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Posterized: Maryland Film Festival, 1999-2015

Posterized: Maryland Film Festival, 1999-2015

17 photos

This post has been updated with the 2015 Maryland Film Festival poster, which was again designed by Post Typography. This year’s festival is May 6-10.

Originally published May 4, 2012: Before the lights go down and you settle in to watch your first film at the Maryland Film Festival, you’ve already seen them — the ubiquitous festival posters that pop up around Baltimore in the weeks leading up to the event. They’re “almost unavoidable,” says Bruce Willen of Post Typography, the Baltimore design studio that’s created the film festival posters the past two years. Willen, who heads Post Typography with longtime collaborator Nolen Strals, discussed the inspiration for this year’s poster, the design process and more in a Q&A with The Darkroom.

But wait, there’s more! To celebrate the 14th annual festival, which kicked off Thursday night and runs through Sunday, and the familiar posters we associate with the event, here’s a gallery featuring artwork from all the previous festivals, 1999-2012. How many posters do you remember? Which are your favorites?

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Aerial photos of the Baltimore landslide scene

Aerial photos of the Baltimore landslide scene

10 Photos

See aerial photos of the landslide scene after part of 26th Street in Charles Village collapsed onto a CSX railroad track Wednesday following heavy rains. About 20 Charles Village residents face up to 40 days away from their homes while city engineers assess the stability of the area. These photos were taken Thursday by Baltimore photography duo Belinda and Terry Kilby of Elevated Element.

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They wrote the book on drone photography in Baltimore (and beyond)

They wrote the book on drone photography in Baltimore (and beyond)

23 Photos

Elevated Element, Baltimore’s pioneering drone photography duo, is flying high. Terry and Belinda Kilby — the husband and wife team behind some of the most breathtaking and unique aerial images of Baltimore and the surrounding region — have released their first book (Drone Art: Baltimore) just as an art exhibit showcasing their work opened high above the Inner Harbor, at the World Trade Center’s Top of the World observation level.

The Kilbys, who actually design and build the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) they use in their photography, shared some of their images with The Darkroom and recently took part in a wide-ranging Q&A on their techniques, equipment, what it’s like to be contacted by the FBI and much more.

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Orioles Legends Celebration Series at Camden Yards

Orioles Legends Celebration Series at Camden Yards

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The recent unveiling of the Brooks Robinson sculpture at Camden Yards on Sept. 29 gave Orioles fans a rare treat. The six Hall of Famers immortalized in bronze as part of the Legends Celebration Series — Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks, of course — were all present (in the flesh!) for the first time during the season-long celebration. Here’s a look back at The Sun’s coverage (in stories, photos and video) of this season’s statue dedications at Camden Yards.

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Swimming in ink: Memorable Sun front pages featuring Michael Phelps at the Olympics

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You don’t become the most decorated Olympian of all time without ubiquitous worldwide press coverage — hardware equals headlines — but we can safely say the ink chronicling hometown hero Michael Phelps in the pages of The Baltimore Sun could fill entire swimming pools. A record 22 Olympic medals, including 18 golds, will do that. Search “Michael Phelps” in The Sun’s print archives and you’ll find more than 1,500 articles mentioning him, a total which isn’t comprehensive for the newspaper and doesn’t include any website or mobile content. Ninety-nine front-page (1A) stories* have at least mentioned Phelps, though he’s obviously been the main subject of many of those. Not bad for a 27-year-old, huh?

As Phelps begins life after competitive swimming, we take a look back at The Sun’s coverage of his Olympic medal-winning races in Athens, Beijing and London, highlighting the print covers and stories.
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From the Vault: Peter Angelos era begins at Oriole Park

From the Vault: Peter Angelos era begins at Oriole Park

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Nineteen years ago today (Aug. 2, 1993), a group led by Baltimore attorney Peter Angelos purchased the Orioles for a then-record $173 million. “This brings back control of the club to Marylanders, but to be candid, I didn’t think the price would go so high,” Angelos said at the time. Fast-forward to 2012 and the Orioles franchise is valued at $460 million, according to Forbes. And the current record price tag for a Major League Baseball club? Try $2 billion, the staggering amount Magic Johnson and investors paid for the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this year. That’s more than 11.5 times what Angelos and company plunked down for the Birds nearly two decades ago. More →

Up Close: 2012 Wellcome Image Awards

Up Close: 2012 Wellcome Image Awards

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The Darkroom will take you Up Close in a new series featuring images and techniques that truly augment our perceptual power, altering our understanding and appreciation of the world. First up are sixteen winning photos from the 2012 Wellcome Image Awards, which highlight the best in medical and microscopic photography, and is sponsored by the London-based Wellcome Trust charitable foundation. This remarkable set of photos includes everything from magnified views of a moth fly to a human brain during a surgical procedure to the building blocks of your morning cup of coffee (caffeine crystals) – all as you’ve never seen them before.
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Sowebo weekend: Check out the West Baltimore Squares Photowalk

Sowebo weekend: Check out the West Baltimore Squares Photowalk

10 photos

If you’re headed to the 27th annual Sowebohemian Arts and Music Festival on Sunday, you won’t want to miss the West Baltimore Squares Photowalk and Tour. It’s The Baltimore Sun’s first photowalk, and we’re teaming up with Baltimore Heritage to explore the historic parks and neighborhoods of Southwest Baltimore, with stops at Hollins Market, H.L. Mencken’s backyard and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. To give you a flavor of Sowebo, here are 10 photos of the festival from The Sun’s archives.
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