I’ve got a strange portfolio of images forming. I call it the Residence series. What’s it all about? Why photography of random homes?
It’s equal parts archeology, curiousity, fascination with architecture and the pure joy of the shape of homes projected on my Rolleiflex ground glass.
The homes people live in fascinate me. The stories these places could tell. What’s inside of them? Who lives here? Why? The sheer assortment of humanity, how they live, their tastes and lives intrigue me.
There’s no formula for how I do this. I just drive through interesting neighborhoods, wait for the right home to call out to me and then I photograph it. It’s seriously entertaining.
Lemon Grove is a town in San Diego County, CA.
Lemon Grove Avenue inspired Mason Jennings to write this song:
Jon Ball 
I like the first house best, but I also like how you caught the primer-gray ’57 Ford in front of the house that’s half painted the same color.
Are you taking these from the driver’s seat of your car? They look to be at that angle.
You are very observant. Yes. From the drivers seat. Its the laziest photography I’ve ever done. (Maybe that’s why it’s so much fun) Drive-by photography!
Heh, it’s because most of my photographs are taken as I explore old roads, and I take many of them from my driver’s seat. I’m really familiar with that vantage point!
Ah. So I’m talking to an expert in the field. One of my secrets is revealed. Sounds like my type of photography. Exploring old roads. I could do that full time if my wife would let me.
Yeah, go to my blog and click one of the road-related tags in the tag cloud, or go to jimgrey.net/Roads. Tons of old-alignmenty goodness. I’m not married, so no wife to complain.
My bet is that Mason Jennings lives in the last house…the one with the wild and free grass.
i have the same strange fascination with where people live that you do bro! when I drove through LA for the first time and saw those parts of the city where people live with bars on their windows, I was astounded! Why do they stay there? Is there really no other choice? How would it be to live in a home that looks like a jail cell everytime you look out your window? It amazed me. And just a hop, skip and jump away are the rolling estates of Beverly Hills…beautiful, large homes with amazing views. The diversity of human dwellings is staggering!
Working as an appraiser for a few years, I have hundreds of photos like these taken from the drivers side window. Having been in many of those homes too, the questions just keep piling up.
I want to go inside but at the same time I don’t want to go inside these homes.
I agree. It is astounding. Bars on the windows. I think if you need to do that then it’s time to move.
@ Ryan. LOL. Fell out of my chair.
I’ll check it out tonight. Thanks!
those houses creep me out
[…] walked around a couple of neighborhoods. Pacific Beach and Lemon Grove. I like to do […]