“I've recently taken up film photography and can't  

get enough. I frequent Philly, often going to events, hanging with friends and eating good food. I lived in the city a few years ago for some time. 

One of my favorite things to do is head to Chinatown for some cold beef tendon! So, a couple of nights ago on the hunt for beef tendon I decided to snap some long exposures on my journey through Chinatown.” 

Showing on Digital Screen

A Philadelphia-based photographer, writer, and visionary artist. With roots in West Philly, I tell stories across many mediums—photography, fashion, film, and words—always centering the voices and images that are too often overlooked. I founded I Am Quintessential as both a brand and a mission: to spark spiritual consciousness, honor creativity, and build community through art.

“My lens is both intimate and expansive, moving from neighborhood blocks to murals, street corners, and moments of quiet joy. Whether I’m documenting family, art, or the rhythm of the city, my photography insists that everyday people and places are monuments worth remembering.

My work is about seeing Philly with soul. I capture the city unposed and unfiltered—children playing, murals that speak  names, elders who hold wisdom on front steps, and colors that vibrate like jazz. I’m drawn to the spaces where memory, art, and struggle collide, where joy still shines through.

Every photograph I take is both witness and testimony: a record of who we are and how we live. Philly is not just backdrop—it breathes, it teaches, it resists, it loves. Through my lens, I honor the everyday monuments: the faces, the laughter, the graffiti walls, the movement of life that make this city unforgettable.”

Showing on Digital Screen

Born and raised in Philadelphia, currently living in Binghamton NY working for a local newspaper.

“I'm not sure when my interest for photography began but it has become a creative outlet for me to connect with people in the community while producing visual stories. Photography is an opportunity to capture moments and offer audiences a different perspective.

The idea behind the digital photo essay is Philly: Standing for Something & Falling for Nothing. The photos I've selected for this series date back to the 2020 protest that erupted throughout the city after the murder of George Floyd. Each protest and peaceful gathering is an example of unity, within a city where conflicts often dominate.”

A city that causes heartbreak, fractured families and hostile attitudes has pockets of humanity hidden around every corner.

Showing on Digital Screen

Item description“Though I now call Philadelphia home, I carry with me the roots of Michigan, where my journey began. Having lived in this city for just over a year, I’ve grown to appreciate its energy, history, and layered stories. For me, art has always been more than expression—it is reflection. 

I believe that beauty often emerges from pain, and that art, in its many forms, mirrors the complexities of life itself. Every captured image becomes a conversation, a quiet testimony to moments of joy, resilience, laughter, struggle, and wonder. Through my lens, I explore not only the textures of architecture and urban spaces but also the emotions that live between them. 

These photographs are fragments of my experience here—snapshots of joy, pain, fun, and the ever-present art that flows through this city and through.”

Showing on Digital Screen

Is an artist known for urban landscape photographs, usually made in liminal spaces between the residential and industrial, occupied and abandoned, domesticated and feral.

He was the last photographer allowed access to Brooklyn’s historic Domino Sugar Refinery before its 2014 demolition; a book of this work was published in 2017. He has also photographed fragmented and disorienting views of the New York City Subway, and experimented with photographic noise, images and text, and (occasionally) text without images. He’s currently exploring overgrown and overlooked spaces in Philadelphia, his newly adopted city.

Raphaelson’s work has been exhibited, published, and collected internationally

“I started exploring Philly with a camera right after moving here in 2022. There’s nothing like having the perspective of an outsider—the new landscape looks fresh, mysterious, peculiar. Gradually, as the newness gave way to familiarity and I felt more at home, I started appreciating deeper connections between surfaces and history and community. These pictures represent a continuing body of work that charts this journey”.

Showing on Digital Screen

Photography brings me great joy. It feeds my soul. After twenty-nine years in a job that eventually took more from my soul than it gave, I knew it was time to get out. 

In January 2025 I started Lyons Eye Creative, a tribute to my late mom, whose maiden name was Lyons and whose unique ability to see the extraordinary in the everyday continues to inspire my work. 

Photography calls to me and is a way of sharing the beauty I see with others. It’s a way of honoring my mom and the way she taught me to really look at the world around me. I specialize in capturing the unexpected, finding interest and beauty that might be overlooked by others. With an eye for the unseen, I’m drawn to details and perspectives that often go unnoticed. My work reveals the beauty in things that others might pass right by. 

