Baltimore Beat is publishing work from participants in Wide Angle Youth Media, which offers media arts education and amplifies the voices of Baltimore youth. These photos were created by students in Wide Angle’s high school photography classes, led by photographer Sydney Allen, also a Beat contributor. Students combined lighting techniques and portrait composition to create polished portfolio images. By exploring shot sizes and styles, they learned how to tell a story through portrait photography.
Audrey Wilson: “While taking this photo, my goal was to capture the subject’s emotions and mood. I did this through shooting the subject close up so you can clearly see her face. Another way was editing it to be black and white, I added lots of contrast for a dramatic effect.”
Auriona Wilson: “The techniques that I utilized in order to create this photograph are color and focus. I adjusted the focus in order to place focus onto his cheek rather than immediately focus on his eye. Almost to prevent the viewer from knowing what he’s looking at. Additionally, I utilized a black-and-white editing style instead of color because I felt that it would provide more opportunity for texture and contrast.”
Dakota Loyal: “For this photo, I wanted to focus on the small details and create a close-up image that felt bold and intentional. I chose the red lighting and tight framing to create a strong mood while highlighting the texture of the skin, hair, and tattoo. I wanted the photo to feel more intimate and artistic rather than like a traditional portrait.”
Desmond Goodloe: The side light combined with the unserious pink hat creates an absurd contrast in the tone of the photo. Most of the photo was brought together in post. For the colors, I created a blue-orange contrast while color-correcting skin tones. Sometimes you have to be contrary to expectations to be who you are.Diamon Coulbourne: “I chose a low angle to convey quiet confidence and strength. The clothing and jewelry weren’t planned, but I feel like the combination of red and brown against a never-ending blue sky really helped get my point across. To me, the earthiness of red and brown represents grounding, and the blue sky brings out serenity.”
Rosalind Smith: “I wanted this image to feel calming before I was in the studio to take the shot. So when I was photographing this image, I had adjusted the colors to fit the emotions I wanted to convey. The yellow and dark blue were meant to contrast each other in order to make the photograph seem balanced, both in an emotional sense and from a visual standpoint.”
Rouguidiallo: “The day I took these photos, I remember feeling a little shy at the start. I think my emotions from that day show up in these photos, moving from unsure to confident and joyful. These are really common feelings that a lot of people can recognize in themselves. Taking the color away gives the images a softer feeling and allows the viewer to more easily feel the emotions.”
