100 Degrees & Homeless

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.

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The Money Shot

The "Money Shot". It's not the type of shot where you look to get paid. It's the one that tells the largest story with the least amount of words. Today as I drove through Pen Lucy park, I saw this homeless lady at the stop light. I've driven through here daily for years and today was the first time I'd ever seen this lady. She was as worn as the soles of her shoes. She appeared to have the conscious mind of a 6 year old child. I only had about 20 seconds to capture the moment. It tends to be that way driving through the district where most of the show " The Wire " was filmed. Needless to say I was able to salvage what I referred to above as, " The Money Shot". After countless hours of studying the late great visual artist, Gordon Parks life stills, I've come to the conclusion that life stills are and should be timeless. They hold the frailties of life tight enough to crush them and soft enough to doctor them back to maximum h...

The Measure of a Man.........

the details are below the photos it's a must read story for the men.... The title of this blog maybe familiar to some, it's that of the autobiography of actor Sidney Poitier. When you mention his name the words courage, great, intelligent, daring, brilliant and faithful may come to mind. I've got a new name that replaces those words, Von Johnson. My friend. My brother. My cousin. My new HERO. How and what does that have to do with the title? Yesterday, I observed what it means to live the final portion of your wedding vows, "till death do us part"...... I can't even put it into words how I felt yesterday. The only word that comes close is "helpless". It was one of the rare moments in life where you want to take someone else's pain and throw it down the river and start fresh. I learned what the measure of a man is all about. Can you live on life's edge and handle all it dishes out? Can you stand in the toughest moments of opposit...

The Players That You Never Knew

With the opening Friday Night of the 2014 high school football season on the horizon, every barbershop in every small-town in America is probably buzzing with the conversation of who are greatest high school football players of all time. It's a valid question considering the pool of talent that passes through most small towns. People often wonder where these guys end up long after their playing days are over. I've often asked the same question about many of my ex-teammates. Two in particular, Darius Brewnington and Kenny Shaw. If you were an athlete in the early 1990's they were arguably considered two of the most influential athletes in North Carolina's rich high school football history. Unfortunately, like many other high profile athletes life happens. However, even with the growing pains of life every man has his day of redemption. With Darius and Kenny being former teammates of mine I wanted to see for myself who they are 20 years removed fr...

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

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