As background, I name every photograph that is posted on my website (www.lyonseyecreative.com). The first time I was asked to display my photos (about 15 years ago) I included a photo of the city skyline through a chainlink fence titled: Philadelphia Freedom. It was one of the more popular photos in the show and to this day, has probably sold the most prints. I was a pretty insecure photographer back then, but that photo gave me the confidence to really pursue my  photography.

"The City of Philadelphia became my home away from home forty years ago. Since then, it has captured my heart in a way that I can only hope to depict in my photos. This city's blend of grit and grace, its rich tapestry of culture and history, and its unapologetic authenticity recharges my soul every time I get behind my lens to shoot it. “

Showing on Digital Screen

I'm a self taught photography nomad who moved to Philadelphia in 2008.

I got into photograph as a way to express myself and show people the world the way I see it through my lens. 

Living here and being able to move throughout this unique city and capturing so many images of its people and moments has throughly changed my life. 

I hope this sample of them helps share what Philly has given to me.

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Is a stay at home parent to a two year old child named Linden. The duo started a Philadelphia based street photography project in 2023 (eyechutephilly) where they have been documenting the streets of center city and beyond through stills and point-of-view videos captured by an action camera attached to Linden's carrier. With a focus on everyday life and candid shots, the overarching goal of the project is to remind Linden of what the world they were growing up in was like during the years before their memory was fully developed. 

“When my partner's work took me to Philadelphia in the midst of the pandemic, I was eager as an aspiring producer and songwriter to connect with other musicians in the area. What I didn't realize is how meeting so many different creatives would spark another completely unforeseen passion that quickly became a huge part of my life. 

When my first child was born in 2023, I didn't have as much time for music, but I did have a camera for making music videos lying around and an array of photographer friends eager to help me learn in bustling streets full of inspiring moments. 

I started taking my camera with me on walks with the kiddo to the grocery store, making photos of mostly people biking by on the streets in our neighborhood. 

This evolved into taking the train to Center City almost everyday for a photo walk as "awake times" between naps got longer for Linden. As the subject matter and techniques I use to capture photos have greatly changed over the last few years, cyclists and the culture surrounding bicycles have always seemed to be a reoccurring theme in my work and one of my favorite things to make photographs of.

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Is a Philadelphia-based photographer who also works in mental health to help support families in the area.  

McClenton enjoys both digital and film photography, particularly 35mm and medium format. His passion for travel has led him to focus on capturing the essence of cultures worldwide and candid moments that reflect diverse human experiences. 

Whether in Philly or abroad, McClenton's camera is ready to preserve meaningful moments of friends, family, and new acquaintances alike. 

Showing on Digital Screen

Is a Philadelphia based color film photographer, and woodworker working exclusively with 35mm film.

Originally from Lancaster Pennsylvania, he’s been living and working in the city for 3 and a half years. Since moving to Philly he’s become enamored with urban life, and never leaves home without his camera.

“After Party"

35mm film, print, 9x25x14 Framed

I’m a somewhat lapsed East Coaster — after growing up, going to school and spending my 20s on the North American east coast, I headed to Vietnam for 7 years. 

I’ve been back in Philadelphia since 2019, writing full  time and working on a novel.

“Float”

Digital Print 10x14, Framed 18x22, $300

Grew up just outside of West Philadelphia in a diverse neighborhood of Irish, Italian, Polish, German, Greek, and Armenian families. He discovered photography at a young age with his father’s 35mm Kodak camera and received his own first camera as a high school graduation gift.

George studied Computer Science at Drexel University, where he also took photography courses, including darkroom training. A software developer by trade, he began freelancing for a professional photographer before moving into food photography for publications such as Cheese Connoisseur, Nation’s Restaurant News, and the National Peanut Board.

He also donates his time and skills to organizations including Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, the Pennsylvania Special Olympics, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. 

“Philadelphia has always inspired my photography. As a teenager riding the Market-Frankford El to my father’s luncheonette at 12th and Arch (now a Panera Bread), I discovered the city’s character displaying its energy, grit, and unexpected moments. Even today, Philly continues to fuel my curiosity and keep me photographing.”

“When Italy Touched the Philadelphia Sky”

Italian Air Force Frecce Tricolori flyover of Philadelphia

8x10 Print in 11x 14 Frame, $225

Is a Philadelphia-based photographer whose lens is rooted in both identity and cityscape. Like the city’s own mix of cultures, Greg is proud of his heritage - Black, Honduran, Irish, German, and Kickapoo Nation - which shapes the layered perspective he brings to his work. He sees Philadelphia streets and architecture as rhythm, community, and inspiration.

