Jonathan Hanson

Martin Luther King Day, Baltimore MD 2009

Jonathan Hanson (b.1981, USA) received his B.A. in Magazine Journalism and English from Drake University and attended Ohio University’s Visual Communications MFA for a year and attended the Eddie Adams Workshop in 2010. He has been based in Baltimore for the past two and a half years after spending close to a year between Santa Fe, NM and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where he worked for the Santa Fe Workshops. After his adventures in Mexico, he returned to the U.S. and began his freelance career. His work has been recognized by The Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Award 2010, the National Press Photographers Association and The International Color Awards. Clients include, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, The New York Times, Bloomberg News, NPR, The Advocate, AARP Bulletin and USA Today among others.

About the Photograph:

“On a snowy MLK day in January 2009, I headed down to MLK blvd. to photograph Baltimore’s annual parade as part of a project I have been working on about Baltimore’s struggle with violence, poverty and violence. My goal with this project is to show the harsh realities while maintaing the pride and resilience of the subjects and community members. The young man in the image greatly symbolized the attitude I am trying to convey and furthermore, it was captured on a day where the community gathered together to celebrate progress and a national icon.”