NEWSLETTER



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Gruber and Whisenand

Two students' journey to Minnesota CPOY

By Alyssa Schafer

One’s a fresh face in the newsroom; the other’s been around a while. Both are award-winning photographers, but they have taken slightly different paths to success. Two Minnesota college photographers, Tim Gruber of St. Cloud State University and Thomas Whisenand of the University of Minnesota, had great showings at the Minnesota News Photographers Association’s 2005 Pictures of the Year competition.

Four years ago, Gruber picked up a camera and started snapping photos in Europe. He had no idea this tentative tinkering would lead him to a career in photojournalism. “It grew from just a hobby into something I was obsessed with,” Gruber said.
	Tim Gruber

This obsession has brought Gruber notable success, but MNPA’s 2005 College Photographer of the Year said it really hasn’t hit him yet. He wasn’t expecting to win. In fact, Gruber decided to enter the 2005 POY competition because it was the first year he had an image or two that would rank competitively, he said.

That was Gruber’s Midwestern modesty speaking. All told, Gruber took first place for both his sports portfolio and sports feature “Nature Calls.” He took third place for the photo story “In Search of the Right Road” and two honorable mentions in the sports feature and portrait/personality categories.

One of his favorite photos is his honorable mention portrait/personality entry, “Just a Kid,” which profiles Austin Hahn, a homeless 14-year-old who was taken away from his mother and placed in foster care shortly after the photo was taken, Gruber said.

“ This image just captured the demons that he’s fighting. He had to grow up far faster than anyone should have to,” he said.

One of Gruber’s more lighthearted shots, “Nature Calls,” captures the innocence of childhood. “It was just one of those images,” Gruber said. “It reminds me of the innocence of growing up in a small town. When you’re a little kid, you pee wherever and just get back to playing or having a good time.”
A native of Freeport, Minn., Gruber has interned at The Kenosha News in Kenosha, Wis., The Evening Sun in Hanover, Pa., The Janesville Gazette of Janesville, Wis., and, most recently, The Toledo Blade.

Gruber said internships have taught him a lot about the daily work environment a photographer encounters. He learned how to deal with assignments that aren’t visually driven, make suggestions to an editor, make active images and be a proactive voice in the newsroom, he said.

Gruber graduated from St. Cloud State University in May 2005, and he’s continuing his studies in the Ohio University graduate program. “So far, it’s been a great experience for me. During my undergrad, I only had one photo class, and I wasn’t surrounded by people with the same hunger for photography,” Gruber said. “Now I’m surrounded by so many like-minded and passionate photographers.”

Gruber said his experiences in Ohio and at various internships have pushed him to take his storytelling skills to a new level. When he was assigned to take pictures in a drivers’ education classroom for a story related to the rising number of car accidents in the months of July and August, Gruber added a personal touch to the assignment.

“ I shot what they wanted, but I asked them if I could actually go with a kid as he’s taking his driving test,” Gruber said. “It taught me about not being afraid to speak up.… Talk to your subject and explain what you’re trying to do.

“ Before, I thought being a photojournalist meant being a social butterfly…. I didn’t think I had it in me to take pictures and approach people,” Gruber said. “The camera becomes an excuse for taking an interest in people.”

These days, Gruber is following the example his gregarious father set years ago. “I liked watching (my father) as a kid. He’d be able to put people at ease from different walks of life,” he said. “I think my camera’s finally got that confidence. It’s amazing how open people can be if you approach them with an open mind and an open heart.

“ If you shoot from your heart, it just has that emotional quality—something of anger, passion or what have you. I find it fun to just forget about things and let my heart do the talking,” Gruber said.

Early on, he received some guidance from professor Ted Sherarts of St. Cloud State University and his wife LaVona; both are photographers. They looked over his work and pushed him to excel, he said.

“ I look at all the amazing work of the Star Trib (Star Tribune) shooters, and I feel like I have so far to go,” Gruber said. “I want to put everything I have into this dream.”

Gruber said some of his future story ideas focus on foster children, mothers who give birth in prison and a blind marching band from Columbus.

“ I’m hoping when I get done here (in Ohio), the job market will be decent enough for a paper that I can find a home at,” he said. “I tell people I’m at a great time (in my life) where I don’t have many commitments. I can pour all my energy into making this dream happen.”