 Greg discovered photography during the pandemic, when a single class sparked an obsession with capturing the city’s vertical spirit: “lookup” compositions, sharp angles, and architectural juxtapositions that reveal unexpected beauty in the everyday. His photographs blend grit and wonder, encouraging viewers to reimagine familiar streets as surreal canvases of light, shadow, lines, reflections, and possibility.

His work has been recognized by Philly Frames, featured by Billy Penn and 6ABC, and spotlighted by Explore PHL, Visit Philly, and Philadelphia Travel. As an emerging artist, Greg is committed to documenting Philadelphia’s living pulse … unposed, unapologetic, and endlessly alive.

“I’ve been fortunate to travel to many cities, but Philadelphia stands apart; gritty yet graceful, a living collage of the old, the new, and the constantly changing. The city teaches me to look up, to notice beauty in overlooked corners, and to read stories etched into brick, steel, and glass. Its architecture mirrors its people: layered, resilient, sometimes rough around  the edges, but always alive with character.

 As someone of mixed heritage, I bring a lens shaped by many identities, and one that sees Philly’s contradictions as a vibrant tension. My work seeks to honor that duality: the grit and grace, the weight of history and the lightness of possibility.”

“Echoes of the Crossing” 

(E-Surface, Bronze Ornate Frame, Double Weight Mattboard, Clear Acrylic, 

Lustre Coating), 12 x 18 print, 15 X 20 Frame, $250

Is a visual artist and photographer based in Philadelphia.

Inspired by surrealism and abstraction in everyday surroundings, she is drawn to documentary-style images while allowing space for dreamlike play.  She prefers an improvised approach with analog mediums and often shoots on 35mm and Polaroid.

Her work has been showcased in group exhibitions at home in  Philly (The Halide Project, Unique Photo) as well as internationally (FotoNostrum: Barcelona, LoosenArt: Rome, Glasgow Gallery of Photography) and has received honors for the 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award.

Originally from Lancaster County, Hannah has been living in Philadelphia since 2023.  

“South Philly”

Baryta Fine Art Inkjet Print, 8x8 print, 11x11 frame, NFS

Howard Beleiff 

A Philadelphia native who works by day as a Pawnbroker in North Philly. A lifelong love of storytelling and visual art, and a desperate desire to understand the world around me led me to begin capturing candid life and people around me, friends and strangers alike. My photographic growth and journey has unlocked a wellspring of personal therapy for me, and a connection to, and an understanding of a Philadelphia I had not known previously.

Born and raised in northeast Philly in the 70’s and 80’s, soft pretzels, the Liberty Bell, and neighbors who were part of a working-class village molded my artistic vision that, while dormant for decades, has now been given form and direction through the lens of my camera.  Candid street photography is the story of all of our lives, and I hope that my work shines a light on all of the daily joys and struggles we share in the City of Brotherly Love.

"China Town Crowd”

Print 13x19, Framed $100

“Move To The Music”

Print 13x19, Framed $100

A passionate advocate, community leader, and father committed to reshaping the narrative around autism, fatherhood, and resilience. As the proud father of a teenage son on the autism spectrum, Jamiel’s personal journey has fueled his professional mission: to elevate the voices of families—particularly fathers—navigating the world of autism.

“My name is Jamiel Owens. Many people know me from my advocacy work with Autism, and as an Autism father I pride myself with the legacy I've been blessed with. But what many don't know, is the point in my life that I was dealing with depression. I was introduced to Photography with advice; let your pain speak from the lens. I was raised in North Philadelphia (17th and Susquehanna) all my life, and continue not to only represent the city I love but also the people that makes Philadelphia unique and inclusive.”

“Holy Scripture”

Inkjet Print 8x10, Framed 18x22, $200

A Dominican-born photographer living and working in Philadelphia. My current work explores the city’s streets in black and white: raw, unposed, and driven by curiosity. I’m drawn to working-class faces, the kind that carry their history in every line, and to moments that reveal themselves only once before disappearing forever.

“I approach photography like a yogi approaches breath — instinctive, constant, and necessary. I don’t chase perfection; I chase truth. Street photography, to me, is a visual record of our time, and asking permission for every frame risks losing its honesty. If the moment’s gone, it’s gone.

