Although we have lived nearby for 20+ years, I have nary an image of Baltimore.  I started to read local history books and sought out the work of Maryland and DC photographers.  I began to walk around town to scout places and to determine what to shoot and when.  Along the way I discovered Baltimore’s charm and DC’s attraction, that cities and each of their neighborhoods have a unique and palpable character, that the urban landscape provides innumerable photo opportunities, and that it is exciting to seek out and capture them.  If you listen carefully, you can almost hear Gilberte Brassai, photographer of the well-known image of The Steps of Montmartre, saying … Na, duh.

I discovered that the 8 mile-long promenade that winds along and around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor provides more to photograph than I had imagined at first:  skyline views, tallships and other historic ships, street performers, marinas full of sailboats and pleasure craft, delightful historic neighborhoods, reflections an d abstracts, architectural detail, etc.  An even bigger delight was learning this wealth of photo opportunities is even better at night.  Then, one has the skyline set against the gorgeous twilight sky, illuminated buildings and ships, new and different reflections on the water and in windows, moonlit marinas, restaurant districts that come alive with neon, and huge fireworks displays on July 4^th and New Year’s Eve.

I am now fascinated with city life and urban photography, so much so that my wife and I recently sold our house in the suburbs and moved into one of the historic neighborhoods surrounding Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Given the current housing market, I do not suggest that you too abandon the burbs, but I do strongly recommend that you get out and discover what your home town has to offer. Shoot the skyline expanse as well as intimate cityscapes.  Use your longest lens to capture architectural detail high up on the buildings.  Get up early for first light; then, stay out for evening twilight and the moonrise.  Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary … seek out different angles, patterns, reflections and shapes.  Shy about asking people for permission to photograph them?  Then find an interesting background and wait for someone to walk into it.  Check out local events where you are sure to find wild and wacky characters.  Shoot all the iconic images, but then be on the lookout for new and unique views of them.  And, be sure to get out year-round at all times of the day and in all types of weather.

Once you begin to build your hometown portfolio, look for and create images that tell a story.  The accompanying images tell one of my favorite visual stories about Baltimore … our iconic Domino Sugars sign is visible from throughout the Inner Harbor and surrounding neighborhoods.   Do you live in Chicago?  If so, you could create a series of images that demonstrate Chicago is a windy city.  If you call San Francisco home, shoot images that show just how foggy the city can get.

Your hometown will provide you a wide variety of options for photo projects, limited only by your imagination.  One of my ongoing personal assignments is called Up on the roof.  It includes images created from our upper deck and rooftop terraces of family, friends and neighbors.  In return for access, I give folks a matted print.  I plan to start asking public buildings for access to their rooftops.

Again, I encourage you to embark upon a photo journey of your hometown.  Get out and see the nearby sights and lights.  Once you do, you are certain to make a number of discoveries, have fun, and build a unique portfolio.

P.S.  For those nature photographers who may be thinking they prefer the outdoors to shooting cityscapes, please note that one of my most rewarding discoveries was finding how much nature there is to photograph in and around Baltimore.  To name a few, I found wood ducks close-by in a state park; a large colony of yellow lady slippers in a county park; and, along the Potomac River, almost all the spring wildflowers one finds in the Smoky Mountains.  So, send your camouflage outfit to the cleaners, put on your civvies, and see what natural wonders await you in your hometown.

When fully loaded, the Photo Trekker weighs quite a bit so I plan to work close to my car.  If I need to be away from the car for an extended period, then I generally bring the empty Mini Trekker.  I use it to carry only the gear I need on a particular day and stow the rest of my gear in the Photo Trekker.

My Lowepro Mini Trekker carries:

• Nikon D300 and the attached quick release L bracket from Really Right Stuff
• Nikkor AF 12-24mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S DX lens, with Kirk quick release plate.  I often rely upon this lens to give added depth and dimension to broad cityscapes and naturescapes.
• Nikkor AF-S 28-70mm f2.8 ED lens, with Kirk quick release plate.  This is my Old Faithful lens … handy for all my nature, outdoor and urban photography needs.
• Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f2.8 ED-IF VR lens, with Kirk lens collar & quick release plate.  I use this versatile lens to capture detail and to better fill the viewfinder with my subject.
• Lens hoods for each lens to control flare & to keep the lens dry during inclement weather
• SanDisk Extreme III CF cards.  I carry up to six 2GB and three 4GB cards.
• Singh-Ray soft-edge neutral density filter set … 1-stop and 2-stop
• Singh-Ray hard-edge neutral density filter set … 1-stop and 2-stop
• Nikon circular polarizer
• spare EN-EL3e battery
• D300 owner’s manual
• Small Flexfill white & gold reflector and medium-sized Flexfill diffuser
• Plastic shower caps to protect the camera & tripod head in light rain
• Clif Crunchy Peanut Butter food bar or Odwalla Berries GoMega bar
• Water bottle
• Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, model G1348 MK2
• Kirk ballhead

My Lowepro Photo Trekker AW II backpack can carry all of the equipment listed above, plus these two additional items:

• Nikkor AF-S 300mm f4 ED-IF lens, with Kirk lens collar & quick release plate
• Nikkor TC-14E teleconverter

For macro photography I use the AF Micro Nikkor 200mm f/4.0D ED-IF lens and lens hood.

For bird and wildlife photography I use:

• Nikkor AF-S 300mm f4 ED-IF lens, with Kirk lens collar & quick release plate
• Nikkor TC-14E teleconverter
• Nikkor 200-400mm f4 G-AFS ED-IF VR lens, with Kirk quick release replacement foot