Baltimore city, through the lens of Instagram
Instagram has become one of the most popular ways for people to share their photos online. With more than 50 million users, it is also one of the most popular social networks. Since I started using Instagram last fall, I have taken many photos using the app in and around the city of Baltimore. I tried to use different filters and combinations of light adjustment and the blurring feature to make the pictures I take unique.
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- A strip of vacant rowhouses in West Baltimore, off of North Avenue, Jan. 18, 2012. I used the black and white filter to contribute to the old look of the decrepit homes.
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- A look down Orleans Street from high up in Johns Hopkins’ new Bloomberg Children’s Center on Jan. 26, 2012.
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- Federal Hill and the condominiums around it appear small from the top of the Legg Mason building in Harbor East on Feb. 8, 2012.
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- Miles of Baltimore city can be seen from the north side of the Legg Mason Building, Feb. 8, 2012. The yellowish filter gave the photo this old-timey look.
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- Several city rooftops can be seen in the Mt. Vernon area from the roof of a parking garage at Franklin and Charles streets, Feb. 14, 2012.
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- Baltimore’s Bank of America Building, on Light Street, is one of the tallest buildings in the city, with 37 floors. It looks even taller when right at its base, Feb. 22, 2012.
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- This area of Fells Point is never so empty in the summer time, but in winter, on Feb. 25, 2012, there were few people around. The filter I used brought out the light from the lamposts on the street.
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- A high-scoring player on the golf game in the back room at Mick O’Shea’s Irish pub on Charles Street gave him or herself an alias that many in Baltimore would recognize, March 6, 2012.
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- A tree with purple blossoms blooms in early spring in downtown Baltimore, March 30, 2012. The filter brought out the purple in the blossoms.
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- Orioles opening day on April 6, 2012 was bustling at the Inner Harbor, including on the water with the popular dragon paddle boats.
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- Hundreds crowd Fells Point for Brewfest, hosted by the Baltimore City Paper and featuring local, domestic and international beers for the tasting, April 14, 2012.
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- A face sculpture protrudes from a brick wall in the space behind famous Baltimore Sun journalist H.L. Mencken’s house on Hollins Street in southwest Baltimore, May 27, 2012.
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- A small memorial is marked on the side of the road on W. Baltimore Street with a ragged stuffed doll of Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, May 27, 2012. The direct sunlight and the filter brought out the green in the grass and the orange on TIgger.
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- The statue of Chief Justice Taney in Mount Vernon is hit by the sun on May, 31, 2012, with the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in the background.
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- A pack of thick, fluffy clouds stretches across the sky in Northwest Baltimore, June 6, 2012. The Instagram filter used here helps to add contrast to the clouds.
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- The Battle Monument, commemorating the Battle of Baltimore, on Calvert Street is framed between the bars surrounding its base, June 14, 2012. The filter, along with the sky, provides a blueish hue in this photo.
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- A sculpture fountain outside of Baltimore Clayworks in Mount Washington is made from pieces of clay pots, June 23, 2012. The filter here gives this photo a sepia tone that almost matches the color of the clay.
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- As the sun set over the Inner Harbor on July 4, 2012, colors emerged in the sky that were almost like a painting. I used a filter that enhanced the yellows and oranges and blurred the people toward the bottom of the photo.
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- A salon in the area of Bolton Hill and Midtown features a large printing of a woman’s face on the storefront, July 20, 2012.
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- A battle scene is depicted in an exhibit using cutouts at the Civil War Museum in Harbor East, July 21, 2012.
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- A photo taken from the third floor of the Waterfront Marriott in Harbor East, July 21, 2012. The blur feature on the top and bottom creates a visual effect that makes the non-blurry parts look like miniatures.
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- The memorial to Edward Fell in Fells Point is framed inside a hole in the iron gate in front of it, July 22, 2012. The filter used added contrast to the photo, and the round blurring feature created the appearance of depth of field – not something smartphones are known for.
Follow @BaltimoreSun on Instagram to see more through the lens. I’m on Instagram at @TheShamWow
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