I was introduced to film photography in high school, but I didn’t fully commit until 2016, after the Vivian Maier documentary reminded me to always have a camera in hand. Since then, I’ve embraced a minimalist approach — one camera, one lens — as a way to deepen my focus and refine my vision.

When I’m not teaching digital media for the School District of Philadelphia, I share my ongoing journey on YouTube: the philosophy, the fieldwork, and  the honest trials of chasing light and life one frame at a time.”

Prayer on Chestnut 

| framed | archival paper 12x18 | Price $5,000 1 of 1

Brotherly Love

| framed | archival paper 12x18 | Price $5,000 1 of 1

A photographer, filmmaker, and post producer based in Philly. 

“I like street photography because most of these moments captured only happen once and making those photos on film means I only click the shutter once - which makes the moment feel even luckier. I went to college in Philly, then moved to Los Angeles for a bit, but eventually came back to Philly to make a home.” 

You can see more of Kevin’s work 

@kevwin on Instagram

kevwin.com

"Clown Crossing" 

Made with Fujifilm X100F, 11x4 Framed, $150

"Sauced"

Shot on Film, 11x4 Framed, $150

"Mind The Closing Doors" 

Made with Fujiilm X100F, 11x4 Framed, $150

A photographer who shoots a range of subjects, including portraits, events, and concerts, but her passion will always be street photography. 

Although she moved out of the city to the woods of Berks County in 2022, a big part of her heart still lives in Philly. Her portfolio can be seen on her website, kleibography.com. 

 “The Birds”

Kodak Tri-X film printed on lustre paper; 

16x20 print in a matted 18x24 frame;  $350

“Scene at the City Stables" 

Kodak Tri-X film printed on lustre paper; 

16x20 print in a matted 11x14 frame;  $275

“You're Going to Hell”

Kodak Tri-X film printed on lustre paper; 

16x20 print in a matted 16x20 frame;  $350

Silver Photography

all film, all the time

“Union”

Silver Gelatin Print

8x10 Framed/Matted to 11x14, $270

A lifelong Philadelphian in his 50s with a passion for photography that began back in high school. Over the years, he has picked up the camera many times, but now—with more time, perspective, and life experience— he is truly enjoying the creative process and honing my craft.

“As an amateur photographer, I find joy in seeing the world through my lens. Wandering the streets of Philadelphia, a city I’ve known my entire life, continues to inspire me. With each shot, I’m rediscovering familiar places and capturing moments that reflect both the city’s soul and my own evolving perspective.”

“The Sax Players”

Inkjet print 16x24 framed, $95,00

"Liquid Lights”

Inkjet print 16x24 framed, $95,00

A Philadelphia-based fine art photographer whose work explores the interplay of light, form, and perception within urban spaces. At age 12, he saved his paper route earnings for a year to buy his first 35mm film camera despite being nearly blind in one eye. His early observation of seeing the world differently still defines his work today. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s photography program, Ray began his career as a still photographer before expanding into creative leadership across the media industry. He has recently returned to producing photographic work that reflects his observational approach to his world. His images have been exhibited in Philadelphia and commissioned for architectural spaces. Ray’s work captures the moments that elevate ordinary  scenes into visual reflections of light, time, and place.

“I live in Philadelphia and walk its streets every day, and photograph what catches my eye when I'm paying attention. I look for light. The kind of light that transforms a place or space or stops time for a second. My work is about moments I see shaped by light, and how that light can turn the everyday into a moment worth holding on to. My photographs are my way of capturing those moments before they pass.”

“Windowless Gallery” — 23, Giclée Fine Art Inkjet Pigment Print, 

12 x 18, Framed 24 x 18, $275.00,

“Poetry at First Light” — 23, Giclée Fine Art Inkjet Pigment Print, 

12 x 18, Framed 18 x 24, $275.00

“Window Seats" — 23, Giclée Fine Art Inkjet Pigment Print, 

18 x 12, Framed 24 x 18 $275.00

Has a broad artistic practice as a poet, filmmaker, playwright, performer, and photographer. They conduct free memoir writing  workshops for women who are seriously ill, adults and children with HIV, those who are houseless and trauma victims.

