Whenever I take Yashi out to play, people stop us in the street and ask, ‘Does it work?’ ‘How old is it?’ ‘Can you still buy film for that?’ To which I answer, ‘Yes, very well’ ‘About 50’ and ‘Of course! It’s expensive but worth every cent’. I’ve been trying out a bunch of different cameras lately but I keep coming back to this one. It’s such fun to use and produces beautiful images. Thank you, little Yashi.
1. lacey and matt 2. matt and lee
I grew up in a small town cut through the middle by a wide river, its two sides joined by a bendy bridge. I didn’t think the life I lived was anything special; I just did my thing and that was that. It’s only now with a bit of hindsight that I realise how unique those years on the cusp really were. Alive with possibility and yearning and so completely raw.
In 2012 I set out on a photographic journey of remembering and discovery. What’s it like to grow big in a small town? I was asking that question of myself as well as my four subjects; Jannah in Broken Hill, Savannah in Parkes, Emily in Grafton and Merryn in Byron Bay. I wanted my memories of adolescence both validated and challenged.
In June this year a selection of the images will be exhibited as part of the Head On Photo Festival in Sydney. And after entering them in the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award for photography I was named runner up.
Now, Small Town Girl is leaving home. On June 13 I will fly to the US of A and spend two months there, photographing the lives of teenage girls in Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi and Texas. The thing is, I haven’t found my girls yet. Can you help?
I’m looking for a girl (aged between 13-19) who lives in a town with a population of 20, 000 or less in each of the states listed above. I’ll live with her and her family/flatmates for a week and follow her around, taking fly-on-the-wall style photos.
If you’re interested or if you know someone who knows someone who knows a teenage girl who fits the bill, then please comment here or email me for more details: elizestrydom@live.com.au Feel free to share this post on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and any of your other networks. Many thanks!
Happy birthday to my beautiful flatmate and friend, Lydia xx
Well, well, well end of February/start of March, haven’t you been a cheeky little month for music? I’ve been really excited about a few tunes in particular. Namely, Royals by 16 year old Kiwi kid, Lorde. I was on my way to a party when I heard it on Good Nights with Linda and literally had to pull over, turn the car around and drive home so I could download it (no, I don’t own a smartphone…yeah, I know). The whole night I was itching to get back to my bedroom so I could listen to it again…and again. Step Out For a While by Patrick Watson was another fortuitous find. If Matt Corby and Grizzly Bear got together and had a baby, this is what it would sound like. And as I mentioned recently, Liarbird by The Growl is a gravelly, soulful banger of a tune that I fell for instantly. Enjoy the mix here here here!
1. liarbird – the growl
2. royals – lorde
3. falling – haim
4. t.r.o.u.b.l.e – abbe may
5. mind mischief – tame impala
6. when yesterday’s gone – hungry kids of hungary
7. needle – born ruffians
8. global concepts – robert delong (language warning! language warning!)
9. step out for a while – patrick watson
10. heavy feet – local natives
One of my favourite favourites turned 24 yesterday. Damn, I love this girl. She has crammed a whole lotta living into those few years and faced some hectic challenges along the way. I admire her intelligence and wit, her voracious appetite for living and feeling, her energy and playfulness and her uncanny ability to store the lyrics to every Kanye, Jay-Z, Kendrick etc. song in her noggin and spit them out on demand. Happy birthday, Angie girl x
Dear, you know there’s time for us. I haven’t dreamt a night without you. Oh, I hope you’re somewhere having a good time. – Lisa Mitchell, I Know You’re Somewhere
Gracie’s wedding dress, jewellery and perfume // Having her make up done in our kitchen
I want a long communal table with bench seats, stained with red wine and remnants of the many meals shared across its surface. I want a veggie garden and a row of little succulents, a cat and a dog, a beautiful record player and art on the walls. I want the the same address for more than two years. I want something solid and reliable and known and safe; a refuge. I want a direction to head in. I want shared history and a future together. Enough of this uncertainty, this waiting.
Missing my littles today xx
olive and oak 