was time to relax.

This was Max's first party and he stayed put under the taco man all night and then coming in the house to beg for cup cakes for a while.

So, how do you pull off a surprise party? A little mix of luck, faith and hope.

Cat Comes To Town

2011-01-31T12:36:00.000-08:00

The past week I've been offline and visiting with my friend Cat from Spokane. During my travels, I spent quite a bit of time with her in Washington during the summer and last week she came down to Los Angeles for some business and stayed longer to hang out with me. We toured Venice beach, saw some movies, had some nice meals and did a photo shoot on the beach. Since I spend most of my time alone, it was nice to have a house guest for a few days.

The best part about our photo shoot was that she was game to do about anything. When I was in Cape Cod a few years ago, I took a bunch of timed jumpie pics as the sun was setting. If you need an activity to look crazy in front of people and laugh at yourself, this is a good one to try. It is stupid and is great for a good laugh and some fun photographs. Also, Cat is not as fond as birds as I am. She was even willing to walk around a flock of birds and run towards them to try and get a shot of them surrounding her. The one where she is standing still is a moment of her thinking, "Really? You want me to do what with the birds?" to the shot where she casually jogged through them, not missing a beat. Some of the best times you can have with a friend is being silly with a camera.

I haven't made the time to take my camera out to take photographs lately so it was a nice change of pace to do that again while we toured around. Here are some photographs from our time last week.

A Visit With John, Ellyn and Milan in Mexico

2011-01-23T12:06:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to venture out to meet John and Ellyn in Mexico. I "met" John a few years ago on my space and we became pen pals. I was instantly taken by his writing and after seeing a few videos he posted, I figured he was the real life "dude" from the Big Lebowsky, even though I know he gets that a lot. I meet a lot of nice folks on the internet and it's always fun to meet them in person after talking for a while to see how they are in real life. John and Ellyn are exactly how I imagined...about as real as you can get.

They live on a house right on the water about 35 minutes from the border. They don't have electricity, but do have propane and water. They refer to their housing community as the "camp" and everyone knows each other very well. John and Ellyn are entertainers with a traveling show so you might have seen them at your local fair or at the San Diego zoo where Ellen is "Dr. Zoolittle."

I didn't bring Max along for the ride, but I brought my cousin, Wendy. I love it when I throw out a crazy idea and people say yes. I told Wendy that I wanted to go to Mexico to meet an online friend that I've never met and she said "ok" without question.

What I like most about them is that they are energetic about everything. You can talk about all subjects and they will have a story and will give their opinion without hesitation. I felt right at home with them and love the life they both lead. They follow their passion and do what they love.

I told a few people about going to Mexico to meet a stranger and most people worried that I would be ok. I didn't think twice about it. Of course there are many reasons to be afraid to meet strangers or travel to another country to do so, but that's the exciting part about it. I didn't stay long on this trip, but I plan to go back again to soak up the experience of living at their "camp." Wendy and I were treated like family and Ellyn cooked the best meals!

It was also interesting to see that we were about the only tourists in town. I will blog about that in another post but for now, here are some photographs to give you an idea of what life is like for Ellyn, John and their dog Milan. I look forward to catching one of their performances soon.

Sorting Through Family Photographs

2011-01-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

In my constant quest to live life with less "stuff" and as simple as possible, one of my goals is to clean out my garage and that means actually opening boxes and boxes of photographs to sort through them to either throw away or put in flood safe containers. There are boxes of photos that I've moved from one place to another without opening the box. When it's moving time, it's easier that way. Also, I've inherited several boxes of photographs that belonged to my grandparents that I have yet to open.

My garage flooded a few months ago and ruined everything that was on the ground. I know that cardboard boxes are the worst way to store things so I made a point to start opening the ones that were on a shelf to go through each box and sort through everything to either discard, keep or save to send to a family member. This is not an easy task! I spent the entire day going through photographs, cards, letters and old papers. I think I made it through 3 boxes.

Seeing these photographs made me miss the loved ones that are no longer with me, but I was lucky enough to be close with my grandparents and my dad before they all passed away. Seeing these photos brought a smile to my face and made me remember once again what is most important in life. The relationship you have with loved ones.

