Moving sucks. Apartment hunting, security deposits, and credit checks. Hours of digging through your room wondering where everything came from. Finding a forgotten photo of your ex that you placed under a pile of books so you could move on. Friendships strained from asking for help with the big move. It's never a fun experience. But moving is so much more. It's a purge of objects that take up space in your life. It's a chance to move on from the past. It's a reminder of who you really value in your life. It's personal, emotional, and cleansing. Change is almost always a sign of growth.
I started photographing movers on a fluke. It was a one-concept shoot that has since evolved into a series. It all started when one of my favorite couples, who had broken up for a year, reunited and were moving in together. I approached them the day before their move, asking if I could invade their space and document their reunion. I knew this shoot, given the circumstances, might be a little awkward, but it wasn’t until I was inside their chaotic space that I realized how emotionally charged that photographing a move – any move – can be.
I also quickly realized how much I loved “the mover” as a subject. I got an adrenaline rush showing up to a tiny San Francisco room, and staging and lighting it in under 30 minutes. It was challenging, intimate, and intense, but at least I wasn't the one moving. Through this series, I've gotten to share some special goodbyes with close friends and be the welcoming committee for others. I’ve also experienced personal moments with people I had never met before. What these images portray is something that has happened, and will happen, to all of us.
Godspeed, my movers, and thanks for letting me be a part of it all.
Claire Borgeson
Where are you moving to and why? I’m moving from San Francisco to Chicago. I started grad school at the University of Chicago this fall.
How long were you at your last place? I lived in San Francisco for four years. My first place was in North Beach. I lived in my Castro apartment for almost two years.
What will you miss the most about San Francisco? I think San Francisco will always be my favorite, in large part because of the people I got to know there. Leaving such an incredible group of friends was really, really tough.
Favorite object you found during your move? An unpaid jaywalking ticket from 2010. I later found out I had a bench warrant out for my arrest. Oops.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? Surprise! You get a lot more for your money in Chicago. We found a great 1,300-square-foot industrial loft space with exposed brick and 14–foot ceilings in a kind of up and coming neighborhood. Our rooftop has an amazing view of the Chicago skyline. Parking is everywhere.
What did you sacrifice in your move? Being able to walk just about everywhere. A dishwasher. I also had to give up having my younger sister as a roommate, whom I had a blast living with during my last year in San Francisco.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Having real seasons again. I have to survive the winter, but then I get to wear short sleeves at night and not freeze. It will be a nice change to see people outside the ages of 22 to 45. Living in an older, architecturally significant city is pretty fascinating – I love learning the stories behind Chicago's buildings. I'm also surprised by how great the food is in Chicago. It's not as fresh or as local as in San Francisco, but it feels more creative and experimental.
Kyle Penn
Where are you moving to and why? I'm moving from San Francisco to Chicago. Above all, my girlfriend Claire has an opportunity to go to grad school at the University of Chicago. I also feel that it was time for me to move on and try on something fresh. As amazing as SF is, my curiosity and desire for new experiences wins out here.
How long were you at your last place? I lived in San Francisco for five years. I lived in three different apartments during my time there, not counting the flea-infested long-term-stay hotel in the Tenderloin that I called home for the first month or so.
What will you miss the most about San Francisco? My amazing friends. The vibrant social scene. Its absolute class.
Favorite object you found during your move? My collection of my pal Brandon's fly sweaters and shirts.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? Space. And the exposed brick and the freight elevator that opens into our new apartment.
What did you sacrifice in your move? So many great friends within walking distance. Oh, and a consistent paycheck.
What are you looking forward to in your new city? I’m really looking forward to seeing what a new big city has to offer. I love a new start and the challenges that come along with it. Flat streets for cycling. I also procured an Arctic-grade parka that I can't wait to sport.
Where are you moving to and why? I’m moving to Mexico City for a job offer.
How long were you at your last place? Three years.
What will you miss the most about your old place? The light, the culture of North Beach, dear friends.
Favorite object you found during your move? Neon hats from drinking parties of yesteryear.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? Bold, Mexican wooden furniture; a private terrace; and WARMTH!
What did you sacrifice in your move? Personal security, being near all my friends.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Feeling a unique sense of independence and ownership.
Where did you move from and why did you move? We're moving to San Francisco from sunny Austin, Texas. We were in a good place to make a big change and California was calling.
How long were you at your last place? Three years.
What will you miss the most about Austin? The familiarity and sense of belonging ... although we have high hopes that we'll find those here in time.
Favorite object you found during your move? An awesome apartment that's perfect for us (and was the result of a nightmarish hunt).
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? Our new building has lots of character (and a great view).
What did you sacrifice in your move? A lot of furniture and a car.
Where did you move from and why did you move? I moved to Hayes Valley from the Mission. I love the fact that Hayes Valley is like the Mission for grown-ups! It's more stabilized as a neighborhood but still has all the food and shopping you could ever want!
Why are you moving? A fresh start.
How long were you at your last place? Three years.
