Philadelphia has two very distinct sides, one is the touristy, highly commercialized center city and then there is the neighborhoods, generations deep where you see the life of Philadelphia residents and the hardships some face. In certain areas such as North Philadelphia, conditions are rough John Olshevski is a Philadelphia based photographer trying to capture the real life stories of people living in inner city Philadelphia. Most of his subjects are North Philadelphia residents, who seem to be forgotten by the city. But through his photographs and films he provides a medium in which they can tell their stories.

Whipsers in the Storm is an ongoing project that started in 2005 when he worked with the people at New Jerusalem Now, a recovery house, to record interviews for their website. After the project, he gained courage to engage in other stories and record other people and their daily lives. The pictures he has taken and collected seeks to capture the hidden story of these people living in rougher areas of Philadelphia and to capture the chaotic and mysterious world of inner city Philadelphia. John’s hopes are that people can take away a greater compassion and understanding for the hidden people and places.

Whispers in the Storm is an ongoing project seeking to capture the chaotic and mysterious world of inner city Philadelphia. The projects seeks to explore all of the intensity, beauty and tragedy that swirls around inner city life and to empower people through the vehicle of storytelling. Whispers in the Storm seeks to build bridges and facilitate genuine relationships and to uphold the subject with the utmost dignity and respect. This project began in 2005 when I first met the good people at New Jerusalem Now. They allowed me into their world and gave me the opportunity to take photographs and record interviews for the purpose of telling their stories through the New Jerusalem website. http://newjerusalemnow.org This experience gave me confidence and acted as springboard for me to engage in other stories and other lives that I happened upon while on my own journey through Philadelphia’s urban landscape. I hope that this project results in some way generates a greater compassion and understanding for these hidden and overlooked populations that exist in such close proximity to such great wealth and power.