Susan lives in Philadelphia where she founded Pink Hanger Presents, dedicated to giving voice to the unique life experiences of women. A breast cancer fighter/ warrior, Susan has been featured in articles on the struggles of those affected by breast cancer in the LGBT community in Curve, U.S. News and World Report and Cancer Today.

“Pieces” -- Compilation of 35 analog photo slides that I took in the late 1980’s- 90’s of  South Philadelphia, 9th street market area.

Showing on digital screen.

I am a self-taught street photographer with a passion for documenting everyday life. 

In seemingly mundane moments, I find a quiet beauty — simple joys that remind us we're all connected by subtle threads. 

“Patrol” — Giclee Print, 11x14 Framed $125

“Rush Hour” — Giclee Print, 11x14 Framed $125

“Bird’s Eye View” — Giclee Print, 11x14 Framed $125

Elijah is a Philadelphia-based analog photographer whose work explores themes of connection, healing, and self-reflection. His passion for photography was first sparked in 2017 by a black-and-white photo challenge shared by his father. After enrolling at Delaware County Community College as an engineering student, Elijah was encouraged by his family to explore photography more seriously. In 2018, he took his first photography course, which led him to rediscover his love of trains and reconnect with his inner child through his camera lens. 

Elijah earned his A.F.A. in Photography from DCCC and is now a featured artist and darkroom monitor at a community darkroom in Philadelphia, where he helps preserve and teach traditional analog processes. His recent projects, Still in Motion and How Can I Trip in Silhouette, focus on themes of travel, belonging, and rediscovery. Through both analog and digital photography, Elijah invites viewers to slow down and experience life through a different lens, one that fosters reflection, understanding, and connection.

”Every Which Way”

Archival ultra premium luster paper, 11x14 print, 14x18 frame, $555

An international award-winning fine art street photographer based in Philadelphia, USA. With roots in film photography dating back to the 1990s, his work is known for its bold, dramatic style in black and white. A graduate of the University of the Arts with a BFA in Photography/Film, Andrew’s evocative imagery has been featured in exhibitions across the United States and Europe.

“The street is my happy place where light, shadow, and atmosphere converge to tell endless stories. I’m always waiting for that fleeting moment: a gesture, a glance, a figure moving through space. Though I shoot in color, I see the world in shades of black, white, and gray. Stripping away color helps me focus on the emotion, mood, and human presence in a scene. I'm drawn to solitude, often photographing lone figures seeking a visual connection that represents their feelings in the moment.” 

“No Service” — Baryta Fine Art, Framed $700

“Without A Face” — Baryta Fine Art, Framed $700

“Been Away Too” — Long Baryta Fine Art, Framed $700

 Is a Philadelphia-based artist whose photography explores intimacy, identity, and the connection between people and 

their spaces. Their current work centers on the interplay of nature and urban settings and how it reflects the same push-and-pull for acceptance, safety, and belonging that exists within the queer community. Through documentation and collaborative portraiture, they seek to highlight the beauty and ingenuity of resilience in life against structural adversity.

“Spotter” — Digital Photography, 11x14, Framed, $120

“Watching” — Digital Photography, 11x14, Framed, $120

“Brat” — Digital Photography, 11x14, Framed, $120

“Sway” — Digital Photography, 11x14, Framed, $120

“Smile” — Digital Photography, 11x14, Framed, $120

Is an award-winning director and photographer based in Philadelphia, PA, whose work reveals a captivating vision of the world. His journey began in photojournalism, shaping his distinctive style of composition. Drawing inspiration from high fashion photography and contemporary art, Cody's career was sparked by his first published image—a powerful portrait of the late DMX at the 2017 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, capturing the artist in a reflective moment after a prayer.

Beyond photography, Cody designs luxury clothing under the label FREETOWN, a brand symbolizing his creative liberation. FREETOWN allows Cody to channel his artistic ideologies through fashion design, harmonizing his dual passions for style and visual storytelling in his work as a fashion photographer.

My relationship with the city:

“I was born and raised in Jersey, but Philadelphia adopted me as its own. My time here has been nothing short of special. This is the city where my career in film and photo production took off, where my family and community are rooted, and—most importantly—where I met my life partner.

In Philly, there’s no gray area—it’s black or white. The people here, from the unhoused to community leaders, are some of the most genuine and down-to-earth I’ve ever met. For that, I’m forever grateful.

The images I’ve submitted are from the Juneteenth Festival in Kingsessing. They capture moments from the Juneteenth Documentary I produced this summer with my team, created in honor of Philadelphia’s Black community leaders.” 