In the meantime, Gruber said he works hard to sustain his passion for photography. “I really started to make a point of that…to not only take pictures that please the editor, but pictures that please me as well,” Gruber said.
On the other end of the photographic spectrum, Whisenand’s zeal for photography is more reserved. “Photography has definitely become a job for me. I hardly take pictures outside of working,” Whisenand said.

On the other end of the photographic spectrum, Whisenand’s zeal for photography is more reserved. “Photography has definitely become a job for me. I hardly take pictures outside of working,” Whisenand said.

Whisenand, MNPA College Photographer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, had a strong showing again in 2005. Along with being named runner-up for College Photographer of the Year, he took first place in photo package and portrait / personality, second place in general news, third place in general news and an honorable mention in the feature category.

“Nature Calls” Fairfield sophomore Seth Mon relieves himself along the tree line during a recent football practice at the baseball field above the middle school in Fairfield. Mon and his teammates are forced to practice on the baseball field as the football stadium is being constructed. Photo by Tim Gruber

“Just a Kid” At only 14 and homeless, Austin Hahn, has had to grow up far faster than most kids. Three weeks later Austin was taken away from his mom and put into foster care. Photo by Tim Gruber

“Thailand AIDS Hospice” AIDS patient Chanayut, 26, rests in his bed at Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu, a Buddhist temple and aids hospice, Wednesday March 10, 2005. Chanayut is in good physical condition but when admited to the aids hospice he was given a bed surrounded by patients in near death conditions. Over one week he witnessed the deaths of four patients from his bed. Photo by Thomas Whisenand

	Thomas Whisenand

Whisenand, MNPA College Photographer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, had a strong showing again in 2005. Along with being named runner-up for College Photographer of the Year, he took first place in photo package and portrait/personality, second place in general news, third place in general news and an honorable mention in the feature category.

“Contests are important, but they’re not something you can think about when you’re shooting,” Whisenand said. “(They) are just a good way to look back and find areas to improve and grow.”

When he entered the University of Minnesota as a freshman in the fall of 2001, he quickly became bored with his classes, he said. So, in October of that year he got a job at the U of M’s student newspaper, the Minnesota Daily, where he worked until December 2004.
In the spring of 2005, he changed course and headed for Asia. He traveled for six months — half vacation, half photojournalism. While in Thailand, he spent a week and a half at Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu, a Buddhist temple and AIDS hospice, where he shot his first place photo package “Thailand AIDS Hospice.”

“ It’s true you have to have someone to guide you (overseas). If you don’t have someone to help you, you’ll never get the true meat of the story,” he said. While in Nepal, his guide, R.B. Khatry of Kathmandu, helped him navigate many intense situations.

“ Basically, in Nepal the government was kind of mess at the time.…The first time I ever felt in danger was there,” he said.

Whisenand and Khatry went up into the mountains and met some guerrillas. To avoid confrontation, he told them he was French. This didn’t ensure his safety though, because the Nepali army could have come and attacked the guerrillas at any moment, catching them in the crossfire. Luckily, Khatry was able to diffuse the situation and get them out of there safely. His photo package “Nepal” took second place in the contest.

“ I like working overseas and traveling, but there are not a lot of jobs in that. I’m more into photographing community stuff right now,” Whisenand said.

Since he graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2006, Whisenand has been able to focus more on community work. He is interning at the St. Petersburg Times in Tampa, Fla., where he works full time. He describes it as a photo paper with a staff of about 40 photographers. St. Petersburg Times is the largest daily newspaper in Florida, with circulation of about 334,000 daily and 420,000 on Sundays.

“ The biggest battle in coming out of college and becoming a photographer is learning how the industry works,” he said. Whisenand has thrived in the industry so far. His credits include his work at the Minnesota Daily, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and internships with the Duluth News Tribune, the Concord Monitor and now the St. Petersburg Times.

When he isn’t shooting, Gruber likes to run. He said he runs because it gives him a chance to unwind and get lost in the moment. He also enjoys watching football and participates in three fantasy football leagues. Whisenand is an outdoor enthusiast who spends his free time hiking, camping, skiing and brewing his own beer.