Close to Home is a collaborative photography project between William Cress and Saleem Ahmed which started at the beginning of 2020.

Philadelphia has a constant hum of energy. A cacophony of noises — rumbling trains, vehicle exhaust, the relentless banging of hammer meeting nail. For anyone who has lived here a while it’s barely noticeable. White noise.

When the city collectively came to a halt in March 2020, Philadelphia simply felt strange. The background hum we all didn’t even know was there had become loud silence. The world had lost its color. When we wandered we stayed close to home.

The photographs in this book tell a story of a dormant city, and Philadelphian life that quietly persists. From dark days stuck in a rowhome, to a hopeful outlook with sidewalk chalk rainbows.

Purchase on Saleem's site HERE

8.5" x 11", 55 pages

published spring 2022

first edition of 100

text by Saleem Ahmed