What will you miss the most about your old place? My nail shop! I loved those ladies. I’d get a pedicure and walk ten steps in those embarrassing flip-flops and boom! I’m home!
Favorite object you found during your move? Some rad jewelry from my grandmother that I had stashed away.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? The closet!!!!! I could live in it.
What did you sacrifice in your move? Ummmm, a relationship.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? New memories.
Where did you move from and why did you move? Cat: We found our way back to each other after a split that lasted a year. Once again, as lesbians do, we decided to move back in together. We moved to Alamo Square because a house swap opportunity presented itself and it was a hell of a deal.
How long were you at your last place? For the duration of our split (one year).
What will you miss the most about your old place? Cat: Our building manager blasts music on a daily basis at our new apartment. I’ll miss the peace and quiet from my last apartment. Aja: Being on the first floor, which made things pretty easy.
Favorite object you found during your move? Cat: The one photo I did not burn or throw out of us during our first time together in our relationship! Aja: I'm too organized to find anything I've potentially lost.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? We have a pretty amazing view of downtown SF.
What did you sacrifice in your move? Our walk-in closets.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? A new beginning.
Where did you move from and why did you move? We moved three blocks down the street from our old place in Noe Valley to accommodate our growing family.
How long were you at your last place? Five years.
What will you miss the most about your old place? We loved the neighborhood, our neighbors, and the easy walk to 24th Street in San Francisco.
Favorite object you found during your move? When you pack everything up, you realize all you need is each other!
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? We now have a real backyard and a rooftop deck with an amazing view.
What did you sacrifice in your move? Our sanity!
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Settling down and staying here until we get old, and watching the kids turn into adults.
Where did you move from and why did you move? I moved to San Francisco from lovely Las Vegas to start a life with my significant other and to experience a brand-new city.
How long were you at your last place? I lived in Las Vegas for 24 years.
What will you miss the most about Las Vegas? Of course, my family and friends. The easy commute everywhere around Vegas. You can truly drive the whole city in under an hour. Oh, 24-hour EVERYTHING.
Favorite object you found during your move? I found a bunch of books that I misplaced and a School House Rock DVD!
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? The experience. Oh, and that I get the boyfriend all the time now. That's always a plus. If he had to answer this, he'd say, "I get someone who cooks!"
What did you sacrifice in your move? Space, of course. I came from a four-bedroom, two-story home in Vegas to a studio apartment in San Francisco. But I like the small space a lot better. It has grown on me.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Decorating it with pieces from our weekend adventures. Memories. I'm so excited for when people visit!
Where are you moving to and why? I'm moving within San Francisco, out of Lower Nob Hill and into the Lower Haight. My housemate (and best bud since junior high) got her dream job out in Philadelphia, so it was time for new digs. But I've also been wanting to live in a new neighborhood for quite a while, so it worked out well.
How long were you at your last place? About a year and a half.
What will you miss the most about your old place? My housemate Ashley and her cat, Donut. I miss your silly meow, Donut! Oh, and the fact that there was a "massage parlor" in the building – it's always fun seeing prostitutes walk through your front lobby late at night. (Just kidding, won't miss that even a little bit.)
Favorite object you found during your move? So many! I never really finished unpacking at my old place because I didn't have room for all my stuff, so when I opened those boxes, I found all kinds of things that had been packed away for a couple years. I found a box of keepsakes, like postcards and concert tickets and whatnot, which were nice to have a look at again. Also, my Chuck Taylors. Missed those!
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? A real kitchen and living room! The kitchen in my old apartment was approximately the size of a closet. Seriously, you could barely fit two people in there, and we didn't have a living room at all. Having common space is such a luxury in SF apartments. Also, my new place is literally around the corner from my work. I leave the house approximately 30 seconds before I need to be at work, which is so amazing – it makes me grin every time I even think about it.
What did you sacrifice in your move? An annoying shopping habit, which was the direct result of living too close to H&M and the other chain stores downtown. Finally kicked that!
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Having cable. Also, eating at a real kitchen table. It's ridiculous how many young people in big cities have to eat on their beds for lack of space. And lastly, I love living in a neighborhood that actually feels fairly close-knit, where people know each other and say hello on the streets. I guess I'm a bit of a small-town girl at heart.
Where are you moving to and why? I’m staying in the same neighborhood, Western Addition, but I'm moving across the street because the $400 in rent I was paying eventually wasn't worth having to deal with my 80-year-old housemate. She's in a doomsday cult. It's a pretty weird place.
How long were you at your last place? Five years.
What will you miss the most about your old place? The rent; that's it.
Favorite object you found during your move? My housemate's teeth in Tupperware mixed in among my pots and pans.
What's the biggest upgrade in your new place? The absence of blood and other bodily fluids on the walls.
What did you sacrifice in your move? Well, I would say always having a good story to tell, but I have enough now to last me for the rest of my life, so I would have to say the cheap rent.
What are you looking forward to in your new home? Not being paranoid that a white-haired old woman is standing outside of my door listening.
Do It Yourself
See more of Amy Harrity's ongoing moving photo series on her website. You can contact her if you're interested in having your moving process captured.
