Baltimore woman Sheontay Smith, 27, is on a waiting list for subsidized child care. She is photographed Tuesday, December 6, 2011 in the Southwest neighborhood of Baltimore “Sowebo” where she works as an inspection scheduler for the Baltimore Housing Authority. Day care for her three-year-old is $520 a month, her second highest monthly expense next to rent. She could apply for child care assistance if she didn’t have a job.

The New York Times story, which outlines the frustrating reality of raising a kid by a single working mom, is here.

One of the tough parts of making these portraits is that they were during her lunch hour. Ideally I would’ve gotten her at least getting her son ready for school in the morning, but, for some reason, that wasn’t feasible. We also couldn’t make pictures in her office. So, we just walked around the block. I felt bad because Sheontay — a pretty attractive woman — would get hollered at. “Damn Girl! You a model?!?” I know my camera and I didn’t help. Sheontay took it all in stride, though. 

AARP Bulletin DOP Michael Wichita called me up a few months ago — actually, while I was in Denver for Geekfest – needing an in-house mock up made so he could pitch an illustration idea to his bosses for a big story they’re doing on the kind of people who use Social Security. He needed it ASAP! So, I grabbed whoever was closest: Denver Post staff video shooter Mahala Gaylord and Denver-based freelancer Ben Rasmussen. Oh. and that’s me on the left.

Michael sent me a fast drawing of his idea: …which I LOVE!

The idea is to make a white seamless portrait of several Social Security recipients and explain their situations with written vignettes.

This is Michael’s idea put to work. It’s the promo piece for the story.

The story section looks a little different. You can see it here.

I photographed one recipient from Baltimore, Dr. Timothy Modlin. Here’s his vignette.

I was told to make a mugshot, too.  – which I kinda like.And of course what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t show the outtakes from the mock-up shoot in Denver?Cheers!

City Springs School social studies teacher Nick West catches “Bobby the Beaver,” the talking piece he uses for “circle time,” Thursday, August 25, 2011. His 8th grade home room students, including Dwayne Jefferson, middle, and Jonte Parker, right, use circle time as an opportunity to interact, and discuss issues of concern.

The Baltimore City charter school has implemented several structural practices such as single gender classrooms and the Restorative Practices pedagogy.

Principal Rhonda Richetta’s idea is to create a safe and respectful culture rather than utilize traditional “crime and punishment” methods. After Restorative Practices became mandatory, the school lost a majority of their teachers. Mr. West, who just started his third year at City Springs, has the most seniority among middle school teachers.

This was one of the more interesting assignments I’ve had for Education Week. The story is about school security. But when I got to the school, I felt like security was a non-issue. I guess that means its working. Everyone was respectful towards everyone else — which is a pillar of the Restorative Practices model of education. Staff members use “affective language” when talking with students. Students were encouraged to deal their issues in “circles” rather than fighting, employing the teachers as mediators of sorts. I bet that gave the teachers a super-strong connection to their kids.

Something’s working at this place. I’ve never met more polite middle schoolers. And it’s not like this school is full of hand picked genius/polite students. City Springs is an inner city Baltimore neighborhood school. It’s not the worst neighborhood, but it’s comprised of three housing projects and 99% of the student body receives free lunches.

I got the impression that school was, ironically, a source of calm for most of these kids. Everything’s structured. — even their locker breaks. I guess that makes sense because when I was in school, locker breaks were when most of the fighting happened. And most importantly, the kids are learning! The teachers have the time to finish lessons.

“I don’t really use it that often.” says City Springs School Principal Rhonda Richetta talking about her security system. “It’s not this security system that has changed the climate in my school. It’s the Restorative Practices.” When she first started as principal she remembers having to break up fights 5 or 6 times a day. She wanted to change the school’s culture rather than beef up the security measures. She now finds that she has to rely less on the school’s security camera system set up in her office, and has fostered a respectful culture between students and faculty.

Faculty did leave, however. After Restorative Practices became mandatory the school lost the majority of their teachers because, according to Richetta, they didn’t want to change how they taught.

