patience
on balancing life, staying connected to the craft, and why patience might be the most important part of the process.
what i’m practicing lately is patience with myself. the same patience i try to bring to my subjects, the willingness to just sit with something, let it breathe, not force it. i’m applying that to my own rhythm now.
i still see photographs everywhere. that hasn’t left. standing in line, walking to my car, looking out a window, the eye doesn’t turn off. it’s just that the camera isn’t always there. and maybe that’s okay. maybe seeing is still part of the work.
the street work is still there when i get to it. people of atlanta isn’t going anywhere. the city isn’t going anywhere. the work will be there when i’m ready to meet it.
i used to think momentum meant constant output. now i think it means not quitting. showing up when you can. keeping the eye sharp even when the hands are full.
the rhythm comes back. it always does.
i’m just being patient with the process.
SpelHouse Homecoming Portraits!
The SpelHouse Homecoming Portrait Project by Stan Johnson is a photographic series honoring the legacy of Morehouse and Spelman alumni. Rooted in Atlanta’s cultural heart, the project captures the pride, connection, and community that define HBCU life. Born and raised in Atlanta — with family ties across the street from the Morehouse campus — Stan’s lens reflects both personal history and collective heritage.
SpelHouse Homecoming Portraits!
I’ll be making portraits of Spelman and Morehouse alumni and students during Homecoming week, celebrating the legacy and pride that live in this community.
This project is personal for me — so this space and its stories mean a lot.
The portraits will be made in studio Oct 16-17 and are part of an ongoing body of work documenting Black life and culture across Atlanta. They may later be used for a self-funded exhibition and included in my portfolio for reviews and publication opportunities (think The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, etc.). This project is personal for me and I’m it treating with a special amount of care, I was born and raised in Atlanta, and my grandmother lived and raised my father and his siblings across the street from Spelman/Morehouse campuses. My daughter graduated from Spelman in 2024 and I was born and raised in Atlanta.
If you’re a alum or current student attending Homecoming and would like to participate, I’d love to include you.
Thinking about opening up the project to all HBCU alumni attending SpelHouse Homecoming.. if you’re interested sign a note below.Check back Sunday @ 10am..
With Love,
Stan