Category Archives: fall

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.

paige on walnut street

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I’ve spent hours walking around, standing on street corners, and people watching, too scared and shy to approach anyone. I’ve seen lots of people I’d like to photograph, but didn’t get up the nerve in time.

One day, while standing on the corner of 18th and Walnut, a well-dressed couple crossed Walnut street towards me. I was thinking about how much I liked the girl’s outfit, and what a shame it was that I was too scared to talk to her, when the guy with her looked at me and said, “Hey, I really like your skirt!” I smiled and thanked him, and they kept walking.

I started feeling worse and worse. They were totally approachable! He talked to me! They probably would have been fine with it. I turned to see how far they’d gone down the street, but they stopped outside of Barnes and Noble to smoke! Now was my chance…

I turned away from them again and decided that if they were still there by the time I turned back around it was meant to be.

And they were still there!

Meet Paige.

Paige is a photographer and artist from Colorado. She complimented my camera, and told me she just got the same one. She sung the praises of the thrift stores in Colorado, specifically The Arc, where she found this skirt. “I basically just pick out whatever anyone else wouldn’t pick up out there,” she told me. I love the way she layered her fitted jacket over a long flannel shirt. Paige and I bonded over our mutual love of skirts with pockets and tried to explain their virtue to her friend, Kevin. 
Paige and Kevin were super sweet, and I felt a little silly about how intimidated I was when they first walked by. They were the perfect first people to approach for Street Stories. I am so glad I met them!