There is no greater threat to the critics and the cynics and the fear mongers than those of us who are willing to fall because we have learned how to rise.

With skinned knees and bruised hearts; we choose owning our stories of struggle, over hiding, over hustling, over pretending.

When we deny our stories, they define us. When we run from struggle, we are never free. So we turn toward truth and look it in the eye. We will not be characters in our stories; not villains, not victims, not even heroes.

We are the authors of our stories. We write our own daring endings.

We craft love from heartbreak, compassion from shame, grace from disappointment, courage from failure.

Showing up is our power. Story is our way home. Truth is our song. We are the brave and brokenhearted and we are rising strong.

Brené Brown, Rising Strong

Queers Rising

“Showing up is our power. Story is our way home. Truth is our song.

We are the brave and broken hearted and we are rising strong.”

The last year has been a test for all of us in resilience and rising but for queer folks, resilience and rising are part of who we are. Whether you have come out and are able to live life as your truest self or you still feel like you are living in the closet, the resilience it takes to say “this is who I am and I love me,” is one of the bravest things I think someone can do. This world doesn’t make it easy for us…there is so much hatred and bigotry, so many folks who are scared of our whole hearted living, so many laws that seek to legislate who we are. But despite all of that, after almost a decade of working with LGBTQ+ folks I can say with everything in my being that queer folks sure do know how to rise.

As one of the few LGBTQ+ owned photography companies in Philadelphia, the last year has been a struggle for me. Its been having to do pivot after pivot after having 38 weddings cancel last year and loosing all of my income over night. I hustled like I never have before trying to keep my business afloat but hustle doesn’t leave a lot of room for seeing struggle through the eyes of story. I am so guilty of rushing from one thing to the next, always down playing what I’ve walked through and skipping the hard parts to the story. And yet, without the struggle, there is no rising.

Angel wings have become quite the craze over the last year within the boudoir world and I kept day dreaming much of last year about a rainbow pair. To me, the idea of photographing queer folks in them would bring such joy. They are so fun and after a year where our community has been (rightly) apart, I thought this might be something I could do safely while bringing some joy to folks around Pride Month! So I reached out to Props of Jupiter and asked if she could custom create me a set of rainbow wings but to make them in the design of the More Color, More Pride Flag, that originated here in Philadelphia. This design adds black and brown stripes to the top of the flag and the wings turned out even more amazing that I could have imagined.

But I knew I didn’t want just dope photos with these amazing wings, there had to be more than that. The idea spoke to me because it was a visualization of queers rising, but you have to talk about story and struggle to talk about rising. So yesterday afternoon I met up with a bunch of rad folks in Philly Gayborhood to take some photos but to also create space for folks to share their stories, to tell us a little about their own jorunys of rising. And I can’t wait to share those with you. Listening to their stories brought me home to why I love this community so much. Because story is what brings us home. Home to ourselves, to each other, to our communities.

This spring I am inviting anyone, of any age, any race, any size any lived experience who identifies as queer to come to one of the upcoming shoots I have planned. I want to take some epic photos of you but I also want to give the space here and on my feed for your story. I want to talk about what rising and joy and resilience have looked like for you. I want hear how this community has allowed you to feel seen. And I’ll be popping up all over the area the next 8 weeks with free mini photo sessions and I’d love to have you be apart.