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Marion Callahan Samkavitz

@marionreports

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Journalist. Photographer. Professor. Short-form video storyteller.
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🚆 Meet Murray & Stu.

Since nursery school, they’ve shared a love for riding the rails — placing pennies on the tracks as kids, biking between Philadelphia-area stations, and now, decades later, meeting up for spontaneous lunch adventures by train.

🎙️ In this ride-along, they reflect on the power of friendship & the freedom of #transit.

“Sometimes we go into town and have no idea where we are going.” – Murray

🎥 This is one of many stories in “Talking in Transit,” a new series by @marionreports capturing everyday people in motion.

🎙 Talking in Transit — real voices, real stories.

👉 Please subscribe to "Talking in Transit" on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkB0FG90xjbPFMqcabiVJQ, and give it a like!

About:

Talking in Transit is a visual journalism project that captures the everyday thoughts, struggles, and stories of people on the move.

From buses and trains to airport terminals,I interview commuters across backgrounds, asking one simple question: “What’s the news in your world?”

Through Talking in Transit, I blend my passion for visual storytelling with my belief in journalism as a public service — one that listens first and connects us through the shared experience of being in motion.

#TrainTales #EverydayVoices #commutervoices #FriendshipInMotion #TransitTraditions #HumansOfTransit #PhillyRails #independentjournalism taken in Market East Philadelphia by @marionreports

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a year ago

On a weekday afternoon, just after the SEPTA 55 bus rolled up to Doylestown’s Main Street stop, Kyseim Richards shifted his backpack on his shoulder and paused long enough to answer a question I ask everyone I meet for Talking in Transit:

“What is the news in your world?”

For Richards, the answer was simple: Work.

“Basically, I just work three jobs, trying to keep my life as comfortable as ever,” he said, his words steady but not heavy. He explained that he commutes daily from Philadelphia to Doylestown, where all three of his jobs sit within the same shopping center. He works as a prep cook at #Perkins, another cook at @fiveguys and a sandwich maker at @jerseymikes

That adds up to long hours over hot grills and busy counters. He sees the grind differently—more like a construction project.

🔨 “It’s like building a house,” he said. “It’s going to look bad before it gets good. I just know right now, I’m at the bad part, the bad stage. But as time goes on, it’s going to get so much better.”

The “bad part,” for him, was more than exhaustion. For months, Richards worked while homeless. Nights meant sleeping in his car. Mornings meant showering at Planet Fitness before clocking in for his shift.

Keeping his routine, he said, was what kept him grounded. “I’m pretty good at my job,” he said with quiet pride. “So I keep me well and comfortable.”

🎤Alongside me was podcaster @solfuliving Amanda Soler, who hosts @SolfulConnections show dedicated to uncovering the human stories that connect us. Amanda captured the interview for her podcast, adding another layer of voice and perspective. Her work—like Talking in Transit—is rooted in the belief that when we share what’s real and human in all of us, we create bridges, not walls.

🎙 Talking in Transit — real voices, real stories.

👉 Please subscribe to "Talking in Transit" on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkB0FG90xjbPFMqcabiVJQ, and give it a like!

About:

Talking in Transit is a journalism project that captures the everyday thoughts, struggles, and stories of people on the move.

From buses and trains to airport terminals, I interview commuters. taken in Doylestown, Pennsylvania by @marionreports

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a year ago

Sharing the magic of this moment.

🪄📸🦅🎥

Wish I had a tripod, ☔️rain jacket and another few minutes to capture more of this gorgeous #owl during @uniquephoto #birdportrait workshop in #njcamerashow

Thanks for this incredible🦅 portrait event! And thanks also to @ozzyswanson of #eastcoast #falcons

Picked up a few slow-motion editing techniques from @aldenallen @taylorbphoto during the @sony @filmmakerbootcamp hosted by #uniquephotophilly a few weeks earlier.

