Ok….so all the papers are finished and I have left London and am gearing up to start my photo-intensive summer.

My first stop was Philadelphia, well after NY it was Philly, then back to NY, then back to Philly and now I am in Greenville, SC, well Reidville, SC….but that is hard for me to remember as there is not a whole lot to remember, at first glance.

NY was insane…but it felt nice to be able to take photos without feeling like a paparazzi stalker. People are way more laid back about being photographed here and it is very refreshing. But I have to say I think NY is a litle too much for me; Philly is much more my speed.

It was nice to practice and to have fun with my camera again (well Matteo Borzone’s camera, thanks Matteo.) The only thing is that I am still longing for the 6×6 format and I almost bought a Mamiya 6 in the ridiculously busy and huge B&H store in NY (from now on I will stick with ordering from the website although Chris in the used department was very knowledgeable and helpful). The camera was in my hands and my credit card was out, but when Chris went to ring it up he realized it was already sold. I was disappointed but the good news is that I saved $1,300 and after more time using Matteo’s 6×4.5, I realized that I would prefer a camera with a waist level view finder option, so I am searching for a Rollei instead.

So back to the adventure….I found some great communities in Philly and I hope to spend more time there photographing at some point in my life. Maybe post-London…we’ll see. Here are some photos…..

This is the penny man from Philadelphia. He custom makes outfits for people and enjoys rescuing injured wild animals, rehabilitating them and then releasing them back in the wild. He usually charges people to take his photo but on the fourth of July it’s free.

Happy Fourth of July in the birth place of our Nation. To celebrate you can get your face painted…..

or you can pay $5 to have your picture taken while holding a big yellow snake, that travels in a suitcase….

or you can hold a wooden gun for free and pretend you are in the Revolutionary Army….

or you can kick back, relax and wait for the parade to start like Albert.

Whatever you do, just make sure you do it with style like Philadelphia’s local celebrity “The Boo.”