If your house was burning, what would you grab on your way out the door? That question intrigued photographer Foster Huntington, so he gathered his must-save belongings and took a picture. Then he asked a few friends to think about that question and photograph their must-save belongings. The burning-house question raised an issue that people wanted to both answer and discuss. In May of 2011 Huntington launched a website with photos of personal items that people would grab on their way out the door. Within a year, Huntington received thousands of photos from around the world that captured people's answer to the burning-house question.

Here are a few of the items people said they'd grab if their house caught on fire:

• One husband, one son, and three cats
• The film The Princess Bride on Blu-ray
• My daughter—everything else can be replaced
• A few packs of favorite green tea in case I'm thirsty
• Favorite earrings I wore to my wedding
• Ring I got from my Dad when I was 12
• Mystery Box (my father put something inside before I nailed it shut, forever closed until I am an old man and he is long gone)
• My grandfather's Bible
• Ernest Hemingway's selected letters
• iPhone 4
• Wallet
• Purse
• Very old teddy bear of my childhood
• Moleskin journal which contains all of my thoughts and ideas
• House key, because you need it, even though your house is burning
• My globe to always remind me of all the places I dream of seeing
• flip flops, a bikini and a skirt (because if my house burns down, I'm going to the beach)

Huntington says that this project has taught him a valuable lesson about material possessions. The question forces people to think about what they want versus what they really need. For instance, Huntington's first photo included 18 must-have items. But after thinking about the question for over a year, his list dropped to only two absolutely, irreplaceable items.