I met Charlie, the owner of Baltimore Steel, many years ago and since then we’ve run into one another periodically, gradually becoming friends. He would say often that one day he wanted me to do photography from some of his projects, and I continued to look forward to doing that. In January of 2021, the call came. Charlie was building a new website, and told me he wanted to spend some time running me around Baltimore so that I could photograph various jobs that his company had done over the years.
Previously in my business, I had done some construction and building photography, as well as product photography, but never anything on this scale. However, as any business owner knows, each job is preparation for the next one, and when you take a leap of faith, it will often propel you to places you could never before have imagined. This was that kind of job, and I have always been one to seize the day. Charlie knew he was giving me an occasion to shine, and I am grateful he had faith in me to do that.
We went out twice and did hundreds of photos of various places in Baltimore, all places that he and his company had helped to create, places like Oriole Park, The Four Seasons, the award winning Tyler building at Morgan State and many more. In the process I learned that he spent years being the guy to go up on the girders “building Baltimore into what we see today”. I developed a strong respect for Charlie and the company in realizing that he had a hand in raising some of the most renowned Baltimore buildings. I loved every minute of it, both the learning about him and his business, and the experience of shooting on a whole other level. With a newly acquired passion for the art in architecture, Laura’s Eyes will continue to seek more of these types of opportunities. The body of work that came from those shoots brings joy every time I look at it, and has resulted in respect from others who have been excited to follow Charlie in working with Laura’s Eyes at this level. Thank you Charlie; I look forward to working with you again as you have need.