#birdsofinstagram #owlsofinstagram #naturephotography #birdsofprey #naturalwonders #fairfield #newjersey by @marionreports

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3 years ago

I was out on the sidelines with @the.aggie.insider producers Jante @pix_by_jt and Kevin York putting our new gear to work.

Hope you like the results. Nothing like teaching from the field.

Enjoy. taken in Delaware Valley University by @marionreports

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16 days ago

It's always a fun day covering @buckscoclassic alongside some other great photographers @j.omalley_ @mikeapice @apice_pix and @tjl_photo

Thanks for @garyudinson for providing much-needed pizza!

Enjoy the pics! More to come.

@bikeworksracing @bikeworkspa @teamcadencecyclery @automatic_racing @lucas_bourgoyne taken in Doylestown, Pennsylvania by @marionreports

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22 days ago

Students in our social media and photography classes stepped across the street from @delawarevalleyuniversity into the magical and floral universe of Fordhook Farm, filled with flowers, sculptures and historical structures that are at the root of the @BurpeeGardening story.

Here, in @the.aggie.insider feature, student editor @ninaaweiland shares her photos and sheds light on the significance of this local treasure. More to come with posts from our social media class in @storytellers4good

https://full360delval.blog/2026/09/08/the-remarkable-farm-that-changed-american-vegetables-and-never-stopped/

PHOTOS BY: @ninaaweiland taken in Burpee Fordhook Farm by @marionreports

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a month ago

Catching up on some writing, grading and much-needed photography.

Enjoy this shot of our local hummingbird who will be making his way south soon. by @marionreports

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a month ago

Last time my sister and I were in Sea World, we were eating wax figures from our strollers.

I know, it explains a lot 😉 taken in Sea World - Orlando, Florida by @marionreports

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2 months ago

As I was writing today, I got a bit distracted (I know, so unlike me) and started clearing the clutter on my desktop.

That's when I found this Hawk.

I shot it in December, through my murky kitchen window, and while it's not sharp, it's post worthy.

Now, back to writing. taken in Bucks County by @marionreports

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3 months ago

"I count on my family to tell me when there's going to be a hurricane." 🌀

Olivia Davis, 34, lives near Fort Lauderdale, and she doesn't watch the news on TV.

"I'm the type of person where I feel like if I can't directly help or feel like I can make an impact, why absorb the negativity. You know?"

She knows how that sounds. "It's not the healthiest thing to be closed off," she admits. But she's watched what the alternative does to people.

"I know people that they wake up four or five o'clock in the morning and turn the news on, and the cortisol levels are already high at that point, and you're just making it kinda worse."

For Olivia, tuning out wasn't about apathy. It was about capacity.

"Since I've stopped watching the news, just being able to focus on myself, showing up better as myself, does help me help other people around me in a different way. Where if I'm drained all the time from the negativity, I can't show up for the people close to me."

"I wish there was a way to have a little bit more balance... to be a little bit more selfless and figure out how to absorb that information so I can make an impact."

Her bottom line: "I feel like if everyone were to focus more on their own wellness, we can contribute a little bit better. When you're coming from a place where you are not in survival mode, you make decisions that impact the people that are close to you in a better way."

#SouthFlorida #FortLauderdale #StreetInterview #NewsFatigue #MediaLiteracy #Wellness #MentalHealth #Journalism #authenticvoices by @marionreports

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3 months ago

The Vikings have landed in Miami and left quite an impression.

Denise Cipolla Connie Sommerhalter and I walked Ocean Drive in South Beach where Norway fans gathered on the eve one of biggest soccer matches in their country’s history.

It was awesome to see Miami offer such a warm welcome! taken in Ocean Drive, South Beach by @marionreports

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3 months ago

Coffee.
Camera.
Morning visitors.

Yeah, feeling spoiled in the early morning hours when my feathered neighbors come for a visit.

We exchange a few looks and moments before Milo demands my attention and barrels right into the bushes.

I'll take what I can get.

Thanks to my hubby Dave who keeps the flowers blooming. taken in Bucks County by @marionreports

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3 months ago