D.O.A.L.S.
An animated flipthrough of the book. A pair of hands are seen from above, flipping through the book, showing the images inside. Also visible on the desk is a keyboard, a cup of coffee, and a smartphone.

Diary of a Lucky Seagull

Photos by Aileen Chen

40 NZD ∙  35 AUD 25 USD 20 GBP 3900 JPY

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Keeping a diary to help me pay attention to life around me.

Those tiny moments when a stranger briefly enters your orbit because of the way they hold themselves or by the sillage of their fragrance. Constantly in a constant, point A to point B: the endurance of classically frantic city days. Seeing city dwellers bearing apocalyptically-messy-chic bags or XL shopper totes as if saying “I was out in the world, experiencing it.” The physicality of “I’m on my way.” An abandoned pair of shoes reluctantly skipping along the footpath from people and Lime scooters bustling past or the perfectly, unexplained tone of a shop sign, catching public transport, missing public transport....

A still image of the book, open to reveal pages flipping.

Thankful for these moments for stopping me in my city scurries and slowing me down, I quickly take a shot and get back to it — a now rhythmic or an accidental daily mantra, but a physical act.

This is a collection of moments that have stayed with me since capturing them on my phone. Some are several years old. This is a diary. I’m the seagull and I feel lucky to catch these transient moments.

A stack of booklets from the first publishing, hand-bound by Aileen.

First published as a part of PhotoForum NZ’s 2026 zine workshop.

All sales final. Shipping calculated at checkout. Enquiries to hiaileenchen@gmail.com

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Stockists

Press

“Shot on my iPhone: Aileen Chen’s debut photobook is a reminder to romanticise life,” written by Maryel Sousa for FASHION JOURNAL, October 2026

“Diary of a Lucky Seagull by Aileen Chen,” written by Constance McDonald for ART NEWS, September 2026

A still of the book, open on a spread. The photo on the left shows a man sitting on a public bench, scrolling his phone. The photo on the right shows a large, peanut-shaped exercise ball sitting in the passenger seat of a car.

DOALS on tour!