“Home” Photo Contributors Wanted
Rick Smolen is at it again. All photographers are invited to send in images represetning what “Home” means to them. There will also be 100 professional photogs participating and images will be selcted to be in the upcoming coffee table book.
Press Release
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 12, 2007–– Beginning Sept. 17, in the course of a single week, 100 of the world’s top photojournalists – and millions of amateur shutterbugs – will fan out around the United States to shoot digital photos of the most important place in their lives: Home.
With America at Home, Rick Smolan and the team that produced A Day in the Life of America: America 24/7, 24 Hours in Cyberspace, and One Digital Day, will be taking on their biggest challenge to date. The result, which is expected to include several million photographs, will be the most extensive record of American home life ever created in the 21st century.
“The idea of ‘home’ is as universal and deeply ingrained as that of ‘mother’ or ‘father,’” says Smolan. “Ask people to describe what the word ‘home’ means to them and their answers tap into a deep pool of emotions and memories. We’re inviting millions of Americans to collaborate in the creation of a digital time capsule that may prove to be an invaluable resource for our descendants to understand the fabric of home life in 2007.” Editorially, America at Home aims to capture the emotions of home: the distinctive rituals, intimate moments and all the myriad ways in which we work, play, learn, conduct our lives and interact with friends, family members (and pets!) as we transform our dwellings into our homes. From McMansions to mobile homes, from tree houses to tenement slums, from ranches to old age homes, the public is invited to help document the harmonies and paradoxes of home life across America over a single seven-day period.
Snapshots Heard ‘Round the Nation
Through massive grassroots online outreach, millions of Americans are being invited to simultaneously contribute their own images via a series of daily snapshots taken at the same time of day across the nation each day throughout the week. Participants will receive daily emails with assignment instructions and can also take general photos of what makes their home special.
The public will be able to sign up and upload their images at www.MyAmericaAtHome.com.
An international team of leading magazine and newspaper photo editors will edit all of the images, shot by both professionals and amateurs. The best images will be woven together with essays from leading writers in a unique and evocative coffee table book, a website, a TV show, and an exhibit.
A unique element of America at Home is that it encourages participation by cell phone camera users. More than a billion people around the world have an Internet-connected camera in their pocket all day long: their phone. This project will be the first time the full combined power of these millions of phones in the U.S. has been activated for a common purpose. “Humanity has a deep need to tell stories,” says Smolan. “That’s why photographs are so important to people. The ability to shoot and then instantly share images is going to dramatically change the way humanity sees itself and how each of us tells our own stories.”
The America at Home book will be published by Running Press in March 2008 and will offer the public the ability to personalize their books with customized covers. The custom cover feature was largely responsible for the success of Smolan’s last project, America 24/7, when more than 21% of all book buyers customized their copies. This was the first time in publishing history that a New York Times best-seller was mass customized by its readers.
America at Home is made possible through a partnership with IKEA with additional support being provided by HP’s Snapfish, Google and BabyCenter.com.
Here is the photo assignment: Daily simultaneous snapshot topics include:
Monday, September 17 THE BIG TOUR 3 PM
Show us exactly what makes your home your castle. Capture the essence and emotions — ALL the nooks, crannies and grannies – and don’t forget the iguana if you’ve got one.
Tuesday, September 18 MORNING RUSH 8 AM
Breakfast of blueberries and walnuts? A bracing shower? Yoga on the patio? Packing up the kid’s lunches for school? Let the world share your hectic sunrise routines.
Wednesday, September 19 MID-DAY MADNESS 12 Noon
Who’s home? Come one, come all. Show us your dashing kids, lovely friends or even that one strange black-crowned night heron who just built a nest in front yard maple tree.
Thursday, September 20 DINNER TIME 7 PM
Lasagna again? [Yum!] Inexplicable Jello salads? Chinese take away? >From a microwave or Dutch Oven? Pick up your plates and show us! Be sure to get the family chef in action.
Friday, September 21 YOUR SANCTUARY 4 PM
When it’s been one of those days (or weeks), where do YOU escape to cool out, re-boot or get away? Don’t be bashful; share your sacred space with us.
Saturday, September 22 HOME TREASURES 11 AM
Your grandmother’s wedding ring? Your uncle’s false teeth? Your precious collection of snow globes? Bring’em out and let us all gaze in wonder!
Sunday, September 23 BEDTIME RITUALS 9 PM
What do YOU do before you hit the hay? Finish a crossword puzzle? Look under the bed for monsters? Fix your cup of hot cocoa with a shot of something? ZZZZ-zzz-zz.