J.J. McQueen

03/07/2025

06/21/2023

For all of my fake golf pros, there’s still a small window to register for the TWA football golf fundraiser.

With state and local funding not being what it used to be, a longtime friend and former TWA standout Jay Chatman and I decided to try something different to assist with helping sustain the needs of the football program.

For some it’s about wins and losses, but for us we’ve grown to understand it’s about providing the kids alternatives for future success.

So, if you can swing a club, prefer to donate, or prefer to volunteer, see the Eventbrite link below.

This a charitable golf tournament that will support the High Point Andrews Football Program with a monetary donation for the 2023 season.

03/15/2023

Black Boy Joy: A short time ago we were at work and received a call about a shooting on the west side involving some students from

When we arrived it was confirmed that a number of students had been shot and one didn’t make it. Needless to say our team spent the remainder of the week grappling with the idea of losing more of our boys.

It was a trying week. However, as we all know after every storm there’s sunshine. This weekend at the St. Patrick’s Day parade the boys state champions walked in lockstep with spreading joy to everyone within their reach. The young people of Baltimore are not only resilient, but they’re magical in ways that go beyond words. The whole world might not acknowledge who they are, but those of us who care see and saw the infectious moments that they shared with total strangers.

03/08/2023

Live Now: At the end of Black History month spoke to a intimate audience about the life and impact of Frederick Douglas. Even though his address wasn’t long it gave me enough time to hear this cut “Live Now” playing in the back of my head while I shooting. These historic moments happen everyday. So much so that many overlook them. Slow down and live now. Second chances are far and few.

03/03/2023

Vantage Point: So I’m sitting editing images during one of the halftimes at last week’s CIAA tournament games for and in walks CIAA/NBA legend Bobby Dandridge. He’s pretty close to my size 6’5-6’6. So immediately I’m like I’m out of position because I’m seated. I’m wondering how do I discretely capture this moment? It immediately dawned on me that this frame wasn’t going to be perfect. The photographer in me wanted the perfect frame, but the common sense in me was like bruh trust your instincts. I turned to the side and almost caught a cramp trying hold on long enough to use the natural state of the room. That split second decision reminded me that I won’t always have time to perfectly compose vintage moments. I won’t always have the perfect angle. However, what I can control is the perspective about the vantage point that I have because having access to those moments is rare, and special. Now that I look back it’s the perfect vantage point. There stands three generations of black excellence…

02/23/2023

CIAA Subtle Moments: The CIAA’s history is document led in more ways than I can count. It’s a conference and a brand of basketball that helped raise me. I remember watching Coach “Big House” mentor other players and coaches when I was child. The brand and traditions of the league were built on the foundations of this image. Each one teaching one. This is what means to me.

02/18/2023

The Colored Section: I often hear making mention of the impact of redlining. One night before joining his team I was photographing a night time community walk with I was processing images in my head a hundred miles per minute. I kept asking myself how did we get here? How did the history and the legacy of Pennsylvania Ave turn into the this? Then I looked to my left and there was the American flag. For as often as we make history doing monumental things, the residual impact of Americas ugly ills remain. Historically there have always been barriers that were intentionally put in place to impede the growth of people of color. However, just like everything else in life, records and barriers are meant to be broken. My black History month salute goes to the men and women of every grassroots organization here and around the globe. Especially those that are working hard to preserve the legacy of black and brown communities.

02/15/2023

Senior Night In Black and White: After a full day at the office I rushed out to my baby girl’s last home high school basketball game. I wanted shoot the last leg of her high school sports journey. Seeing her rock my high school #30 made it even more special. Even though she’s on her way to becoming one of the premiere college lacrosse players in the country, celebrating her journey on the hardwood has been nothing short of fulfilling. Love you baby girl.

02/08/2023

Running: For the sake of this post I’ll call the man across from Brother Dave. Just four hours into his journey of redemption Brother Dave sat across from Mayor Scott sharing stories about life and the distance traveled between time. Brother Dave’s time will be filled with support, encouragement, structure, and accountability. Their unwavering support for homeless veterans with various needs has been a mission that I’ve given props to since the early 2000’s. When Brother Dave’s time is up, he’ll go back out into the world and live out his destiny. This is the side of service that the world doesn’t see. The picture of humanity. Two brothers in two different places inspring one another for totally different reasons. This is humanity.

02/04/2023

Just Listen: Last night while shooting the Mayor’s Office Public Safety Summit on the campus of I noticed something that I haven’t noticed in a very long time. Everyone on stage was intensely listening to what each person had to say about every topic. With today’s societal makeup, we all have experienced and witnessed that listening is a rare and lost art. The event moderator challenged every leader to think deeply before giving a quick witted response. That challenge yielded wows, oh shoot, daaaayms, and even amens from the audience. Five unrelenting fearless black men dared to take the stage together in order to help reset communities and improve lives across the state of Maryland. & you ladies made this happen in record time✊🏾.