From what I understand, a major critique of this approach to teaching is that it doesn’t allow for educator creativity. Almost everything is structured and scripted. But when your students live in poverty, I wonder how much structure and respect a lot of them are getting when they’re not in school.

When installing new security cameras Richetta chose small cameras to not foster a an over securitized ambiance.

Eighth-graders in Tracy Hauser’s home room Brittany Carter, left, and Tyveona James, right, join hands with classmates during “circle time.” 

Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School Kindergarteners in Amy Raymond’s class Piper Stephan, left, and Delaney Lane, right, read to each other. Amy Raymond, kindergartener teacher at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School in Glenelg, Maryland — part of the Howard County Public School System — utilizes Common Core Curriculum to teach her students Wednesday, November 30, 2011. Her class is the first generation of students taught under the new national standards, emphasizing subject mastery.

Thanks to Education Week, I had one of the most adorable assignments I’ve had since leaving my staff newspaper job at The Patuxent Publishing Co. But as it turns out, Common Core is anything but …cute. It’s a big deal in the business of public education. Here’s a link to the article, but unless you’re a subscriber you can only read the first few paragraphs. Don’t worry. Here’s the Common Core Standards State initiative page, the Wikipedia page, and — get this! — there’s an iPhone ap, too! At the end of the post are some newspaper .pdfs “clips.”Students in Amy Raymond’s kindergarten class at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School in Glenelg, Maryland play “Try To Go Home,” a number game utilizing common core curriculum K.CC.4a & K.CC.4b. (how’s that for wonky?) The way it works is, a pair of students roll dice to move a figurine. They used dinosaurs this week because the letter of the week is “D.” The purpose is to emphasize “one to one” number correspondence and improve operational and algebraic thinking. The students are (L-R) Marisa Lamb, Sierra Collis, Caroline Zdrale, and Dylan Ma. Maggie Metz raises her colorful finger-tipped hand.You know me… I really like to put myself in my work. In front of his classmates, Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School kindergartener Austin Wagner pauses before turning over the date “30″ on the calendar. Daily rituals like this help Amy Raymond’s class develop number proficiency. As I left the office, this Labrador mascot statue made me jump a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of dogs, I just wasn’t expecting a dog in a school. … And out the corner of my eye, this thing looked super-real.Maggie Metz, left and Austin Wagner, right, work on assignments.

The nice thing about kindergarteners is that there are moments all over the place. Amy Raymond plays “Try To Go Home,”  with Sierra Collis.Ethan Sutch writes his class’s attendance on the board. This daily exercise utilizes math skills learned in Amy Raymond’s kindergarten class.…as in, “and why not make this picture?”Amy Raymond and her students (L-R) Dylan Ma, Gregor Lesho, Ethan Sutch (standing), and Gouri Gupta.I MADE THE COVER!!!

In case y’all haven’t heard of The Image Deconstructed blog, it’s an amazing resource! It deals with photographers’ mental processes & as a whole, gives insite into how photographers think — and sometimes feel — when they’re making pictures. It’s the brain child of Ross Taylor, who — and it should go without saying — is Rossome!

Here’s my specific entry, but I truly and whole heartedly recommend seeing some of the other photographers’ work being deconstructed. (each word is a link to a different post, by the way. Isn’t that super clever!?)

Members of the Iverson Mall Walkers walk the upstairs at Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland Wednesday, September 14, 2011.     This was an early shoot (yaaaaawn/streeetch), but fun. You can check out the AARP Bulletin story here.Iverson Mall Walker Carrie L. Free, 86, takes on the role of “monitor,” Wednesday, September 14, 2011. She walks against the flow to make sure her fellow walkers are not showing any signs of distress.Gloria Dock, coordinator for the Iverson Mall Walkers, takes a few laps upstairs at Iverson Mall.Norma S. Smith, 86, photographed at the end of her walk Wednesday, September 14, 2011, is one of the founding members who started the Iverson Mall Walkers back in 1989. To this day she is the only consistently active member who walks Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland.Lifelong friends Joyce M. Shaw, 75, left, and Peggy V. Edwards, 66, keep each other company while walking the upstairs of Iverson Mall.Helen Lee, a member of the Iverson Mall Line Dancers, gets vocal and boisterous during their morning dance routine Wednesday, September 14, 2011. The line dancers are a faction of the Iverson Mall Walkers.Benjamin Stevenson, foreground, packs up his music collection after playing DJ to the Iverson Mall Walkers’ line dancing group.

