Chicago is a city with many stories to tell; I try to tell these stories through my photography.
This project captures moments of queer joy for a cross-section of Chicago's gay community.
These photos document home, warmth, growth, and love.
They are quiet moments in a loud world, one that often alienates us from who we are.
This is a labor of love - a story I've wanted to tell for quite some time.
This is an ongoing project; please contact me if you are part of Chicago's gay community and would like to share your story.

Thank you to the friends who have trusted me with telling their stories, both old and new.
Tim
Tim is my muse, my husband, and the love of my life. This is his second time living in Chicago - his last time here was in the 90s. He's originally from Arkansas, and never lost his Southern charm; he still has the slightest accent.
We met when he was living in Seattle; he visited Chicago and spent a week with me. The rest was history. We had a few more long weekends back and forth, then eventually I moved in with him in Seattle. Ultimately, we moved back to Chicago together, coming full circle.
Tim doesn't love being photographed, but puts up with being my model like a champ. I am deeply thankful for his patience. Personally, I think he's the best model I could imagine.
This project is dedicated to him. I love you, habibi.
Sean and Van
Sean and Van are a couple in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. They met 9 years ago, shortly after Van moved to Chicago; as Sean tells it, their relationship is a second date that never ended. They were both a delight to shoot and incredibly warm, kind people. We started off the shoot on their roof deck with some gorgeous views of the city, but once we moved indoors, that's when the magic happened. They were kind enough to let me experiment with lighting and give them some direction, and everything else was just a matter of capturing the wonderful, sweet chemistry of a couple who have a deeply loving relationship.
Avon
Avon is a very sweet, bubbly, and outdoorsy non-binary person. I connected with them through a mutual friend who recommended them for this project. We had a wonderful walk through Winnemac Park - it felt less like a photo shoot and more like a conversation with a friend. We discussed transmasculinity, queer solidarity, hypervisibility, and the lenses through which we see our community represented in stories. Avon brought a really gorgeous denim jacket to this shoot - the design on the back is their work. This was a really effortlessly fun and relaxing shoot that invigorated my motivation in continuing my work on this portrait series.
JJ
JJ is a fascinating and deeply intelligent person who I had the privilege of shooting on a sunny Saturday afternoon. We started off indoors, and I got a few shots of them and their cat, Cypress, next to their record collection and incredible vintage record player. They've always been involved with music and writing as both creative expression and career, which is reflected in a deep record collection and full bookcases. Despite the beautiful indoors space, the sunlight was just too beautiful for us not to step outside and soak it up. On the front stoop of their building, we talked about labor relations, Project Cybersyn, the queer masculine experience, and annoying kinds of guys. This was just an incredibly fun, invigorating conversation with someone I'm proud to consider a new friend, that happened to also be a photo shoot.
Bridget
Bridget is a very enthusiastic, genuine, artistically gifted queer woman who I had the opportunity to shoot with on a cold, breezy October afternoon.  We walked through Winnemac Park for part of our shoot, then returned to her apartment/design studio, where she designs and makes handcrafted, upcycled apparel and accessories. She's been an artist since childhood, dabbling in various mediums until she landed on textiles as her medium of choice. Her work revolves around queer existence and human rights, which made her a perfect fit as one of my subjects. We discussed the representation of queer joy in art, as well as the value of uplifting and showcasing the everyday lives of queer people. This shoot was very validating - it's a wonderful feeling to share your vision with a fellow creative.

You can find Bridget's work at @omg_i_diy on Instagram, or omgidiy.com.
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