Newsletter #135 - Normal Houses

Photographs of houses.

When I was a kid, my mom and I used to drive around neighborhoods on the north shore of Long Island and look at the houses. There was an endless array of questionable decisions that left us pondering the nature of these choices and the people who might have been behind them. The architectural styles. The landscaping. Some good. Some bad. None of it really mattered though. It was just fun to look and wonder and dream.

“Maybe one day you will live in one of those,” my mom once said.

---

I have been chasing fog for over 10 years, but about four years ago I started focusing on the houses and architecture of the homes in and around Sullivan County, NY when they are shrouded in fog.

In this area, there is a wide range of architectural styles. Among them are Bungalow, Cape Cod, Colonial, Contemporary, Craftsman, Dutch Colonial, National, Prairie, Ranch, Saltbox, Shed, A-Frame, Saltbox, Shingle, Stick, and Trailer.

Some are impressive. Some are less so.

But in the fog, I think they all look kind of… Normal. Average. Ordinary. High or low. They are fine. No one house seems better than another. They are all unique in their own particular ways, and the fog helps equalize them.

I make most of these pictures from my car, either through the windshield or out the driver’s side window.

Lately, I have started to get a little more bold.

I pull down driveways. Not all the way of course. I don’t want to trespass. I just want to pull safely off the road, so I can stand outside of my car and make a more accurate composition.

Nobody has ever said anything to me or confronted me. But I feel like it could happen at any moment, and I am a little paranoid about it. I feel like people might think it’s strange that I photograph lonely homes in the fog. I mean, obviously.

If I saw you doing what I do, I’d think it was strange.

So I have an excuse in my head. I will say I am photographing birds. If anyone asks, I just saw an eagle fly into that tree! Everyone loves birds and understands the chase to see a rare or interesting one.

---

As of April 2024, I have photographed over 550 unique houses. A few months ago, I put together a small book dummy, designed by Pablo Declan, with a foreword written by Drew Stuart and got a publishing agent to pitch this project to all of the major book publishers.

Everyone passed.

That’s okay. I’ll just self-publish the book. It’s better that way anyway. Look out for it soon. Maybe even later this year.

---

Oh, Mom, I know you are reading this. I found my own Normal House. I know it’s not like one of those fancy ones in Huntington Bay on the north shore of Long Island, but I hope you are still proud. I think it’s fine.

It’s normal.

---

I made a version of this newsletter as a video on January 13, 2024. I called it “Looking for a Normal House,” but I also talk about the word “Content.”

---

SUPPORT THIS NEWSLETTER

I always want this newsletter to be free, and I truly dislike the idea of paywalling any of my work, so the main stories will always be available for everyone to read. Click subscribe if you aren’t already to make sure you don’t miss anything.

If you want to pay, I’m not going to stop you! In fact, I’d really appreciate it. I don’t know if there will be any perks just yet but I’ll send you a postcard to start, as a token of my appreciation.

---

Julia Sforza proofreads this email.
Pablo Delcan is designing the Normal Houses book.
Zach Vitale grew up in a split-level on Long Island.
Seth Werkheiser is my newsletter guru.

Questions? Comments? Project idea? Sponsorship? Advertising? You can reply to this email. I read every one and try to respond to most of them. 

noahkalina.com
Instagram
Threads
YouTube