It's been a while since I've posted anything about CreativeMornings because I missed the one in January (it was while we were in Puerto Rico)! I got to go to the one in February though, and it was great, as usual! This one took place at the Baltimore School for the Arts, and the topic was Climate.
This time, the speaker was Joseph Giordano (J.M. Giordano), a photojournalist for the City Paper, among many publications.
One of the main topics he discussed was his series called Summer of the Gun, published in the City Paper last summer. That summer there were so many homicides, and he was one of the only (usually only), photojournalist (or reporter in general) at the crime scenes. He talked about how hot it was that summer, and how so many of the poorer areas of Baltimore don't even have trees and shade. He thought that may have contributed to the homicide rate being so high.
It was so interesting to hear his stories about being at crime scenes, talking to witnesses, family members, or even just people in the neighborhood. He said it is so important to be human first. He found that when he knew the name of the person/people murdered, and used it instead of saying "the victim", people were much more likely to talk to him about the person and what happened. All he had to do was be respectful, and people trusted him. He was even invited to one of the victim's funerals, and he attended it.
One of the main topics he discussed was his series called Summer of the Gun, published in the City Paper last summer. That summer there were so many homicides, and he was one of the only (usually only), photojournalist (or reporter in general) at the crime scenes. He talked about how hot it was that summer, and how so many of the poorer areas of Baltimore don't even have trees and shade. He thought that may have contributed to the homicide rate being so high.
It was so interesting to hear his stories about being at crime scenes, talking to witnesses, family members, or even just people in the neighborhood. He said it is so important to be human first. He found that when he knew the name of the person/people murdered, and used it instead of saying "the victim", people were much more likely to talk to him about the person and what happened. All he had to do was be respectful, and people trusted him. He was even invited to one of the victim's funerals, and he attended it.
Another topic was his piece called Camp 83, which told about the homeless people who live (or lived) under the I-83 overpass in Baltimore. I remember that this was one of the first City Paper articles I ever read after we moved here. So many people walk and drive past this area every day, and no one had ever paid attention until he interviewed some of the people living there.
After the article came out, many of the homeless people received help. One of the women lives in a women's shelter now, and we saw a picture of her in her new room. One man had gangrene in his foot and since then, has received medical help and can walk again. It was so great to hear about these things that happened just because he took the time to talk to these people and write about their situations.
During the Q&A at the end, someone asked why he chose to do the Summer of the Gun photos in black and white, but the Camp 83 series in color. He said that he doesn't use color unless it is needed to make a photograph more effective or if it's important that something in the photo to be seen in color.
His job sounds so interesting, but very hard! He said that, especially with the Summer of the Gun series, being a photo journalist can be very taxing and emotional depending on the topics and subjects you're shooting. He said, "I don't take sides, I take photographs." I love that! He said that at all of these crime scenes, he wasn't there to judge anybody or decide anything, but that he was there to capture situations so that the public could learn about them.
At CreativeMornings, yummy breakfast and coffee are always provided by Dooby's. This month we got spicy sausage strata and lemongrass glazed poppyseed muffins!!
So good! They usually have extras afterwards so I try to take some home to Alex!
So good! They usually have extras afterwards so I try to take some home to Alex!
CreativeMornings happens all over the world - in over 100 countries - and Katie, who hosts the Baltimore CM wanted us to try a new, fun idea that she had. We all took selfies with the people sitting around us and posted them to social media, tagging the host of CM in Germany. That way, he would wake up with tons of notifications on Instagram, Twitter, etc. from us! Katie knows him through CreativeMornings and she called the game "Confuse the Germans". I think we're going to confuse someone else next time!
Here is my selfie partner, Chinwe, and me!
You can see us taking the picture in this screen shot of Baltimore_CM's Instgram pic :)
They have already posted what this month's topic is, who the speaker is, and where it will be! It's a week from Friday and I'm so excited!
These are the sponsors of Baltimore's CreativeMornings: Dooby's, Strangers with Style, Shine Creative, and Stuckey Design!
Thanks for reading!
Here is my selfie partner, Chinwe, and me!
You can see us taking the picture in this screen shot of Baltimore_CM's Instgram pic :)
They have already posted what this month's topic is, who the speaker is, and where it will be! It's a week from Friday and I'm so excited!
These are the sponsors of Baltimore's CreativeMornings: Dooby's, Strangers with Style, Shine Creative, and Stuckey Design!
Thanks for reading!
I bet that was very interesting! I remember when you were interested in becoming a crime scene photographer! Member?
ReplyDeleteYes!! I wanted to do that program at Pima! I wonder if they have anything like that here... :)
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