Meet the Photographer Capturing All of Baltimore’s 250-Plus Neighborhoods

Morris, 28, didn’t develop up wherever. Maybe that’s why she’s so eager on neighborhoods. By the time she was 18, she had moved 15 instances. Her mother, who was in banking, modified jobs loads, she explains.

“I’m very quick to try to make friends and get to know people,” she says of the fixed relocation. “But I think it makes it hard to have roots anywhere or really get to know a city.”

She’s fascinated with the idea of being born in a specific place and turning into a everlasting a part of that neighborhood’s material.

“In my life I’ve had to make friends quickly, and kind of get used to losing people here and there,” she says, then blinks. “So that’s a really sad thing.”

But Morris’ persona is the alternative of unhappy. Her vitality is heat and fascinating. She’s sensible and considerate and her voice is so spirited that when she speaks, it nearly seems like she’s laughing. But she additionally freely talks about her struggles with despair and the way one can really feel so lonely even in a metropolis of greater than 550,000 folks.

Having lived her life as a nomad (which has included some stints residing in her automotive, some by selection, others by necessity), it’s laborious to say whether or not she grew up with no neighborhood or too many communities. But it’s buildings which have all the time introduced her reassurance.

“Architecture was the only thing that gave me comfort when I was homeless and still gives me peace of mind.”

When we speak over the summer time, she is newly again on the town after spending the final two months in California and Arizona. Before that, she was in downtown Baltimore for 5 months and earlier than that she was residing in Essex for 2 years. (This was after spending a yr right here throughout early COVID residing in an Airbnb in Riverside.)

“This is actually the longest I’ve stayed anywhere, if I’m honest,” says Morris. “So, this is kind of new for me.”

The one fixed for Morris has all the time been her love of images. “I’ve been taking photos since I could hold a camera,” she says. “I got it from my mom—she was always behind the camera, doing family events or outings. And then I started taking pictures myself, and I got really happy. It was my happy place.”

So, when she pushed herself to get to know Baltimore exterior of the few locations she had visited and lived (Bromo Arts District, Riverside), she turned to some previous reliables—images and psychological well being walks.

“For kicks and giggles I walked around a few times and then I said, ‘You know what? How many neighborhoods are here? It can’t possibly be a lot.’” (That proved to be removed from the reality, however didn’t deter her.) “I’ve never been too good with keeping promises to myself,” she admits.

And this mission—photographing each neighborhood in Baltimore—appeared not possible. But she determined she wanted not possible and challenged herself.

“I decided to make it a sort of New Year’s resolution.”