It was a quick shoot with not a lot going on, but we always enjoy the challenge of trying to make something out of a nothing.

Its always hard to illustrate a story that happened months ago and given the four hours that we had to shoot, we were pleased to find a variety of situations. For most of the afternoon, we focused on a farmer who had lost acres of crops due to the floods throughout the spring and summer. But one of my favorite images from our time there was an image we took as twilight approached of a barn in a flooded soybean field. We had seen the field as we drove in earlier that afternoon and knew it was an image that spoke to the damage that the farmers still felt – their fields under water months after the storms.

This project for me has been a great escape in may ways. Given the location of the project, an island, it’s allowed me to isolate myself and given me a focus. With that it has simplified things and given myself and my photography a needed breathe of fresh air. More than any project in the past this project has been driven mainly by my curiosity and a desire to get the know the island beyond the mileposts(17.5 for those of you who know the OBX) I’m comfortable with.

I finally caught up with scanning so look for an edit of this body of work on our website soon. In the meantime here are a few images.

The same day I found out I was a finalist for the award, I also received two emails from people working with mentally ill inmates. This is what they wrote:

I just spent a few hours reading everything and watching the videos on your site. I just want to say you have done amazing work – I am sure you hear this a lot, but thank you.

…Granted, I know they are incarcerated for a reason that is not good but they still deserve to be heard. I have done so many searches on the net to try and find a way for the inmates to be heard. I watched and read your story on Trapped and it was amazing. I have worked in corrections and actually dealt with E.W. and he was in the documentary beating himself up and the work you did does display exactly what corrections staff are faced with on a daily basis. Thank you for your time,

While I am extremely thankful for the recognition that I received from my peers and awards I have received for my project on mental illness in prison, some of the best recognition has been from former inmates, those with mental illness or those working with people with mental illness. Those emails and letters encourage me to continue the project and tell other stories like this one.

Obviously the traditional methods of funding reportage projects are becoming harder to find so this should be an exciting discussion about what’s working and what’s not.

Register for our seminar or any of the seminars on the PhotoPlus website.

We hope to see you there!

When I am shooting a multimedia project with motion and sound, all of my senses are heightened. I take in every sound, watch every movement and observe everything that is going on around me.

But when I put the drape over me, everything shuts off except for the person in the frame. I am oblivious to sounds or the people around me  - all I see is the person in front of me. I am fully engaged in who they are like I never have before. I study their face, their expression and I am aware of every wrinkle, the shape of their eyes and the way they hold their hands.

Its much like putting on blinders. My attention is narrow and more focused. So while some of my senses are denied when I go under the drape, others are taken to all new levels.

Here are some photos from my first project with the 4×5 on sunbathers.

For me it is much more. It is a place where I fell in love, married and am now trying to discover the peculiar qualities that make me so fascinated by this skinny strip of land sitting out in the Atlantic.

The Island is my connection to a place that like the tide has its highs and lows. Home to fishermen, surfers, beach bums, and retirees this is the beginning of what will be a life-long documentation of an ever changing island.

A few scans from the project. Look for a lot more in the near future.

Dear Jenn,
I was an inmate at the Kentucky State Reformatory in LaGrange, and I was in the CPTU when you were making the documentary. I wanted to express my appreciation for the great job you’ve done helping to inform people about mental illness in the prison system. I watched the video you have on your website, and it was excellently created and produced.

Things are getting better for those of us who suffer from mental illness, and a lot of it is thanks to the work of people like you.

Thanks again

An image from Trapped: Mental Illness in Prison

To see more from the project, click here.

The class site is a great resource for students and professionals alike. Kevin’s students are lucky to have such a passionate professor at a pivotal point in their careers.

Link – Friends of The Class: Ackerman Gruber