#37 - Camera Man

When your camera becomes your identity

I am probably in the phones of a fair few people as "camera man."

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cait, Felix, and I didn't have much to do besides walk. We would put Felix in his stroller, and idly stroll. Inevitably, we'd run into other people out doing the same thing.

I first started taking street portraits of the young boys on Callow Ave. They'd be out on the front steps in the hot summer days, trying to stay cool while smoking pilfered cigarillos and drinking Gatorade, and I had my camera with me. After showing them the photos, I'd offer to text the pictures to them. "Put your number in my phone," I'd say, handing it over. They rarely asked my name.

Then there was the family across Whitelock Street. What began as a couple of kids playing on their porch evolved week by week—more children appearing, cousins visiting, extended family members materializing as if by magic. Our walks through Reservoir Hill became a regular photographic census of their growing clan. I'd text the pictures afterward, adding more numbers to my contacts.

The wandering summertime boys selling chips for football money became subjects too. They'd set up makeshift shops on different corners throughout the neighborhood. I'd photograph their entrepreneurial spirit, they'd pose confidently, and I'd collect another number to send the shots later.

This pattern continued well beyond the peak pandemic days. Since 2021, it's become a strange constant in my Reservoir Hill routine—walk with family, meet neighbors, take pictures, send them later.

One day while standing in line at the Linden Market, I spotted a group of kids I'd photographed months earlier. One nudged the other and said just loud enough for me to hear, "Hey isn't that Camera Man?"

These encounters only multiplied from there. Sometimes, I'd run into someone out walking, and they'd see my camera and ask "Oh, are you the Camera Man?"

At this point, it doesn't matter if I tell people my name. In Reservoir Hill, I'm just "Camera Man."

And honestly, I'm fine with that. There's something straightforward about being known for what you do rather than who you are. I walk and I photograph people.

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It’s been a pretty big week for me — I had the privilege of talking with Michael Howard of Foto fame a few weeks back. You can listen to that conversation over on the Foto Podcast. I ramble about existentialism, intuition, bricks, and Baltimore authenticity.

Meanwhile, I also had a Q&A posted over on the ever-great Perfectlight weekly interview.

As always, I’m so humbled to get to talk about my silly little hobby with everyone, and I’m grateful for everyone that tunes in, reads, and reaches out. You’re all the best.

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