Some of my favorite stories and photographic series
My first Truth Tour – Everyone Is Photogenic
One more trip down memory lane for JJ Tiziou Photography’s 10yr anniversary… That last post told you about how an invitation to document the creation of an LPFM radio station for a farmworker community in Florida first plugged me into the community media movement; this post is about how I got involved with the Coalition…
Le Grand Continental
Chasing after a wild dance performance by a citizen ensemble at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art…
Feb 2021 Walk Around Philadelphia: Day 4
The Delaware, from Glen Foerd to Pier 68… Day 4 begins where we’d left off, at the Torresdale regional rail station, with a train that was scheduled to get in at 7:09am. There’s more folks joining the walk today, and I’d told those who were intercepting us at Glen Foerd to get there earlier if…
The Fringe Technicians – Everyone Is Photogenic
When I started photographing the Fringe Festival in 2003, I found the folks getting things done backstage to be as compelling as the performers in the spotlight…
Fear not the rain…
We’ve had a lot of storms and rain lately, and Philadelphians are probably relieved to see sunshine on the forecast. While I like the sun, I’m always a little bit surprised to see how upset people can be by rain. I was recently shooting in Manayunk, where we had a storm roll through our outdoor…
If you cook it, they will come…
Here’s one of my recipes for community building… It’s not top secret; please go right ahead and replicate or adapt it for your own neighborhood. I guarantee nourishing results.
Shale Gas Outrage
That’s Dana Dolney. Those breasts of hers are fake. I first met Dana in the airport in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, back in 2002, long before her battle with breast cancer. I was thrilled to see her back in good health, joining the throng of citizens in the streets of Philadelphia for last week’s Shale Gas Outrage,…
March for Rights, Respect & Fair Food – quick reportback
Report back from the 200-mile March for Rights, Respect and Fair Food.
The Million-Picture Giveaway…
I’ve begun making my archive available to the communities that I’ve photographed for unlimited free high res downloads. Here’s why.
What We Made Possible Together This Year
Year-End Reflections from Walk Around Philadelphia & my other community practices There is so much bad news out there. And things are so hard on so many fronts: polarization, alienation, loneliness – nevermind technological disruptions and economic struggles. And yet, this year, I kept seeing something else. So here’s the good news: This year I…
Radio-activism: Everyone Is Photogenic
One weekend invitation that shaped the course of my life… along with a story about work that is shaping our culture and our country.
This Town Is A Mystery…
One of my favorite moments at this year’s Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe was getting to share in Headlong Dance Theater‘s dress rehearsals for “This Town Is A Mystery”… Such a beautiful set of pieces that I wanted to share a bit of it with you:
Lee & Amy’s Secret Surprise Wedding…
Lee had only just proposed that morning, and then Amy found out that the wedding would happen that very same day. She got married on two hours notice, and it was amazing. Here’s the whole story……
Lessons from a “failed” Kickstarter
$38,000+ pledged disappeared overnight. Here are a few reflections on the campaign, lessons that I learned, and what might come next.
Philadelphia’s secret garden…
A tunnel beneath the city,
a canyon between the buildings &
a meadow over the rooftops…
Shale Gas Outrage 2012
My friends at Protecting Our Waters continue to organize against fracking, because we all live downstream…
Why do we compete?
Two interesting experiences from this weekend that I’d like to share: I spent Saturday evening onstage at the Kimmel Center, acting as a judge in Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative‘s talent show. While I’d originally been asked to act as a judge for the visual arts exhibit, I ended up being roped into judging the performance component…
Halfway there! Recap of 2nd weekend of Fall 2021 walk.
The 8th Walk Around Philadelphia is halfway complete! This fall’s 10×10 edition of the perimeter walk is divided into ten segments that are roughly ~10 miles each. With five of them done, there’s still five more opportunities to register via FringeArts join a group walk in this exploration of the city’s margins. Sept 25/26/27 take…
The Engineers (or, how Sugru-powered magnetic flash mounts help prove that everyone is photogenic…)
A bit of photo gadget geekery alongside some portraits of engineers in Togo…
First weekend of 10 x 10 Walk complete…
The first weekend of this fall’s 10 x 10 edition of Walk Around Philadelphia is was pretty fantastic. Each route offered surprises, challenges, contrasts and unexpected delights (as expected!) There’s seven more segments open for you to join (Sept 18/19, 25/26/27 and Oct 2/3) alongside an option to organize your own group, so head on…
Community Radio
Building low-power radio stations so that we can hear our neighbors…
An invitation to Interfaith work
“Religion” & “Faith” are complex topics, and it’s often hard to have productive conversations with people whose beliefs differ from our own. Here are some folks who’ve figured it out.
Philadelphia’s Secret Garden: another tunnel trek…
Another exploration of the vast tunnel under Pennsylvania Ave… Some hope to transform this mysterious and magical space into a public park.
Mercy Ships Screening Day
What does it look like when 4,000 people come seeking medical care all at once?
How Philly Moves
Philadelphians who love to dance – a few images from the series.