About Robert Hamilton

Posts by Robert Hamilton:

Leia, the lioness, finds a new home

Leia, the lioness, finds a new home

24 Photos, 1 Video

Leia is a 2-year-and-six-week-old lioness born and raised at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. She is being moved to the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society in Waco, Texas, where she can grow up in an unrelated pride and be a companion to a 3-year-old male

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The 50th anniversary of the battle of Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam

The 50th anniversary of the battle of Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam

25 Photos

This month marks 50 years since the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, the first major fight between the U.S. Army and elements of its air cavalry and the People’s Army of North Vietnam. Five soldiers from Maryland were killed on the same day (Nov. 17, 1965) during the height of the battle, and others were listed among the heavy casualties inflicted on both sides in fighting across South Vietnam’s central highlands. The story of part of the battle was told in the 1992 book, “We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young,” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and war correspondent Joseph Galloway. The 2002 movie, “We Were Soldiers,” starring Mel Gibson, was based on the Moore-Galloway book. According to Galloway, 305 Americans were killed in combat in the central highlands between Oct. 23 and Nov. 26, 1965; more than 500 others were wounded. The U.S. estimates of deaths among North Vietnamese regulars ranged from 1,000 to more than 1,700.

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A. Aubrey Bodine: Baltimore Sun pictorialist

A. Aubrey Bodine: Baltimore Sun pictorialist

70 Photos

The Baltimore Sun has a rich history of photojournalism, employing a long line of award-winning photographers. One of the most notable photographers through the years has been A. Aubrey Bodine. A man known for his prickly personality, Bodine’s traits were only outdone by his beautiful photography.

From 1927-1970, Bodine’s pictorialist style earned him numerous awards and a worldwide reputation. In 1965, he had a show in Moscow that was the first exchange of one-man photography exhibits between the U.S. and Russia. In a 1949 contest by the magazine “Popular Photography,” Bodine’s picture of a Choptank oyster dredger was selected as first prize for best black and white photography, beating out more than 51,000 entries. He received a $5,000 savings bond for the award.

He was notoriously exacting, drawing on everything from seasonal light patterns to tidal charts to choose the right moments to shoot. He was fanatical, driving 30,000 miles a year in his car and dropping everything if he saw a good scene.

Bodine passed away on Oct. 28, 1970 after suffering a stroke in his darkroom.

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Ninth Monumental “Alebrijes” Parade in Mexico

Ninth Monumental “Alebrijes” Parade in Mexico

28 Photos

Mexico City holds their ninth monumental “Alebrije” Parade. An annual event to honor Mexican handcrafts and folk art, especially a hard kind of papier-mâché called “cartonería” and the creation of fantastic figures with it called “alebrijes.” Alebrijes are chimera-like creatures credited to artisan Pedro Linares painted in bright colors according to Wikipedia.

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Colorful happenings at Belvedere Farm

Colorful happenings at Belvedere Farm

20 Photos

The rolling hills of Fallston, Maryland are home to Belvedere Farm, which was established in 1823 and family owned. The farm raised sheep and grain in the 1800’s and was operated as a dairy farm from the 1920’s until 1972. The farm has been host to thousands of school children over the years along with corn mazes and pumpkin picking. They started growing cut flowers in the 1990’s and that has been the farm’s mainstay ever since. Thirty five different varieties of flowers are grown, including their prized Dahlias. The cut flowers are sold at local farmer’s markets in Harford County and at the farm on Fridays and Saturdays from May until the first frost.

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