Gerald Genrich participates in the relaxation portion of the “You Can! Live Well Virginia!,” a six-week grant-funded program that helps seniors learn how to manage their chronic pain independently. The program offered at the Mount Vernon Rec Center in Alexandria, Virginia, ended the six-week workshop Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

I shot this assignment for AARP Bulletin last June. Here’s the article.Licensed Clinical Social Worker Colleen Turner, left, the local coordinator for “You Can! Live Well Virginia!,” and Will Claton, the volunteer leader, head the workshop.

Workshop attendees (clockwise L-R: Gerald Genrich, volunteer leader Will Claton, local coordinator Colleen Turner, Loretta Trout, and Jeanette Spicer (in blue) mill about and socialize after the last session.

Brian Beutler, reporter with Talking Points Memo, and Dave Weigel’s (seen below) roommate, works at Sticky Fingers Bakery in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington DC Friday, March 4, 2011.
Brian Beutler is part of a friend group comprised of increasingly influential DC political journalists and bloggers.

These are some photos from a super fun assignment I got from New York Times Fashion & Style editor Beth Bristow a little over a month ago. Here’s the article.

For the last year I’ve been making a concerted effort to produce images that I think are more INTRIGUING rather than explanatory.

My photo ego aside, I’ve found that the most effective published images are the ones that suck the reader into reading the article. …how many of you just said “duh?”

Lets be honest, paragraphs all look the same, right?.

…and so, photos operate like SUPER HEADLINES!

So while shooting and editing I try to make decisions based on how interesting the image will look IN THE NEWSPAPER. …or the magazine, or the website, or whatever the context.

The way I see it, literal photos — often the ones the word people love to choose — do a disservice to the readers AND to the writers. Seriously, how many times have you glazed over an article because the photo is boring?

But at the same time, you can’t just make crazy photos that don’t make any sense, they need to be grounded in the story’s context.

So, when I got this assignment I started realizing that I can tell a lot more about these writers’ personalities through their surroundings. — using the character of place (another theme I’ve been into these days).

Take Dave Weigel and Brian Beutler’s apartment, for instance. They live in, what I think can best be described as a bachelor pad. — yet, they’re increasingly influential  DC political pundits.

This crossroad of their lives — their nerdy (in a good way) lifestyle, intertwined with their rather serious life as young political wonks — is, I think, beautifully summarized by their home.

Is this an “amazing” photo of Dave Weigel? No. but in the context of the New York Times, under the right headline, I think this image would absolutely make people curious about the article.

I really trying to metaphorically show Dave Weigel’s big-deal job by having him strike a “stately” pose, while surrounded by the super-telling “dude” artifacts of his home-life.

I think it gives a humorous inside view into what kind of people Dave and Brian are. They’re super smart dudes. …and totally nerdy.

Dave, as an example of his nerdiness, often has a stack of graphic novels next to him (below) as a source of diversion and literary inspiration. Once he realizes his political writing becomes too boring, he likes to pick up something intrinsically interesting to get his word juices flowing.

…is the phrase “word juices flowing” kinda gross to anyone else? I’m gonna keep it in.

CAPTION: Staff writer for Slate and political commentator for MSNBC Dave Weigel, 29, writes a book review for his personal blog in the dining room of the DC apartment he shares with fellow young DC political pundit Brian Beutler. Weigel and Beutler live like stereotypical bachelors. In their living room comic books and collectable hardcovers decorate the shelves, a RockBand video game drum set hovers below Weigel’s flat screen TV, and their couches and chairs look like carryovers from a college apartment.

To contrast Dave and Brian, there’s Ezra Klein: arguably the “star” of the group.

I got to hang out with him at the Washington Post. Some of the best photos from his shoot is of him at his cubicle. — which I didn’t expect at all.

And then there’s poor Matt Yglesias… His shoot yielded some of my favorite images from the project. …unfortunately none of them made it to print. Space is finite, I guess.