One box was filled with every letter my father wrote to my grandparents ("Mama Lois" and "Big John") while he was in college at Oklahoma University. I read a few but knew that I had to put them aside in order to tackle the project at hand. The ones I read were pretty funny. My father asked them to send the local newspaper so he could keep up to date on the local sports in the area (Mama Lois and Big John lived in Spanish Fort, AL at the time) but mostly he talked about working hard in his classes while spending most of his time studying. Riiiiggght......

It was interesting to remember what it was before the technology we have today. Back then, people would sit down to write a letter and wait a week or more to get a response. In today's world, if you don't get a response from a text you sent twenty minutes ago you start wondering what's wrong. He wrote to them a few times a week with about two pages long talking about sports, studying and girls. What else is there to talk about with your parents when you are in college? I look forward to sitting down and reading them all.

Here are some of my favorite photographs that I found so far. It's funny how technology can turn your photographs the way they once were. Now and days, the only clue to when a photograph was taken is with the clothing and hair styles.

I am very fortunate to have these reminders of the people who are no longer physically with me. I look forward to finding more "treasures" and I would encourage you to do the same.

The photograph on the top is my father sunbathing in 1967, "Mama Lois" (Father's mother) camping in 1963, my mother and father in 1968, "Big John" (Father's father) and me in 1972, Both Grandfathers ("Poompa" and Big John") in San Diego in 1965, "Big John" with his car and "Mama Lois"(Dad's Mother) and my dad in 1962 - his letter writing years in college.

The LA Photo Show Experience

2011-01-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing quite moves me the way that photography does. This past Saturday I went to the LA Photo show for the day and it was and experience I won't soon forget. As soon as I walked in, I felt like a kid in a candy store. So many beautiful photographs from today and throughout history. Life shown on every inch of space on the walls of the Santa Monica civic center.

As if it were the last piece of cake, I wanted to savor every moment I was there. I carefully visited every booth up and down the isles, not to miss anything. At times, I went outside to take a break and let what I just saw absorb into my brain. What I am drawn to is not necessarily what others would love. This is what I love about art. There is something for everyone. I especially love documentary photography and photographs that are personal to the photographer. I think all photographs displayed are beautiful but there is something about capturing a moment in time that wasn't staged that gets to me. Some of those images are the most raw and I could look at them for hours. I am drawn to the subject and want to know more about their life and about the photographer's life. One of the images that stuck out for me was one in a series of images by Bruce Hall. He is documenting the life of his autistic twin sons. Bruce is legally blind.

Events such as this one can be overwhelming. Especially if you take the time to look and think about what you are looking at. I was so engrossed in the experience, at times I had to look around and remember that other people are there. In fact, there were a lot of people there but I didn't notice.

It was a beautiful sunny day in California so I decided to sit on the grass in the front of the center to have lunch. I took my time eating and thinking. I really was in my own little world. I've been to the civic center a few times a long time ago for other events. After lunch, I wandered to the chain tree sculpture to take a few photographs with my camera phone and to sit under it for a while. Moments later, a woman came up to me and politely asked me to move since they wanted to take a photograph of the front of the civic center building. She said I could join them to watch, so I did.

I stood around with a few people looking at a giant wet plate camera. People were video taping with their phones and taking all sorts of photographs so thought something special was about to happen. Some of the people were smiling and giggling around me, while taking photographs of a man with a black apron on. A woman in a sun dress next to me would alert the small group each time a cop car drove by. Now I was intrigued. Who cares if a cop car drove by? I started flipping through the legality of shooting in a public place in my brain and from all I've researched, we were fine.

I asked the woman who asked me to move about the photographer and she turned to me, smiled and told me it is Luther Gerlach. He teaches classes at the Getty in Wet Plate photography and it just so happens that he has built and takes 22x30 photographs with the largest wet plate camera in the world.

He started telling people what to do so the moment was getting close. I focused my attention on the photographer and what he was doing that I didn't look at what he was shooting at since I knew it was just the front of the building. I was standing next to him watching his every move when I noticed everyone snapping away at what he was taking a photograph of. I casually turned to look and there it was. The woman I was standing next to was perched on the chain tree, nude. With all of the other on lookers, documented it with my camera phone. The moment lasted about 10 seconds and then Luther ran off to his van to develop the print. A few moments later, the finished piece was on display outside of the van.

I am glad that I went and look forward to more art events in the future. I hope that you get out to appreciate arts in your neighborhood.