Hey there, I’m Francesca.

I’m a photographer and a mom of two pre-teens, who spent twenty years as a professional stage manager - before I up-ended my life to become a parent and move to the 'burbs. It’s been quite a ride.

Originally from the UK, I grew up in California and moved to New York City in my twenties, just a few months after 9-11.

I started blogging in late 2005 when I was getting ready to hit the road with the national tour of Monty Python’s “Spamalot”. I documented my travels through words and photos - as the years went on, my subjects shifted to my children. I left the theater in 2018 and began working as a documentary family photographer full-time. My blog shifted with the times to more of a business tool, rather than an online journal.

I’m a proud Gen-Xer who desperately misses the days of connecting with others through personal blogs and Flickr - of documenting life’s moments big and small for the joy of it (rather than to please an algorithm or search engine). My hope is that I can use the space here to document freely again, and connect with others doing the same.

I love to read and make things (when I get the chance - which unfortunately is not as much as I’d like anymore). I am a big list-maker and love making vision boards for almost everything. I love the outdoors, riding my bike, road trips and exploring. Adventures in our RV are my favorite (we drove cross-country and back again in the summer of 2022). I am fascinated by local history and the concept of placemaking.

In May 2024 I began a new chapter as a professional PR rep for three public school districts - which is basically a fancy way of saying I document the lives of schools through photography and words, and share those stories with the community (through the schools’ social media and websites) and the local press. I absolutely love it.

I could go on and on, but I’ll save some words for future posts :) I hope to use this space to chat about photography, creative practice, parenting big kids, mid-life, learning to love where you live, looking for the next chapter of my creative life (as a family photographer whose kids are outgrowing my lens) and lots more.

Thanks for being here.

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You can find me on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/francescarnyc/

And my photography website here: https://francescarussell.com/

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