A few years back I was on the East Coast for some work. I decided to extend my trip by a few days in order to check out Philadelphia. I’d been there once as a kid, did the whole history thing. Liberty bell, birth place of our Nation, etc, etc. For some reason, there have always been a number of independent models of note to come out of Philadelphia. I booked with three of them over two or three days. We shot together in between cheesesteaks and historic wanderings. I booked an Air BnB in Fishtown. It felt a lot like my place in Oakland. Old, brick, former factory of some sort. Plus, bonus, it was like, three doors down from a really good brewery and restaurant. Super dangerous to be walking distance to fresh beer. That town has got a lot of grit. I feel like the area I was in was just or still going through gentrification. A lot of art, coffee shops, beer, etc. I’m pretty down to go back. If only for the cheesesteaks.
This set with Lucy Magdalene was the first batch in the space. Actually had pretty great light and atmosphere. Lucy has a knack for finding amazing abandoned spaces. It seems like those are all over the East Coast. Schools, mental institutions, factories. It feels so much older than the West Coast. She’ll take you to one if you book a shoot with her. Highly recommended. She’s got a lot of beautiful work on her Instagram. Give her a follow.