30 under 30 in 30: A Sun journalist’s photography project

0 Comment Maryland, Photo essays, The Baltimore Sun

30 Photos

“30 Under 30 In 30” is a photo series by Baltimore Sun Media Group photojournalist Ulysses Muñoz. Between July 31 and August 29, 2016, he shot 30 portraits of people all under the age of 30.

The idea behind this series was simple: Ulysses felt his photography skills were lacking and he wanted to finally do something about it.

Shooting 30 portraits of 30 important people in his life seemed like a fun way to get practice. Getting people to relax at the sight of a camera can be difficult, so this personal challenge was lightened by taking portraits of people he’d already formed a relationship with.

Some of those featured here he’s close to now, some he reconnected with after not seeing them for weeks or months, but all of them made an impact on his life.

These shots are not completely candid. Each of the subjects were informed of the project beforehand and were aware they were being photographed.

However, Ulysses wanted to capture as many natural moments as possible with minimal direction given, so everybody was shot in an environment they were comfortable with (most of the time selected by the subject). Somewhere that would ideally allow them to lower their guards and to forget about any insecurities, even if only for a moment.

Ulysses knows he has much to learn about photography and shooting portraits, but he’s happy with how the series turned out and that he has the chance to share this slice of his life with others.

Please enjoy #30Under30In30 and feel free to email Ulysses with any feedback or suggestions. umunoz@tronc.com.