America at Home
by By Smolan, Rick and Erwitt, Jennifer
Category: Photography , Subjects & Themes , General

From the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller America 24/7. The week of September 17, 2007, marked the largest collaborative project in Internet history as 100 of the top photojournalists and millions of Americans documented the concept of home. The result?which included several million photos?is the most extensive record of American home life at the beginning of the 21st century. Now the powerhouse team of photographers and editors behind such bestselling titles as America 24/7 and the A Day in the Life of... series, present their latest collection of stunning personal and dramatic moments with this tie-in volume. America at Home aims to capture the emotions of home: the distinctive rituals, ceremonies, traditions, 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 houses (and apartments, trailers, etc.) into our homes. From McMansions to mobile homes, from tree houses to tenement slums, from ranches to old-age homes, the public was invited to help document the harmonies and paradoxes of home life across America over a single seven-day period... Highlights of this extraordinary project include: Massive grassroots online outreach: Americans were invited to simultaneously contribute their own images via a series of daily snapshots each day throughout the week. These shots covered topics such as: morning rush, what’s for dinner, and evening family rituals. Participants received daily emails with assignment instructions and also took general photos of what makes their home special. The public was able to sign in and upload them at www.MyAmericaAtHome.com. Multiple formats: An international team of leading magazine and newspaper photo editors edited all of the images, shot by both professionals and amateurs. The best images are woven together here with essays from leading writers in a unique and evocative coffee table book. In addition to the website, a TV show and photography exhibit are planned, with the help (and advertising) of major corporate sponsors such as IKEA, Google, HP’s Snapfish, and BabyCenter.com.