A life behind the lens with Paul Hutchins
The Baltimore Sun newspaper has a rich history of photojournalism. The Sun has employed a long line of award winning photographers. To pay tribute to these photographers, The Darkroom will periodically take a look back at the body of work by some of these photographers whose love of their craft helped document the lives of people from the backstreets of Baltimore to the four corners of the globe.
-
- In June 1967 Baltimore Sun staff photographer Paul Hutchins is shown with a Nikon F SLR camera he won for being named the Baltimore Press Photographer Association photographer of the year. Photo by Weyman Swagger
-
- A snowy pattern forms in this aerial image of Patterson Park and the surrounding neighborhoods take on January 20, 1974. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In May of 1986 then Mayor William D. Schaefer gets emotional at a press conference concerning the sinking of the Pride of Baltimore off the coast of Puerto Rico. In the background is Schaefer’s spokesman Christopher “Chris” Brown. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In March of 1981, ecdysiast Fannie Belle Fleming was better known as Blaze Starr at her Two O’Clock Club on The Block, where she also told jokes and sang songs, including one she wrote about her ample bosom. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- This combination of grimace and glee from a wrestling match at the Baltimore Civic Center on July 12, 1970 won photographer Paul Hutchins a first place for picture story in the Baltimore Press Photographers Association annual contest. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- On October 10, 1966 third baseman Brooks Robinson and catcher Andy Etchebarren converge on pitcher Dave McNally after the Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers to win their first World Series. (Paul M. Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In March of 1972 Sam W. Pattison Rea, the smoke from his cigar curling over the brim of his hat, relaxes before the bidding starts at an auction. He has been in the auction business for 40 years. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A snow-covered cornfield shot in May of 1968 in Western Maryland, judged in the weather category, was one of the pictures in the award winning portfolio of Paul Hutchins. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A Minnesota Viking player dives over Baltimore Colts Mike Curtis during game at Memorial Stadium on September 19, 1971. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader and Nobel Prize winner, greets thousands of admirers on a motorcade tour up North Gay Street on October 31, 1964. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Hiroko Tasaka Harris, who survived the Hiroshima bombing. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In 1961 workers stack bags of rock salt being unloaded at Druid Hill snow station. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In June of 1993 Frank Dittenhafer stood at a window on the 5th floor faculty office at the Peabody Inn at the Corner of Charles and Centre Streets. The office had not yet been furnished at the time. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts plays against the Detroit Lions in 1965. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Shadows double a stairway that winds around an oil tank located at the Ashland Deepwater Terminal in Canton in September of 1973. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Roy Rogers practices throwing out the first ball before an Oriole game in May of 1983. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Chris Evert Lloyd extends her hand to Marylander Pam Shriver after defeating her at the Capital Center in Landover, MD on March 1, 1981. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- On August 22, 1965 Brooks Robinson’s expression is matched by his son as they play catch at Memorial Stadium before the Orioles contest. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- In August of 1981 the Central Savings Bank building is reflected onto the hood of a car at Lexington Avenue and Charles Street. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Soldiers hold two looters caught on Biddle Street near Madison during the 1968 riots that followed the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)
One of those award-winning photojournalists was Paul Hutchins. He came to The Sun in 1951 and worked in the advertised department for 10 years before joining the photography staff. During his tenure on the staff Hutchins was the Baltimore Press Photographer Association’s photographer-of-the-year four consecutive years in a row.
He covered the Orioles extensively and one his best known images is of Brooks Robinson flying in the air towards pitcher Dave McNally when the Orioles clinched the 1966 World Series. In addition Hutchins covered the Baltimore Colts for ten years. An assignment he truly enjoyed. One his favorite pictures was of an airborne Vikings’ player soaring over Colts’ player Mike Curtis as he dove at his legs.
Hutchins also worked for a number of years on The Sun Magazine applying his keen eye and artistic talents to its pages. Paul shot a number of photo essays for the magazine. One such essay titled “Patterns in Black and White” was aerial images of scenes around the Baltimore region after a snowfall. The cover image was a striking picture of Patterson Park and the surrounding neighborhood, which ran on the January 20, 1974 cover.
At the age of 67 Paul retired from The Baltimore Sun. He currently lives with his wife Dot in Baltimore County.
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above
Glenn Hutchins
Jan 26, 2014 @ 12:02:28
These 20 photographs just scratch the surface of an archive that spans nearly 4 decades of photojournalism. When I visit Baltimore, I find myself going through the stack of Kodak boxes that store thousands of images captured through the lens of my Dads Nikon. Some tell a story, some bring back fond memories, and some are just plain funny. I seem to run into his work wherever I go when visiting Baltimore. Restaurants, Bars, office buildings, and the Camden Club, to name a few. Dad included me in his assignments whenever he could. At the age of 13, I went to my first Colts game and watched from the sidelines. I was with him when he had to take pictures of a stunt plane performing over Baltimore. We were in a single engine plane and he was hanging out of the door to get the perfect shot. All at 3000 feet and ignoring his fear of heights! Paul Hutchins spent his career photographing larger than life characters, but in my eyes, there was none larger than him.
Thomas Graves
Jan 25, 2014 @ 18:30:29
A fine man and a fine photographer. It was a pleasure and an honor working with Paul. My best wishes to him.