A life behind the lens with Paul Hutchins

20 Photos

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.

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.