“Hoop Dreams 01” — Digital Print, 14x11, Framed, $800

"Hoop Dreams 02” — Digital Print, 11x14, Framed, $800

“Hoop Dreams 03” — Digital Print, 14x11, Framed, $800

 Photojournalist , Philadelphia, PA 

“33rd & South” 2024 - Photography, 16x24, 

Framed $200

“Nasir” 2020 - Photography, 8x12, Framed $100

“Spring Garden Bridge” 2023 - Photography, 8x12, Framed $100

“5th & Bristol” 2024 - Photography, 8x12, Framed $100

“12th & Filbert” 2023 - Photography, 8x12, Framed $100

“I'm a high school English teacher and street photographer based in Philadelphia. For the past seven years, I've worked closely with teenagers in the city and love to spend time with them both in and out of school. Their interactions -- with each other and with our city -- inspire much of my photography work. 

When I shoot, I seek to capture the joy of Philly: its energy, its music, its movement, its people, its life. While education is my priority, street photography is my afterschool passion. “

“Roller Rink” — 35mm film, archival inkjet print. 18x24 framed. $250

“Sledding” — 35mm film, archival inkjet print. 18x24 framed. $250

“Pen’s Landing” - 35mm film, archival inkjet print. 18x24 framed. $250

“Philadelphia Girl” — 35mm film, archival inkjet print. 18x24 framed. $250

“Horns”— 35mm film, archival inkjet print. 18x24 framed. $250

“I grew up in the 1960s-1970s, which was a great time to be a kid. I hung out with my friends and ran wild around the neighborhood like some Dickens street urchin. When I began making photographs, I was naturally attracted to subject matter that reflected my everyday experiences. In 1976, I was attending art school and hanging out in a local gang at the same time. This allowed me to have an  insider's perspective, which produced interesting images. 

Nowadays, these photos resonate with a different energy when viewed through contemporary eyes and ever-changing political norms. I hope people can still relate to their underlying humanity and enjoy them as a comprehensive document of a unique time and place in Philly's colorful history.” 

Black and White Mummer, 1990 

Gelatin Silver Vintage Print, 8x10 Matted & Framed, 1/1 $600

Breakdancer On South Street, 1985

Gelatin Silver Vintage Print, 8x10 Matted & Framed, 1/1 $600

Fuck The Noid, 1989

Gelatin Silver Vintage Print, 8x10 Matted & Framed, 1/1 $600

New Day Rising, 1987

Gelatin Silver Vintage Print, 8x10 Matted & Framed, 1/1 $600

Wench Arguing With A Police Horse, 1982

Gelatin Silver Vintage Print, 8x10 Matted & Framed, 1/1 $600

Is an interactive media designer and photographer based in Philadelphia. Her work restoring glass plate negatives is part of the permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, and her own photography has been exhibited in multiple modern art collections on the East Coast. She continues to learn and practice various fine art mediums, accessibility design, multimedia design, and photography. 

“These images were made with two pinhole cameras; The cameras are made with aluminum cans for lenses, oatmeal container bodies, and are held together with tape and glue; I shoot mid-day and have only 2 exposures per trip; The cameras have no viewfinder; A photo negative is made by removing a piece of tape over the lens in UV light; Negatives are developed in the darkroom; A positive is then printed using an enlarger; Everything is then processed and dried; It takes several hours to make one print; Philly is a perfect subject.?

“City Hall”  — Pinhole Camera Photograph, 

Print on RC paper, Framed $145

“We Are The Youth” — Pinhole Camera Photograph, 

Print on RC paper, Framed $145

“Chinatown Arch” — Pinhole Camera Photograph, 

Print on RC paper, Framed $145

"Ice Cream Tragedy on S 20th Street” — Pinhole Camera Photograph, 

Print on RC paper, Framed $145

I am Ari and I like Art

“City Hall” — Digital Print,11x14 Framed $125

“Trans Rights Are Human Rights”  

Digital Print, 8x10 Framed $75 

“Under The Bridge” 

8x10.7” Print in 12x16” Frame, $150

I am a documentary photographer, photojournalist, and educator.

I was a staff photographer at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 20 years until layoffs in 2009. I earned an MFA from Tyler School of Art of Temple University (1985).

My first book, Dear Shirley, was published by Daylight Books in 2018. My second book, Done Doing Time, was published by Daylight Books in 2023. Work from Done Doing Time is submitted here.

