IMAGE OF THE CITY Photo Book Available
Ages 16-29
Fall 2017, Johns Hopkins Homewood
The spaces we inhabit frame our lives. In this photography workshop fellows will develop a creative awareness of their environment through careful observation of Baltimore’s buildings and other man-made structures. Bridging theory and practice, they’ll study the urban photography of artists such as André Kertész, Gordon Parks, Roy DeCarava, and Hélène Binet, and discuss short readings by Teju Cole, Susan Sontag, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. They’ll be encouraged to consider themselves in the context of an expansive canon, and to respond to the photographers they admire, to the city they live in, and to each other through their own creative work. They’ll hone fundamentals, such as shot discipline, composition, and tripod technique, as they explore and recreate the streets of Baltimore with a discerning photographer’s eye. Participants will each choose one type of structure (for example: row houses, corner stores, or monuments) as a subject, and create a portfolio of digital images with a consistent, compelling visual style. Each fellow will write an artist’s statement that speaks to the personal experience of making the images. Artists’ statements and a selection of photographs will appear in a photo book, as well as on the program website and at a program exhibition. Limited to 10 student fellows.
Somer Greer is a poet and photographer who, since moving from Florida, is happy to call Baltimore home. He teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University and Loyola University, and pursues photography all over the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. He is thrilled to help make Baltimore stronger through art.
Daniela Zapata is a neuroscience and French major at Johns Hopkins University. She is a photographer, working with The News-Letter and with Visual Resources Collections. She also works independently on shoots for student groups and campus organizations.
