About J. M.

Baltimore City
I'm a Baltimore native, a part time analog photography teacher at Baltimore School for The Arts and full time photographer. This year, I was the recipient of the Baltimore Office of Promotions and Arts Travel Grant to continue my series, All For Thee This Day, documenting the collapse of the international steel industry, in Eastern Europe. Selections for the project are currently on view at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. My new series of portraits for the series, "A Wound That Never Heals"… more

Shuttered

With my series,  Shuttered, I've been documenting the decline of the International steel industry starting with Sparrow's Point for the past 15 years. The people are tied to the landscape and the landscape tied to steel for over a century. With the president's new tariffs, something Bush tried in 2002 to disastrous results, I've started to revisit steel towns and their residents and retirees. This series is unpublished and is an national project. In 2019, I received a Baltimore Office of Promotion and Arts travel grant to continue the project in Eastern Europe. Over the past year, I've travelled to the UK and the "Rust Belt" of America to work on the project. The Baltimore portion of the project is featured in a solo  show running at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. My book, Shuttered, raised over $2000 for the Baltimore Museum of Industry when published this year.

"These are they who build thy houses, weave thy raiment, win thy wheat, smooth the rugged, fill the barren, turn bitter to sweet. All for thee this day? and ever. What reward for them is meet?"-Morris, March of the Workers.
  • DSC_0009.JPG
    DSC_0009.JPG
    Steel Mill morning, 2009.
  • apete.JPG
    apete.JPG
    Pete, a retired steelworker at his social club, The Moose, in Baltimore.
  • Retiree and her flag
    Retiree and her flag
    Elizabeth is handed a flag she made. She passed away shortly after this photo was taken
  • Former Beth Steel Headquarters Sparrows Point
    Former Beth Steel Headquarters Sparrows Point
    The demolished Beth Steel HQ in Dundalk. 1,200 people used to work there.
  • Victims of drug adddiction memorialized
    Victims of drug adddiction memorialized
    A house near the former Beth Steel Mill erected crossed for victims of opioid addiction
  • DSC_9462.jpg
    DSC_9462.jpg
    Abandoned mill in Wheeling West Virginia
  • redcarpano8.jpg
    redcarpano8.jpg
    Shuttered buildings in Redcar, a town in Yorkshire UK who's mill was closed overnight in 2012
  • UK005-Recovered.jpg
    UK005-Recovered.jpg
    A raven perched on a fence around the shuttered mill in Redcar, UK.
  • DSC_6155.jpg
    DSC_6155.jpg
    Former steel hauling horses in Redcar, UK. The horses used to haul ore to the mills from the fields.
  • Bill.jpg
    Bill.jpg
    Portrait of William Bordeau, a Mohican who retired from Beth Steel in Baltimore and helped build the Bay Bridge. He wears a bonnet he made when he first came to Baltimore in the 50s.

All Night, All Day: An Uprising Diary

My next photobook will be a "diary" which chronicles the Baltimore Uprising and its relevence today. Pulling from my extensive photo coverage of the events that shook the city, tweets, news reports, city maps, and other items like flyers, I will try to guide the viewer through the Baltimore Uprising and beyond. I've conducted interviews with activists for the 5th anniversary, their words and portraits will be included and have been documenting the events surrounding the murder of George Floyd by police in 2020 which are tied to Freddy Gray's death in police custody in 2015. The book will also include 2021 work in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood where Gray lived.
  • westdist.jpg
    westdist.jpg
    Supporters of Freddy Gray rally at the Western District in Sandtown during the Baltimore Uprising, following Gray's death in police custody in 2015..
  • DSC_7095bw.jpg
    DSC_7095bw.jpg
    Two young boys watch a protest during the Baltimore Uprising in Sandtown
  • DSC_2368bw.jpg
    DSC_2368bw.jpg
    A woman stands in defiance of a Humvee parked at Penn-North during the Baltimore Uprising.
  • 6.jpg
    6.jpg
    A march supporting the family of Freddy Gray marches past a community church in Sandtown.
  • DSC_6025.jpg
    DSC_6025.jpg
    Activist Duane "Shorty" Davis, a frontline activist five years after the Baltimore Uprising.
  • DSC_1090.jpg
    DSC_1090.jpg
    Portrait of Devin Allen, activist and photographer, taken 5 years after his iconic Time Magazine Uprising cover.
  • Screen Shot 2021-12-09 at 3.19.24 PM.jpg
    Screen Shot 2021-12-09 at 3.19.24 PM.jpg
    A tweet sent from the Baltimore City Police. My book will include various media like tweets, social media updates, headlines, and screen shots from important video taken during the uprising.
  • DSC_1096.jpg
    DSC_1096.jpg
    A protester at Penn North approaches police during the Baltimore Uprising
  • DSC_1131.jpg
    DSC_1131.jpg
    A lone protester during the Baltimore Uprising is engulfed by teargas.
  • DSC_3490.jpg
    DSC_3490.jpg
    Activists take a break at a restaurant in Sandtown-Winchester during the Baltimore Uprising.

Back of House: A Baltimore Cookbook

I shot the book, Back of House, to benefit the Baltimore Restaurant Relief Fund during COVID. The shots are taken in the "back of house" during work days. So far, the book, which includes recipes from local chefs, cooks, and home chefs, has raised over $11,000 for the fund.
  • DSC_5184bw.jpg
    DSC_5184bw.jpg
    Homemade bbq sauce from Smoking Swine
  • DSC_5481.jpg
    DSC_5481.jpg
    Fresh oysters from Dylan's Oyster Cellar
  • DSC_8498bw.jpg
    DSC_8498bw.jpg
    Opening the smoker at Franciscan Center for a homeless benefit.
  • DSC_5574bw.jpg
    DSC_5574bw.jpg
    Behind the scenes at Nihao.
  • DSC_8071bw.jpg
    DSC_8071bw.jpg
    Rosemary on fire at Sophomore coffee.