30 under 30 in 30: A Sun journalist’s photography project
“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.
- 1. James Liu – Frozen Dessert Mogul
- 2. Kevin Widmayer – Invasive Insect Assassin
- 3. Christina Jedra – Naval Academy Watchdog
- 4. Meredith Newman – Feature Creature
- 5. David Engle – Startup Savant
- 6. Katelyn Newman – Adroit Alcohol Adviser
- 7. Trey Sherman – Caged Comic
- 8. Maya Dawit – Champagne Papi Padawan
- 9. Alex DoQuang – The City’s Sentinel
- 10. Cierra Colón – Squirrel Spectator
- 11. Alan Liu – Ferris Wheel Pharaoh
- 13. Regina Catipon – Cuisine Connoisseur
- 14. Agnes Varghese – Storm Summoner
- 15. Clara Huang – Evanescent Explorer
- 16. Leanne Hise – Train Trekker
- 17. Eyasu Delesa – King of the Court
- 18. Sydney Han – Whimsical Wayfarer
- 19. Melissa Seitz – Moonshine Maverick
- 20. Lily Hua – Refreshment Reviewer
- 21. Alexis Adams – Reflective Realist
- 22. Ryan Eskalis – Production Prodigy
- 23. Tyler Clark – West Coast Wanderer
- 24. Brandi Bottalico – Pizza Pioneer
- 25. Alice Lu – Ice Cream Investigator
- 26. Joy Penaso – Nature’s Nurturer
- 27. Henrietta Biayemi – Scheming Sloth
- 28. Kofie Yeboah – Media Magnate
- 29. Michael Stern – Bold Broadcaster
- 30. Evan Swain – Future Photojournalist
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.
- 1. James Liu – Frozen Dessert Mogul
- 2. Kevin Widmayer – Invasive Insect Assassin
- 3. Christina Jedra – Naval Academy Watchdog
- 4. Meredith Newman – Feature Creature
- 5. David Engle – Startup Savant
- 6. Katelyn Newman – Adroit Alcohol Adviser
- 7. Trey Sherman – Caged Comic
- 8. Maya Dawit – Champagne Papi Padawan
- 9. Alex DoQuang – The City’s Sentinel
- 10. Cierra Colón – Squirrel Spectator
- 11. Alan Liu – Ferris Wheel Pharaoh
- 13. Regina Catipon – Cuisine Connoisseur
- 14. Agnes Varghese – Storm Summoner
- 15. Clara Huang – Evanescent Explorer
- 16. Leanne Hise – Train Trekker
- 17. Eyasu Delesa – King of the Court
- 18. Sydney Han – Whimsical Wayfarer
- 19. Melissa Seitz – Moonshine Maverick
- 20. Lily Hua – Refreshment Reviewer
- 21. Alexis Adams – Reflective Realist
- 22. Ryan Eskalis – Production Prodigy
- 23. Tyler Clark – West Coast Wanderer
- 24. Brandi Bottalico – Pizza Pioneer
- 25. Alice Lu – Ice Cream Investigator
- 26. Joy Penaso – Nature’s Nurturer
- 27. Henrietta Biayemi – Scheming Sloth
- 28. Kofie Yeboah – Media Magnate
- 29. Michael Stern – Bold Broadcaster
- 30. Evan Swain – Future Photojournalist