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

Oct 18

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.