Philadelphia Documentary & Lifestyle Photographer — “Coming Home” exhibit with Home of the Sparrow

Let me start by saying this post took much longer to finish than I had originally anticipated. Not because of procrastination or sheer lack of hours in the day, but because  I had a difficult time finding the right words to describe my recent project with Home of the Sparrow Pennsylvania. So, without further tardiness here goes nothing! 

A couple of things right out of the gate...

1. The “Coming Home” exhibition was the first time I had ever shared my photography work in a public forum EVER (social media, you don’t count.)

2. Who is and why HOTS? Home of the Sparrow’s mission is simple: To provide supportive services for women and children facing housing insecurities. Ultimately providing brighter, independent futures for hundreds of women and children in Chester County, PA. 

3. For me it’s personal. I became a young mother at the age of 19. While I was just a kid myself, I was having one of my own. I was fortunate enough to have the support of family and friends during this time. They allowed me to live in their basement(s) (thanks, Mom, Mark, and Mom-Mom Shirley!) return to college, earn my Bachelor’s degree, and eventually land a career in advertising. Without the support of my family, I would have most likely needed the support of an organization like HOTS. 

But why a documentary photo project you may be asking yourselves if you’ve made it this far?!

Simply put, these women are incredible. They are strong. Each has faced their own unique adversities and their stories needed to be told. While their stories are unique, they all share a common thread — HOTS.  

I had the privilege of spending hours with each of them — capturing their daily lives — and for that, I will be forever grateful.

While the “Coming Home” exhibition included a brief description of each of these women and their unique stories, I’ve decided to leave those out of this post and rather let the images speak for themselves. 

My hope is that “Coming Home” will find its home in a local art gallery soon so that more people can experience it firsthand. But for now, here are a few of my favorite images.  

Philadelphia Documentary Photographer | Saturday Morning at the Hussains

If you've been following my work you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but Saturday morning pajamas and a messy (not sparkling clean) house are the PERFECT setting for a photo shoot. I mean come on, what is a more comfortable environment than that? Big shout out to Kiersten and Jaffar (and Kai and Leo) for letting me crash their Saturday morning. 

Philadelphia Documentary Photographer | #ProjectWeekend - A Look Back

At the beginning of 2017, I started what became known as #ProjectWeekend. The intent was simple -- to take more purposeful photos of my family and friends. Over the past few years I found myself only bringing out "my big camera" for client shoots and never using it to document everyday life -- my everyday life.  

This tiny goal seems simple, right?  Pick up my camera more often and shoot those who are nearest and dearest to me. Wrong. I failed after about 5 months of solid weekend documenting. Now I could sit here and list the reasons why -- namely wedding season and client work making up most of my weekends May - November -- but I'll save you the excuses. 

So the point of this post is to share a few of my favorite #ProjectWeekend moments from 2017 and to put in writing a new goal for 2018. #ProjectWeekend will be back, but this time in a monthly format. My hope is that by setting a more realistic goal (if I can't document at least 1 weekend a month then that's just pathetic!) I can live in the moment, document personal milestones, and still ensure my client work remains a top priority. 

Keep on scrolling for my favorites of 2017. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2018!

Philadelphia Wedding Photographer | The Art of the Second Shot

Lindsay of @polensphotography invited me tag along at a few of her most dreamy and intimate weddings this year so that I could capture #thesecondshot. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to collaborate because it really allows me to focus on the art and the moment right in front of me. Here are a few of my favorites from the Barbera wedding in Olde City Philadelphia.