I love how connected the photojournalism world is. A few weeks back, I interviewed Chicago Tribune photojournalist,Scott Strazzante for his project, “Common Ground” (which, by the way was funded). Following his Twitter stream, I noticed a Tweet about Brenda Ann Kenneally‘s project, “Upstate Girls.”

Figuring he knew her, I sent him an email requesting him to introduce us.

A few days later, I heard from Brenda and so, what we have here is a frank chat about her nine-year project that follows the lives of two adolescent girls in Troy, New York. The project is now a collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology and The Visual Studies Workshop.

Please do watch and listen to Brenda, as she describes how and why she started this personal photography project:

“The Upstate Girls Project is not only a document of the America that we all share with these women, but more importantly a story of the emotional connections that are universal to being human.”

It probably seems that week after week, I am here asking you all to support the work of yet another documentary photographer. The fact is this – newspapers and magazines are flexing their accounting muscles and shuttering entire photo departments or downsizing them to a point where community stories (that's stories about us) aren't narrated anymore.

If you find the work of Scott Strazzante or Brenda Kenneally personally moving, then step up and do something about it. These two (and trust me there are many more) are so passionate about pursuing long-term photography projects that by doing so tehy bring meaning into the lives of their subjects, for themselves and to the community as a whole, when their stories are shared with us all.

Brenda has 16 days to go before her Kickstarter caampaign closes. She has a little over $7,000 to raise to hire a web designer that will bring these gutsy stories to all of us online.

However small or big, can I count on you to make a contribution?