you, you used to have all the answers

while i was in arizona for christmas, i took a few pictures of the place where i grew up. these are softtone polaroids of my childhood homes. the house on the left is my dad's. i spent some time there, but mostly i lived in the house to the right, with my mom. both are pretty smack dab in the middle of suburbia, just a few twists away from major streets lined with strip malls and palm trees.

my mother at her best

i don't remember how old i was, only that i was young. it was early in the morning, i stumbled into my mom's bathroom. like i would most every morning back then, to watch her apply her make up, get ready for the day.

'morning!' she says.

i sat on the carpet, blinked the sleep away.

'what was that on your back?' she asks.
'what?'

i stood up and turn around.

'oh my god, are you ok? you don't feel it?'
'what?!'
'there's a huge hole on your back. oh wow, it looks really deep. we should call an ambulance.'

i crawl onto the counter, trying to catch myself in the mirror, running my hands over the parts of my back i could reach. i'm panicked.

'i don't see any blood!'

she smiles. (smiles!)

'april fools.'

i really want to go outside and make it light all day

i've been trying to force myself to use my 50mm f/1.8 more often. i always see beautiful pictures being made with it, but i'm much more reliant on my 28mm. anyhow, while i was home, i tried to shoot almost exclusively with the 50mm. here are some shots of family over christmas weekend as the sun was setting:


this would be my very own dad.


dad and zack (one of two brothers).




logan (two of two brothers).






from left to right: zack, dad, logan and caitlin. (zack and caitlin are twins, for those who are curious.)

make it perfect and real

i don't take many photos of family. one of the reasons being family is so far away. another reason being my mom really does not like me to take photos of her. this quick polaroid, snapped christmas morning, got a reprieve. my mom is on the left, my brother logan on the right.

life down southwest

i took my trusty new spectra system with me to phoenix over the christmas weekend. i forgot how much i missed a big, clear, blue sky. and homemade tamales. anyhow, the results using 'image' film: