Philadelphia lifestyle photographer editorial photographer102-copy1

Dentral Holmes Smith prays during her weekly prayer meeting at her church, a several block walk from her home. Smith lost her job 3 years ago this November. At the time she was working as a career counselor for a welfare to work program. Today she lives in a small rented room in a marginal neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA. Instead of looking for a job working for someone else, Smith has hopes that she can turn her slew of writing, research and organizational skills into a profitable small business consulting business. She currently charges $35 an hour for her services. Photo by Scott Lewis for The Los Angeles Times