With me everyday.

This is her, isn't she a beauty? My new work bag. My radical vintage leather bag was threatening to fall apart, so here's my latest find from the used clothing store across the street.Here's what I carry with me everyday: my notebook, calendar, and camera. A juicy pen: why is there always either more than one or none at all. My wrist brace. Too cool I know. My boyfriends i-pod headphones for listening to music at work. Something to read: this week it's Good Magazine. Something I've picked up along my travels: this week it's a brochure from the Frida Kahlo exhibit. Something to eat. And, I'm ashamed to say, trash, usually receipts. My mother's purse that is a bottomless pit still haunts me, but try as I might, I always have a little bit of something that I really should have left behind.

Getting to know you.

This challenge isn't necessarily about photography. It's about you. I've been inspired by both Miranda July's Learning to Love you More book/website & Good magazine's projects... brilliant. My ideas won't be as brilliant, perhaps yours will mr. phatty albert, but for me they will just be ideas. Ideas that will help us get to know ourselves, and in turn, each other. And anyone else who wants to join in too....

So GETNOU #1: in the next week or so, take a photo of something you carry with you everyday more or less.

My Aroo Favs

Check out Aroo's other Blogs for more photos, etc.

Stranger Danger - Challange

Try shooting photos of people who you don't know, don't be afraid to ask or bribe them for steeling their soul with your camera. Take your time and ask them questions while you are shooting, this might help animate them, and clam your nerves (I always get nervous when shooting strangers). Or you can be really sneaky and try shooting them without the stranger knowing it. This challenge has no deadline.
Here are some samples that I shot around Huntington Beach.

More inspiration...

"A volunteer contributed to the massive effort to clean algae from the coastline of Qingdao, China. A recent algal bloom has encroached on areas which are to be used for Olympic sailing events. Photo: Nir Elias/Reuters" More photos here.

Challenge #3 - cityscape in smoke

06/23/08

06/25/08
06/26/08

06/28/08

Wow, I didn't realize this would be my greatest challenge yet--it was a week in which I wasn't very inspired by my day-to-day and I wanted to do something different than I've documented on my other blog...
The view from my office over a week that ended up documenting the clouds of smoke from the 1800 fires burning in CA. Most shots were taken as I was leaving the office around 5:30-6pm. I wish I had been a little bit more exacting about taking the shots--it would be interesting to revisit this in a few weeks, see how many windows go in in the buildings, see what it looks like on clear days. Also inspiring me to get a better camera...my old school digi isn't quite cutting it anymore.