Let’s Go O’s!

Recently my husband and I traveled to Baltimore, Maryland to celebrate his mothers’ 60th birthday. It was our first trip to the city and to Camden Yards where we watched the hometown Orioles take on the NY Yankees. Being a Red Sox fan from Boston, I couldn’t in good conscience root for the pinstripes, so I instead donned orange and black to cheer on the birds. We drank beer from cups and mingled and hollered with our fellow bleacher-creatures – none hollered louder than the dreadlocked, blinged-out guy with the gold teeth sitting next to me.  From the get-go his bellowing “LETS GO O’s!” could have been heard from the press box; to some he would be the worst seat neighbor ever, but he and I were instant buddies. A rapper born and raised in Baltimore, this was a guy who loved his city, knew and loved who he was and wanted everyone to know it. Watching him stirred the ever-present inner battle with my confident identity that has recently been feeling some heat.  Maybe it was his gold grill gleaming in the stadium lights, maybe the beer made me not think so much; but I knew I had to shoot the stadium if I wanted to get out of my photographic rut. The more I didn’t want to the more I knew I had to, so I did.  Though at the time I hated everything on camera, it’s only now that I come back to the images do I see that a few of them have some merit.

 

My favorite shot of the night. I wonder what else is hiding in the depths of this wasted corner…

 

I was feelin’ the linear and geometric qualities of the city and stadium.

 

 

 

Sometimes all you need are some simple words of wisdom from a not-so-simple character.

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