Photojournalism, Creativity
Ben Brewer
YOUR PHONE IS RUINING YOUR MEMORY

The science is out there: Your cell phone is ruining your memory… but don’t worry, thinking like a photojournalist when you take pictures can change all that.

YOUR PHONE IS RUINING YOUR MEMORY
Creativity
Ben Brewer
MYELINATION + BREAKING YOUR BAD CREATIVE HABITS
Photojournalism, Equipment
Ben Brewer
DO MY PIXELS DECEIVE ME?

What happens when a portable image-making machine meets advanced artificial intelligence and computation? An ethical mess.

Creativity, Equipment
Ben Brewer
COMPARE AND DESPAIR
COMPARE AND DESPAIR
Equipment, Photojournalism
Ben Brewer
GETTING SOME "CLARITY" ON PHOTOSHOP

Buckle up Photoshop CC users, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

GETTING SOME "CLARITY" ON PHOTOSHOP

Wisconsin

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REBUILDING – THE TOMAH VA

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REBUILDING

 

TOMAH VA MEDICAL CENTER // TOMAH, WI

“I can’t even count the number of times I was about to wrap a rope around my neck, and I called the VA and I got help.”

That's the kind of shit that sticks with you long after you stop rolling on your interview or shoot your last portrait of the day. 

I had the incredible opportunity to visit and document the Tomah VA's efforts to refocus their mission and vision for the future as a hospital, while battling the ongoing stigma of the 2016 opioid and staffing crisis at the facility. As a part of that investigative assignment, Capital Times reporter Katelyn Ferral and myself sat down with both VAMC Medical Director Victoria Brahm as well as two Army veterans, Sam and Kris, who spoke honestly about their experiences at the facility. 

It was during our second day, sitting down with Sam and Kris, that it struck me how immensely interconnected politics and the VA truly are. While it may just seem like a political ad invoking a crisis stays in the political realm, this intimate talk with Sam and Kris definitively proves otherwise. Political mudslinging can and does affect the work that the VA is trying to accomplish for our most in-need veterans in the wake of the opioid and staffing crisis at the facility.

During the assignment, I was also tasked with shooting still photos for use on the print and online versions of the article. Without a doubt, there are some quirks and pitfalls to shooting both formats on the same assignment, but I'll dive in deep on my thoughts about multitasking on assignment as the subject of a future blog post here on Photo Forward Media. 

I can hands-down say this is one of my proudest projects I've worked on in recent memory and certainly one of the most emotionally impactful edits I've put together.

So, Photo Forward readers, what's the most emotionally-resonant documentary or editorial video content you've seen recently?

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FEELING THAT 100STATE OF MIND

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100state is a community and a home for problem solvers, creatives, and entrepreneurs - inspiring collaboration and creating connections to unleash potential. 

This has been a long time coming, but I'm finally able to share an ongoing collaboration with a truly unique space here in Madison — 100state — an innovative, creative coworking community smack in the middle of the city.

It was such a blast to connect with these inspiring entrepreneurs, fellow freelancers, and...well... "doers". Not only in the course of interviewing Jason Tham, Olivia Barrow, and Robert Chappell, but in attending the public events, town hall meetings, and health-focused yoga nights — I felt such a part of this diverse community.

Now, I wouldn't call this "documentary" work, but the ongoing nature of the shoot necessitated some long-term thinking on the part of shooting video. It was way, way, way important to ensure that the shots (sometimes weeks or months apart) needed to look and feel consistent. That meant specific white balancing and toning all of the footage (using my favorite tool ColorFinale) to look consistent.

[And for all you tech-heads out there, here's a quick list of all the gear I used to shoot with] 

Anyways, thanks for taking a look at one of (in my opinion) my best video projects I've had the pleasure to work on to date. Time to get back in the edit suite to start some serious multi-cam editing on a forthcoming video series I shot earlier this month.

