Who I Am

THE ARTIST: Hey y’all my name is Shelby Wormley also known as Shelby Elaine. I am a determined and driven multidimensional artist that uses photography as my primary medium.

I am a Photojournalist/ Visual Storyteller and Co-Founder of WE&Company, with my husband Jordan Wormley, a storytelling company based out of Lancaster, PA.

I'm a native of the White Rose City York, PA (YC) and currently live in Lancaster City, PA. For the last decade I’ve been working as a Photojournalist throughout South Central Pennsylvania, using my camera as a tool to gather, document, learn and engage within my community. In that time I've been able to photograph people, cultural celebrations, community gatherings, grief, love and witness the many ways one can live.

How we engage and operate within our everyday structures is what shapes our cultures and communities. I’ve been able to see firsthand the direct impact images and storytelling can have on a community that may often go unseen. I consider myself to be a concerned photographer and choose to use my camera for education and change.

In this season, I'll be focusing on the roles barbershops and beauty salons play in black and brown communities and how the shutdown of these spaces during the global pandemic impacted their mental health and well-being. I traveled to six different shops throughout the Lancaster community to photograph and gather stories. This project is in collaboration with the Lancaster ( PA) commuity and Franklin & Marshall’s Center for Sustained Engagement with Lancaster where I served as the 2021-2022 Inaugural Artist in Resident for their new Social Practice and Community Engagement Program.