And can we congratulate him on dropping a ton of weight? When I did some research on him before the shoot, all the photos of him showed him like 40 lbs heavier. He looks great!

CAPTION: Several months ago Washington DC political blogger with the Center for American Progress Matt Yglesias read that sitting at work all day is unhealthy. So now he does most of his writing atop a stack of books.

…so, below are some of the more interesting photos from my shoots. Some are obvious outtakes, like the one of Matt Yglesias below, but I still thing they’re interesting and, more important, somewhat telling of their personalities.

I had a really great time hanging out with these guys. They’re super nice and really accommodating.

As alwasy, thanks for reading and looking.

at Dave and Brian’s house. awesome!

and if, for some reason, you’re hungry for even more images here’s the gallery collection of extended outtakes.

The management of Garrison Middle School, a Baltimore City Public School, was taken over by Global Partnership Schools, a private company charged with turning the formerly underperforming school around.

I shot a really interesting assignment for Education Week Thursday, February 24, 2011. In some districts across the nation, private, for profit companies are being allowed to take over the management of failing schools. I was allowed in to photograph a day in the life of one of these schools, Garrison Middle School, part of the Baltimore City public school system.

(ABOVE) During lunch, members of Garrison Middle School’s “Young Ladies, Young Girls” club (sitting L-R: Tiara Kelly, 14, Latia Berry, 14, Tarshell Bagwell, 15) meet for lunch outside the cafeteria in one of the school’s new literacy pods, found in every corner of the square-shaped building. In between lunch periods they talk with Devon Ford, middle (grey sweatshirt), and Justice Lovins, right, an 8th grader. The club, led by the school’s mental health councilor Sarah Mohajer — who is a newly hired staffer —  (not pictured) is meant to instill empowerment and address social issues with the girls.

Garrison Middle School Assistant Principal Christian Licier, scans the lunch room before addressing the crowd with a public address system. Licier is one of the new members brought in to the underperforming Baltimore City public school over the summer after all of last year’s administration was let go.

Special Education Self Contained teacher Mr. Antwon Hayes, holds the door open for his students as they walk into the cafeteria for lunch. Hayes is one of the new faculty members who were brought in to teach at Garrison Middle School in Baltimore. Before the 2010-2011 school year all of the school’s administration was fired and all the teachers had to reapply for their jobs. Half were asked back.

Through some form of dance, Garrison Middle School students Demonte Scott, left, and Adam Faulkner, middle, entertain/vie for the attention of Assistant Principal Christian Licier, right.

Garrison Middle School 6th grade math teacher Mr. Rommel Soriano, right, hands a smart board marker to 6th grader Imani Johnson during class Thursday, February 24, 2011. Mr Soriano was one of the teachers who, after reapplying for his job, got it back. In addition to reorganizing the faculty, thanks to the management transformation, each classroom has also been outfitted with smart boards.

“Time Out Room.”

Aside from an enormous amount of clean up, the building still shows signs of vandalism, such as a scratched window.

Garrison Middle School teachers, like 8th grade math teacher Elania Ross-Jones, left, who is in her 2nd year teaching at the Baltimore City middle school, meet with CORE (Consortium of Reading Excellence) Learn educational consultants, like Aileen Chang, right, a math CORE education consultant.

Special Education teacher Antwon Hayes, foreground, asks another faculty member a question, while other 7th and 8th grade teacher at Garrison Middle School in Baltimore (L-R) French teacher Bertrand Tchoumi, music teacher Shurndia Reaves, Elana Burton, Sheri Robinson, both language arts teachers, and Joe Reilly, another special education teacher, map out their students progress on the data wall during their after school planning period in the schools’ Data Room.

Valda Valbrun, photographed in Garrison Middle School’s conference room, is the Education Change Leader tasked with increasing the underachieving school’s performance level up. Over the summer the management of Garrison Middle School, a Baltimore City Public School, was taken over by a private education company Global Partnership Schools, who employs Valbrun.

Drew Anthony Smith

These are a few “test shots” from an Athlete of the Year shoot I found last night while rummaging through my hard drives.