Last week I got to do portraits with D.C. singer/song writer VJ Kapur. We had met at a friend, Jacob Gemmell's show. After a long time of talking about hooking up to do pictures we finally got it done. The first image was shot near John's Hopkins University on a trail I used to run on when I lived nearby. The second image was shot in the Hampden area of Baltimore.
Both locations epitomize the grittiness of Baltimore which I've really come to love. There's something so real and tactile about places around town. I think Baltimore gets a bad rap, with most people only thinking of the Inner Harbor, The Wire and murders when Baltimore is mentioned. To me though it's been a wonderful city to start a career in. It's a place full of realness and little pretentiousness. There are beautiful old places all around the city. And to me, a photographer, even the dilapidated and abandoned places are like gardens of photographic opportunity each hidden with unnoticed or forgotten treasures.
It was fun to explore some of the little hideaways of Baltimore with VJ and then to se how well they translated to photos when we were done.
I guess this is my man crush on Baltimore entry. And looking at it now I think I made VJ into an Indian Springsteen. There are worse things.
the last one is really nice!
ReplyDeletehi, my name's jenn, i've come here to swoon over your photos! you're an amazing photographer, the ones you did of VJ are incredible. yes.
ReplyDeletei asked him where the first set of photos were done, which neighborhood, & he said to come ask you. so, where did you take these photos? not the hampden ones, the trail ones.
also, i lived in baltimore for almost seven years, right around the corner from red emmas for a good part of those years, & seeing all of your bmore photos have made me so homesick, haha. good grief i miss baltimore.
& i like that you get the city, that it's more than just the inner harbor & camden yards & all of the typical tourist traps. i like that you appreciate the rawness & grit of it all, those were my favorite things, too.
so hi. thank you for the taste of home & for getting me jazzed on photography again.
Hey Jenn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking out the blog. Checked out yours too, seems like you've got a very cool thing going on with that.
The trail shots were on this trail I used to run from JHU up to Northern Parkway by Gilman school. But this part of the trail is right in Wyman park area. It's a cool little trail/woods/creek area although they are tearing it all up with some sort of construction.
Apparently you'll have to come back and visit bmore and red emmas and explore the park!
Again thanks for writing and good luck with your blog!
Daniel