Photos by staff photographer and photo editor Thom Carroll
The Philadelphia skyline and downtown Camden, NJ, Oct. 16, 2017.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
by Thom Carroll PhillyVoice Contributor
Reflecting on the stories I’ve covered in 2017, two themes stand out – those of both looking back, and projecting forward.
From a series of "Then and Now” projects – where I rephotographed historic images of Philadelphia to show the extent this city has changed – to the discovery of a cemetery dating back to the 1700’s, thought to have been previously relocated until dozens of coffins were unearthed at a construction site, 2017 has been abundant with history.
This year was also spent looking towards the future of medicine, science and the arts amidst a politically divisive climate in which many in this city felt threatened. I was able to photograph Pennsylvania Hospital's first female neurosurgeon in the nation’s oldest surgical amphitheater, collaborated on a story of a local company working towards 3D-printing human organs, and witnessed first-hand the emotions that were behind the countless demonstrations of people standing up for their First Amendment rights in the streets. This was a one rollercoaster of a year.
The following is a series of images I made for PhillyVoice over the past year. These were meaningful for me to research and produce, and I can only hope they were insightful to you, our readers.
The Bad For You columnThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceMint and Caramel Cookie Layer Crunch Bars from Hershey's were one of dozens of junk foods photographed for the “Bad For You” column.
Pennsylvania Hospital's first female neurosurgeon is paying it forwardThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceDr. Zarina Ali, the first female neurosurgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital, stands in the nation's oldest surgical amphitheater. “I knew working 80 hours a week I couldn’t be the primary caretaker of my children,” says the mother of three, with a fourth on the way. “I knew I needed a lot of resources to help.“
PHOTOS: Trump supporters meet protesters at MAGA rallyThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceAs supporters of President Trump pass motorists on Market Street near Independence Mall, a passenger reacts to the crowd during the Make America Great Again Rally, Saturday, March 25, 2017.
Guy Fieri isn't too cool to make fun of himselfThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceRestauranteur and television personality, Guy Fieri chats with PhillyVoice about the opening of his new restaurant at Harrah's Casino in Chester, PA.
Rittenhouse Square: Philly's prestigious parkHistorical Society of Philadelphia, left, Thom Carroll, right/PhillyVoiceAngela Tillar, right, walks her dog Higgins in Rittenhouse Square near Walnut Street near the same location as the woman in the photograph from March 18, 1941.
Undefeated Camden boxer is a contender – and a crime-fighterThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceCamden County police officer and featherweight boxer, Vidal Rivera, trains at the Camden County Boxing Academy before a match in Atlantic City on Aug. 5, 2017.
For mother of adult addict, a life dragged down by drugsThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceRose Young sits on her son Stephen's bed in the basement of her Maple Shade home. Stephen, 33, became addicted to opioids prescribed for pain from several car accidents and Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer, diagnosed as a teen. He was recently sent back to jail for violating conditions of a supervised release.
Philly's BioBots develops 3D printer to make human tissueThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceJakub Lewicki, a bioengineer intern at BioBots, a biotechnology company based at the Pennovation Center, holds a 3-D bioprinted model of a human nose.
PHOTOS: Volunteers load planes for mission to Puerto RicoThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceCamden County resident, Frank Rivera, was one of a handful of volunteers to load cans of food onto a plane bound for Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017.
15 PHOTOS: Rare roof restoration uses material from Japan's Imperial forestThom Carroll/PhillyVoiceNorihiro Kawada is one of two Japanese artisans from the Tanigami Roofing Co. that have come to Philadelphia to make repairs on the roof of the Shofuso Japanese House and Tea Garden in Fairmount Park. Only 100 people in the world are skilled to build or repair traditional Hinoki roofs.