Jo Ann Santangelo’s obsession with documenting life began as a young girl growing up in Boston’s "North End” where everyone knew everyone else and everyone’s business. It hung flapping between buildings on clotheslines. Whether they liked it or not, they were connected, a community.

After relocating to Austin, TX in 2006, feeling community-less and disconnected, Jo Ann hopped on her bike and started photographing. The more then 1,500 black and white portraits of Austin’s often unseen lives became her first photo essay. Austin Seen, was exhibited in many of Austin’s coffeehouses & galleries.

Jo Ann moved to New York in August 2008 to attend her first formal education program at the International Center of Photography. While at ICP she was awarded The New York Times Foundation Scholarship and interned with Eugene Richards.

These days, when Jo Ann is not documenting LGBT Veterans or capturing NYC’s late night Christopher Street scene she is usually on her bike competing for lanes with taxis around the city and photographing the people she meets along the way.

Jo Ann's works have been featured in Food & Wine, The Washington Post, Austin Monthly, Austin Woman,
The Boston Phoenix and the Austin Chronicle.

Proud to Serve: a photo essay and multimedia piece on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Veterans was featured in the November issue of The Advocate Magazine