Author Archives: Lisa

a friendly horse on applehouse road in belleville, pa

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I spent the holiday at my parents’ farm in Belleville, PA. It’s a small, very Mennonite, farming village about half an hour south of State College. The sights on the streets there are obviously quite different than in Philadelphia. We took a windy Christmas Eve walk to see what we could see. It’s a cold, cozy, wood-smokey kind of beauty there this time of year. Lots of beautiful views of the mountains that keep our little valley cozy and Amish laundry hanging out on the line.  Monday is washing day, you know. 
This friendly horse we met on Applehouse Road would like to tell you that Street Stories’ regular programming will resume later this week and wishes you all a very happy new year! 

katie in clark park

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Clark Park on Saturday mornings is like the town square of West Philly. We’ve gone out of town most weekends since we moved to the city, but when we’re home my favorite weekend activity is to walk to the Farmers’ Market with my husband, Chad, and/or my sister or friends.

I thought it’d be a great place to find people to photograph. I was right.

Meet Katie, an elementary school art teacher and photographer.

Katie gets her wardrobe inspiration from That Girl. Her dream is to be a combination of Ann Marie from That Girl and Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She loves colors and doesn’t like to buy anything new. This dress came from Astro Vintage, which sadly has gone out of business. Most of Katie’s clothes are thrifted, and she used to get most of her favorite things from dumpsters and abandoned houses. “I love a million colors and if I could wear all of them at once, I would!” she told me, laughing.
I get nervous photographing photographers because I am quite new to taking photos and I certainly don’t presume to call myself a photographer, but Katie was super sweet and even suggested that we go on photography adventures together around the city! I might have to take her up on that offer.

stokely on 18th street

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Stokely was the third person I photographed for this project, I think. I was still pretty nervous to approach people at this point, but it’s definitely starting to get easier for me. Some people have been a little stand-offish, but I generally am too, so I get that. But most people are pretty excited and flattered to be approached. I try to start the conversation by complimenting something about their outfit. That seems to put people at ease. Including me. It gives me something to talk to them about other than how I’ve been watching them from across the street, having internal arguments with my natural shyness about whether to talk to a stranger.

Stokely makes art, is involved in theatre, and likes to find clothes in thrift stores, clothing swaps, Buffalo Exchange, and other similar places. I really love those clear glasses frames and the yellow, purple, and blue color combination.

Check out Stokely’s Tumblr.

julia in rittenhouse square

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These photos are some of the most recent I’ve taken. I feel like I’m finally learning how to frame a shot rather than having to crop the photos later. I like how these turned out.

Julia studies printmaking at University of the Arts, works at Anthropologie, and interns at The Center For Emerging Visual Artists. For as busy as she is, she struck me as totally cool, calm, and collected.

Julia told me that she gets a good employee discount at Anthropologie, so she gets a lot of her clothes there these days. That’s where she found this amazing belt. We briefly discussed whether it’s a wolf or a fox, but ultimately we couldn’t decide what type of woodland creature it is. It’s adorable regardless. Her jacket is from Target, and her skirt is from Urban Outfitters. I love the juxtaposition of her badass jacket and boots with her lacy feminine skirt.

jillian on 18th street

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Jillian was another near-miss on the 18th and Walnut corner. Across from Rittenhouse Park and near the shops on and around Walnut Street, this is an easy place to people watch.

I’ve found that people who catch my eye on this corner sometimes disappear into Anthropologie. I may wait a few minutes to see if they emerge. Often, they do not. Either this means the well-dressed of Center City know a secret exit from the store, or they disappear into Anthro for hours. I’m guessing the latter. When I first spotted Jillian, I lost her into that beautiful abyss but I was still in the same spot when she emerged. It was meant to be.

Her bright scarf caught my attention. She laughed and seemed surprised when I complimented it, adding, “It’s just from Target!”

Jillian, a Philly native who now lives in Kentucky, spends her time raising her two year old, working, knitting sweaters, and blogging for a real estate company. If she had to wear one thing for a week, it would be a knit dress with tights and boots. A quality choice.