 I have lived in Philadelphia since 1983 with my wife, Susan. We have 3 grandchildren. (all fabulous).

 In 2009 when i was laid off from The Philadelphia Inquirer I began volunteering at New

Directions for Women. It was located in Germantown which is where I also live. The program was an alternative to incarceration for women with multi-year prison terms. If eligible, they could spend their final year in this less restrictive environment. This is where I met Concetta and Linda- the protagonists of Done Doing Time. Both women were former drug addicts – heroin and cocaine – and were locked up off and on over the years. They never met one another having been at NDFW at different times.

 In 2018 after their relapses and re-incarcerations they were both out and living in North

Philadelphia (Concetta) and Kensington (Linda). I had kept up with them as best as I could. They were both struggling to re-enter their lives, and families and find a way back to a life they wanted to lead. I began to photograph them. From 2018 to 2022 I was with them several times a month as the navigated, jobs, caring for grandchildren, the health care system, finding safe places to live, and reimagining relationships.

 Concetta still lives in North Philadelphia, currently in a house with her two daughters, three grandchildren, and her partner, Lou. She cooks for everyone, is staying away from bad influences, and managing on a tight budget. She gets around on a motorized scooter, except when it gets stolen. We text every morning just to check in.

Linda, having given up work at the K&A diner, was doing really well as an assistant manager of a sandwich chain in the lower Northeast. Then her mother died suddenly, likely of an overdose,  after being clean for a few years, and Linda and her brother fell apart. Linda was in an abusive relationship, got back into drugs and disappeared into the city after I stopped “cash loans”. I have hopes for Linda- but I am not a gambler.

Showing on Digital Screen

There has always been a tension in my experience of the world—a feeling of being both a part of

life yet also disconnected from it. My photographs serve as a means of bridging that gap. My

work as a street photographer is an exploration of presence, both my own and that of the world

around me. Every image I make is an attempt at embedding myself into my surroundings. They

are a yearning to not just witness life, but to feel connected to it. I seek to portray the spirit of

everyday existence through the transient moments that might otherwise dissolve into the fabric

of time. In doing so, I am not merely documenting the city; I am searching for my place within it.

I am drawn to the ordinary, not for lack of interest in grander narratives, but because I believe the

ordinary is grand. There is significance in the mundane, unnoticed stories constantly unfolding in

everyday life. Through the relationship between subject, light, and space, we as street

photographers not only impose importance on these everyday moments but also provide tangible,

visual documentation of how our society looked, felt, and functioned. We create records of our

existence that can be looked on for generations to reminisce and learn from. They are reminders

that even in passing, in these instances disregarded by most, there is something

universally familiar. They are reflections of our shared human experience, our longing for

connection, and the passage of time.

In an era where so much of life is curated and staged, my work is about the natural, undisturbed

essence of life. The impact of my work lies not in spectacle, but in its ability to resonate. Street

photography is often viewed as an act of observation, but for me, it is also an act of participation.

To photograph is to engage, to be present, to acknowledge the world and, in turn, to be

acknowledged by it. My work is, at its core, a search—for connection, for understanding, for a

place within the story of the city. In that search, I find purpose. 

15th Street El Kiss, 

Digital Photography, 20"x14" Frame with 16.5"x10.5" Matted Image, $200

Family Waiting for Bus, 

Digital Photography, 20"x14" Frame with 16.5"x10.5" Matted Image, $200

52nd & Market El Exit, 

Digital Photography, 20"x14" Frame with 16.5"x10.5" Matted Image, $200

Sword Fight in Logan Circle Fountain, 

Digital Photography, 20"x14" Frame with 16.5"x10.5" Matted Image, $200

Women on the El, 

Digital Photography, 20"x14" Frame with 16.5"x10.5" Matted Image, $200

A lifetime resident and photographer in Philadelphia with an eye for the non norm, he loves shooting people, places, things. 

Together with Helen they co-founded Prism Arts Philadelphia, a hub for upcoming artists and artistic expression. 

The Four Season

Fine Art Archival Print, $375

The Museum Flight

Fine Art Archival Print, $475

 An avid photographer and lover of anything floral. Together with Robert they co-founded Prism Arts Philadelphia, a hub for upcoming artists and artistic expression. 

Overcast Over The Museum

Print on Fuji Silver Paper $375