may i have your story

Today is the first day I started knocking on people's doors and asking 'could you please tell me your story?' It used to be my ideal way of taking photos. But today I made the first step. I felt awkward when I was standing in front of the first house I want to 'bother'. Of course I got a 'No'.The second one I felt that I was like a bible salesman. The third one I got over everything.

I went to Rio Bravo Mobile Home Park which is the place every time I drove by I told myself I need to go to and take photos. I have a lot of this kind of places on my shooting list. The result turns out not bad.

Knocked on 55 people's doors. Explained the same thing (just introduce myself and my project). Asked the same question 'do you mind tell me your love story'.

51 said 'No';

3 said 'Not right now, but you can come back tomorrow' ;

1 said 'Si, vienen en' !!!!!!!

with Mom sitting on couch in the back, 9-year old Ariana and her 5-month old dog Modita. Ariana and her elder sister Alejandra did all translation, since their parents don't speak English at all

Su casa no es mi casa

@Marble Brewery

got back from the TORTUGA Workshop slideshow and after party

Im having a hard time to fall asleep

just realized that I got so many things to accomplish

Saturday, I have a photo shooting for my art class, actually I'd rather call it my own project

then homework, homework and work

after I checked Roberto's blog(http://robertoerosalesblog.com/), I decided to make a 'best of 2009' series maybe also 2008

after I talked to Jakob(http://jakobschiller.com/), I think I am going to try to apply some grant from the university to pay for my trip for doing some documentary projects in China in summer

when looking at my Amazon wish list, I found that I have so many books that I want to own, but I can't, every time I tried to buy the book I told myself, No I can't buy those stuff, I really need to watch out my budget, and I am moving around all the time, I can't afford all of them also carrying them around.

Home is 8,000 miles away. No matter friends telling me 'mi casa es tu casa' , I still don't feel that comfortable. Most of the time, I don't feel that I'm a foreigner, but the problem is some times I do

Be safe

Eric, Maggie's husband, watching his wife and her son going through the security check in the Albuquerque airport on Jan 28

I got a phone call from Eric Wednesday telling me that Maggie and son Greg were leaving Thursday. Since all the airlines from the US to Haiti are closed. They have to take a boat to Haiti, which is a 4-day trip in the sea.

So far, what I've heard the buses that carry all donations are planning on to leave at the end of February.

Ready for Haiti

Maggie Doerrer on the phone talking to her husband Eric. Eric told me that he and Maggie are leaving for Haiti earlier than the buses leave, so they can prepare for receiving the donations

In Albuquerque, there is a group people decided to get all the donations together in 5 buses and drive straight to Miami,FL then seek for a way to ship all the stuff to Haiti to help the people there

They are leaving soon, and I will post the follow up later.

Back stage

I've never thought I can get stories from shooting a track and field game until last Saturday.

Lee Emanuel, UNM athlete, 08-09 NCAA mile champion. He finished the third place in 800 meter run at the UNM Cherry and Silver Invitational game, which is one he was trying to break the school record.

Since he was the last one on my shooting list. I watched him walking around after till I saw him leaving the venue. I told myself that's probably gonna be an interesting story. After I saw him sitting down, I walked across the street and then I got the last shot.

BTW: special thanks to the UNM journalism boot camp, it is a great success

Rainbow Gathering (for workshop)

The 2009 Rainbow Gathering at Cuba, New Mexico

This is the final project

I take forever to finish my photo editing

I wish Blogspot could display the photos bigger