Sarah Stolfa

My sister in-law Liz is an excellent gift-giver. Somehow she manages to stay on track with every one's interest; which in return pays off during holidays.Liz ended up buying me this lovely little photo book called "The Regulars." It was written and photographed by a feisty Philadelphia student named Sarah Stolfa. Stolfa was a Drexel photo major by day and a grungy McGlinchey's bartender by night.

Stolfa's "The Regulars," is an honest book depicting by photograph Philadelphia's finest. In it she explains that she managed to set up a single strobe light in the center of the bar. She then would wait for one of her regulars to come in and enjoy their choice of libation.  Unknowingly Stolfa would snap off a few quick shots before they had a chance to pose or make themselves seem...well less drunk.

This particular photo is on the cover of the book and for good reason. It shows a red headed girl sitting in a dark barroom yet is only illuminated from the front. This shadowy figure emerging from the background isnt staring directly at the camera with a model like demeanor. She has her eyes closed,  smoking a cig and drinking a pint. What more could you ask for when taking a photo of a bar regular. The other beautiful thing about this shot is that the colors are gorgeous. Somehow Stolfa lucked out with having both the background and her regulars sweater to have a rich ruby red color. This clashes amazingly with the nice forest green shirt and brown bar table. This photo is exactly what you would expect to see in a book based on bar regulars.