Vision Beyond The Lens by -J.J. McQueen-

Two years ago my mother passed away and my friend Donald and his wife Sondra were expecting their first child. They did what real friends do when you need support.  They made a 6 hour road trip to North Carolina for the funeral.   On June 24, 2008 they had their first baby girl and I made the trip over to the hospital.  It wasn't 6 hours but the same love and support was in the ride, lol. Prior to entering the hospital I had no idea that mommy and the baby had minor complications.  When my wife and I arrived we checked in with Don and we were off to the childrens ICU.  At the time I didn't know that Don hadn't held his baby girl.  It was one of those times were I'm glad I brought my camera along.  It was a defining moment in our friendship.  I had the privilege of capturing the first time he held his daughter.  It also meant for us a rite of passage.  We share two of the most special moments in our lives.  He witnessed the day I laid my mother down to rest for the last ...

As we all know graduation season is coming to a close but there is one group of grads that we can't forget.  So as usual we've saved the best for last.  There is a passage in the bible in Matthew 20:16 that says "So the last will be first, and the first will be last".  Today I want to take time out and salute the 2008 Preschool Graduates of Robert Franklin Stokes Christian School, the last of the graduation season but the first of many to come.  Congratulations Little People!   

The Huber's Family Farm Story in Stills.  Growing up in the rural south the image of a farm almost put the fear of God in me. Especially, when I think about some of the hands that history has dealt minorities.  Fortunately,  I've found a place that looks the same on the outside but resembles something totally different on the inside.  Today I had the pleasure of photographing the brighter side of them all.  Huber's Family Produce Established in 1944.  Founder George Huber age 86 and wife June 81 still work on the farm daily as produce pickers, while their son Steve Huber oversees day to day operations. Being a young African American male I've never been a huge fan of farms and what the history of them represent but today opened my eyes to the other side of what farm life means.  The traditions and fundamental foundation of family legacy remains true and pure at Huber's farm. A forgotten lesson in today's society.  At least that's what I gather from my experi...

Okay, shooting weddings with a video camera does wonders for the day but shooting them with a still camera freezes the raw emotion of the moment.  This past weekend I had the extreme pleasure of doing both for the newlywed Webb's.  Hope you enjoy a few shots as much as they enjoyed their special day.  

Today I was covering a story at BWI airport here in Baltimore.  The story was centered around extreme medical care and rescue.  I found the story very interesting.  Unfortunately, right down town we have people that need the same intense medical care.  Those people are our forgotten homeless.  For the past few days it's been well above 100 degrees, the images below can tell you the rest of the story.      With no shelter there is no short-term relief from the sweltering days. At least not for now. They dress in hats and long sleeves to protect themselves from the brutal rays of the sun.  

Today was the first of many hot days here in Baltimore.  I was on a commercial shoot earlier in the day and I couldn't help but notice a huge number of homeless people moving around.  It's amazing because in the midst of one of the most important projects of my career I couldn't shake the image of the long sleeves and the short meals that they seemed to have found.  I couldn't let this vision go unnoticed.  Below are a few shots of what 100 Degress and homeless looks like.