If you don't know Rick Smolan, you surely know the book projects he has created, starting with the Day in the Life Series, going all the way back to "A Day in the Life of Australia" in 1981. Rick's wife, Jennifer Erwitt, was project director for those books, and the two also collaborated on "A Passage to Vietnam" and other books through their company, Against All Odds Productions. They are a real dynamic duo when it comes to organizing and producing wonderful photography projects.

Rick and Jennifer's latest book project is called "America at Home: A Close-Up Look at How We Live." Whereas other projects dispatched 100 or more professional photographers to capture moments in time... in the US, the USSR, and even "in" Cyberspace, this time Rick and Jennifer invited not just pros but tens of thousands of amateurs to submit snapshots showing what their homes mean to them.

The editing job gives me a headache to think about it... 250 final images selected from—are you ready?—250,000 submissions! The resulting $40 full-color coffee table book is a fascinating collection of photos representing different cultures, rituals, and events that, as Rick says, make a house a HOME.

What makes this book particularly fun for photographers like you is that you can upload a picture of your own family, pets, etc., "at home" to create a custom book jacket. What a great way to personalize a gift... one for parents, another for aunts and uncles, etc.

Not only that, but by buying the book direct on the "America at Home" site, the $8 custom cover is FREE. (While it's true that I think you would be well-served to use a Lightscoop to light your images, you are welcome to upload anything from scanned old family photos to shots right out of your cell phone.)

Another cool feature of the site itself, by the way, is that it allows you to browse the book digitally. Enjoy the adventure... and put YOUR photo on the cover...