Any questions about visual storytelling? DSLR filmmaking? Color grading? Drop me a comment down below and I'll give my best!

WISCONSIN PRIMARY COLORS

Well what a crazy stretch that was. Whether you’re feeling the Bern, stuck on Cruz Control, or playing the Trump card, this batch of photos will have something for you. (Even if you’re Kasich of the whole damn political process).

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Striking Developments

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This past week, I was given the opportunity to work on another fascinating assignment with the New York Times and reporter Julie Bosman in covering the on-going strike between management and employees of the Kohler company outside Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

KOHLER, WI — DECEMBER 9, 2015: Jeff Radtke, a 28 year veteran in the Kohler Pottery department looks down the picket line outside the Kohler facility, Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

I was able to spend the better part of a day walking along the picket line, capturing the scene and learning more about their stories, motivations, and emotions.

Most of all, perhaps, I was struck by the particular demographic most common amongst the strikers:

28 years of work at Kohler. 36 years of work at Kohler. 42 years of work at Kohler.

These were employees that had truly dedicated their lives to the company. More interesting still is the fact that the proposed changes to the Kohler pay scale — one of the root causes for the strike— affects a proportionally small minority of these veteran employees.

KOHLER, WI — DECEMBER 9, 2015: UAW Local 833 employees strike outside the Kohler manufacturing facility, Tuesday, December 8, 2015. Around 2,100 Kohler employees and union members are currently maintaining a 24/7 picket line outside the plant.

Worker after worker Julie and I spoke to reiterated similar points: We’re doing this for the ones just starting out, the youngest ones at the company, the ones hit the hardest, and the ones with the least means to weather the change.

KOHLER, WI — DECEMBER 9, 2015: Dale Mand, a Kohler employee of 43 years in the Engine plant, looks on at other Local UAW 833 strikers outside the Kohler facility, Tuesday, December 8, 2015. Around 2,100 Kohler employees and union members are currently maintaining a 24/7 picket line outside the plant.

The level of camaraderie and support from one employee to another at Kohler truly was a sight to behold. Sounds like the ball is in your court, Kohler.

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SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN

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Well, what an interesting couple of weeks it’s been here in Madison…

It all kicked off after a “drafting error” showed the true intentions of Governor Scott Walker — instituting massive budget cuts of $300M to the University of Wisconsin system over the next two years. Needless to say, students, professors and community members were less than thrilled. A systematic dismantling of the UW System and “Wisconsin Idea” prompted numerous on-campus Q&A sessions and rallies in opposition to the proposed budget.

Unrest only grew this week.

Mere days after the proposed cuts were made public did more unexpected news arrive. Despite earlier claims that it would be a “distraction,” Wisconsin legislators announced their plan to make Wisconsin the 25th “right-to-work” state, another attempt to reduce the influence of unions only a few short years after Wisconsin Act 10 was passed, breaking down the rights of public sector unions and collective bargaining power.

As a fairly new resident to Wisconsin, I’m utterly struck by the complete and utter disconnect between our politicians and the people they purport to represent. Is it a fundamental issue of constituents voting against their own best interests? An uninformed electorate? A continuous cycle of politicians who promise to do one thing, then do the opposite? I honestly don’t know.

MADISON, WI — FEBRUARY 24: Employees inside the Wisconsin State Capitol show a message of support and solidarity from their window looking over the worker and labor union opposition rally just outside. Workers and labor unions rallied in opposition to a right-to-work bill being discussed in the state legislature. 

And as I look across the border to my home state of Minnesota, I wonder how those running Wisconsin can honestly see our neighbor’s successes yet denounce their methods.

(And just a pro tip here, it’s likely not in your best interests to compare your constituency to a murderous and barbaric terrorist organization…)

Obviously, I’m exceptionally grateful to have this amazing chance to cover what’s happening in (what’s now) my state for the New York Times recently. I just wish I had better news and more human stories to be reporting — not a divided populace, disingenuous governing body, and a stumbling economy.