Freelance

Super Blue Blood Moon by Justin Merriman

The moon rises above a statue of Saint Joseph on Tuesday evening, January 30, 2018 at the Saint Joseph Monastery in San Bernardino County, California.  By morning the moon would put on a rare celestial show with the first "super blue blood moon" visible from the U.S. since 1866.

Mayor John Fetterman by Justin Merriman

John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania sits at The Brew Gentlemen on January 10, 2018 in Braddock, Pa. Read more about Fetterman in October Magazine.  

Pittsburgh International Airport by Justin Merriman

Pittsburgh is one of several midsize cities taking costly steps to resize their airports for a new set of needs on the ground. I visited Pittsburgh International Airport for the Wall Street Journal. Read more about the plans for the future at the airport. 

Life Beneath Powerplants by Justin Merriman

I spent several days traveling around Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia for Bloomberg and ran across Aaron Schissler, 8, as he jumps on his trampoline at his home near FirstEnergy’s Bruce Mansfield Power Plant on Sunday, December 3, 2017 in Shippingport, Pa. You can see more of my images from this shoot at Bloomberg

SubSurface by Justin Merriman

Lights are projected on the walls of Brady's Bend Underground Storage, a limestone mine that supplied much of the cement that built the city of Pittsburgh during the first half of the 20th century, during the SubSurface: Site Specific Sight & Sound arts festival on Saturday evening, Dec. 2, 2017 in East Brady, Pa. The project featured students and faculty from Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts, as well as the Integrative Design Arts and Technology (IDeATe) Network. Read more about the program in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 

Esther's Hobby Shop by Justin Merriman

Bob Mehler, 87, works in his business, Esther's Hobby Shop, on October 31, 2017 in Millvale, Pa. Mehler has worked in the store since he was a young boy. "I guess you can say I literally grew up in the store," he said. Read more about the hobby shop in the Washington Examiner

Pittsburgh's Strip District by Justin Merriman

Stephanie Strasburg and I recently took our Pittsburgh Filmmakers documentary photography class for a photo walk through Pittsburgh's Strip District. These are a few of the images that I made on the walk. 

Along the Promenade by Justin Merriman

Daren Johnson, 64, busks on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 along the promenade of the Loudoun Street Pedestrian Mall in Winchester, Va. Johnson, a retired school teacher and former supporter of Hillary Clinton, is exhausted by recent elections, but will vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election. Being uninsured and relying on a free healthcare clinic he cares deeply about the state of healthcare in America. Read more about this story in The New York Post

Freshmen Class by Justin Merriman

The freshman class of Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences visit the Heinz History Center for their orientation on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Carnegie Mellon University freshmen participate in 'House Wars,' an orientation activity, as they begin a new semester on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 on campus in Oakland, Pa. 

Carnegie Mellon University freshmen participate in 'House Wars,' an orientation activity, as they begin a new semester on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 on campus in Oakland, Pa. 

The freshman class of Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences visit the Heinz History Center for their orientation on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Monet Spencer by Justin Merriman

Monet Spencer, 18, smiles as she is photographed in her Hill District apartment. Spencer was left homeless after her mother passed away in February 2016, leaving her and her twin brother to care for themselves. Spencer now lives on her own, in a subsidized apartment. Spencer attends Brashear High School and was recently accepted to Carlow University.

Monet Spencer, 18, walks from Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5 after tutoring young elementary students on February 13, 2017.  Thirty percent of Spencer's salary from her tutoring job helps pay for her apartment at Action Housing's My Place, which provides housing and intensive case management services to young people who have aged out of the foster care system in Allegheny County and are either homeless or at risk homelessness.

Monet Spencer reads to elementary students at Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5 on Feb. 8, 2017. She tutors at the school Mondays though Thursdays for a job through the Neighborhood Learning Alliance. 

Monet Spencer looks at a game with Tya Carter, 10, as Aminyah Dooley, 5, looks on after an after-school tutoring session at Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5. Spencer earns about $100 every two weeks from the tutoring job. She pays $50 a month in rent.

Monet Spencer, 18, left, sits with her best friend, Maya Smallwood, 18, at her North Side home where Maya and her mother took Spencer in to live after her mother died and she was left homeless. 

This is Monet Spencer's home. Here, she's looking through videos on her computer. She uses her phone to connect to the Internet through a hotspot. Spencer and her twin brother were considered homeless after their mother died. Spencer eventually acquired an apartment through ACTION-Housing's MyPlace Youth program. "It was the happiest day of my life," Spencer says about getting her own apartment.

Monet Spencer, 18, plays her flute during her band class at Brashear High School on February 16, 2017.  

Even after losing her mother and becoming homeless, Monet Spencer continued to make it to classes at Brashear High School. She was recently accepted to Carlow University.

Monet Spencer, 18, works on a computer during a study hall at Brashear High School on February 16, 2017.  

Monet Spencer, 18, walks home from her job tutoring at Pittsburgh Miller PreK-5 in Pittsburgh's Hill District on February 13, 2017.  

Monet Spencer, 18, was left homeless after her mother passed away in February 2016, leaving her and her twin brother to care for themselves. Spencer now lives on her own, in a subsidized apartment. Spencer attends Brashear High School and was recently accepted to Carlow University. You can read Monet's story at PublicSource.

Death's Door Spirits by Justin Merriman

I visited Anchor Hocking in Monaca, Pennsylvania to shoot video of the production of bottles for Death's Door Spirits, a premium spirits company based in Middleton Wisconsin. 

Sabrina by Justin Merriman

Sabrina Snyder, 9, coaxes her hamster out of its cage in the bedroom of her Brookline home as her bother, Miles, 5, stands by on Monday, January 30, 2017. Sabrina was mauled by a Rottweiler in Aug. 2014, leaving her with several physical injuries as well as emotional scars from the incident. 

Sabrina Snyder, 9, draws as her brother, Miles, 5, and sister, Gabby, 10, look at their pet hamster.

A journal written by Sabrina after she was mauled by a Rottweiler in Aug. 2014.

Sabrina, second from left, sits at her dinner table with her siblings, from left, Miles, 5, Gabby, 10, and McKenzie, 5.

Sabrina sits at the dining room table of her home. 

Sabrina, right, sits on her swing with her sister, Gabby, 10,

Sabrina Snyder, 9, of Brookline was mauled by a Rottweiler in Aug. 2014, leaving her with several physical injuries as well as emotional scars from the incident. Read more about Sabrina and her story in PublicSource.