Virtual Expert: Jim Patrico

Jim Patrico of Progressive Farmer magazine has won numerous AAEA photography awards in recent years.

In Search of a Hero's Photo

This photo of Tommy Hamill is was not technically difficult, nor is it especially imaginative. But I like it because it tells the story simply and because it involved some planning, perseverance and a lot of luck.

Tommy is a Mississippi dairy farmer who lost most of his farm, had financial troubles (his wife had major medical expenses) and signed up with Haliburton to drive trucks in Iraq. He was captured by insurgents, held in fear of his life for about a month and then escaped. He became something of a celebrity back home but was publicity-shy. Progressive Farmer Cotton Editor Vicki Myers and retired Regional Editor Earl Manning convinced Tommy to do an interview and photos. They did a great job with the story, and the editors decided they wanted it on the cover. That put me on a plane for Mississippi facing a tight deadline.

Tommy is a great fan of Progressive Farmer -- which is why he agreed to talk to Earl and Vicki -- but he was not sure he wanted his picture taken. When we set up the photo session, he gave me all the reasons he was too busy to give me much time. He was especially reluctant to work with me in the early evening when the light would be best because his daughter had softball practice then. I convinced him to let me show up at his farm in the late afternoon and figured we could wing it from there. My plan was to use a couple of hours to get to know Tommy so he was comfortable with me, a real key in portraiture. I'd also spend some time scouting for a location for the cover shoot.

The best cover photo idea I had came from Vicki, who told me the small town where Tommy lived had treated him like a hero, hanging yellow ribbons on the county courthouse square. As I drove to Tommy's, I detoured to check out the ribbons. Sure enough, the stately old courthouse had yellow ribbons tied around its columns on the west sideideal for late afternoon/early evening sun. I wanted that light not only because it provides such good color, but also because the story was written as a warm, human-triumph piece. Golden light would reflect the story's tone.

I met Tommy at his farm around 4 p.m. with the sun shining brightly and every reason to hope the sky would stay clear. He was a somber, but good-looking man with a drooping mustache and -- on this day -- a stylish, broad brim hat that gladdened my photographer's heart. He also had on his right arm (which was healing from a gunshot wound) a soft cast adorned with an American flag. This would do nicely, I thought.

The farm itself was not picturesque. The house was an unremarkable ranch; the hay field we visited was overgrown with weeds. We took some time to shoot photos of Tommy working with a tractor and hay rake. They were destined for the inside of the magazine. The cover would come at the courthouse.

But first, Tommy suggested we go to his daughter's softball practice where we would meet his wife for some family photos. The practice was okay; I got some candids of Tommy helping out. But an hour later, the wife was still delayed. Seems she wanted to have her hair done before the photos. Understandable, but the sun was sliding quickly toward the western lip of the sky and I was getting nervous. When Tommy said he would get into his pickup and go to the hairdresser's, I should have suggested that we do the all-important courthouse photos first. But he said he would be back in five minutes -- which turned into 25. I was getting really nervous. The light was perfect, absolutely perfect NOW. Finally, Tommy's wife showed. (I later learned it was the first time in years that Tommy had seen her as a blonde.) We took a few hurried family photos as I tried to appear calm and deliberate while watching the evening shadows cover first the ball field's outfield, then the infield, finally the backstop.

We gotta go, Tommy.

As we drove up to the courthouse, my heart sank. The yellow-ribboned columns were already in shadow but the background behind was still bright. There was no way to light Tommy and the ribbons enough to compensate for the light on background. As we walked toward the courthouse, I noticed a tunnel of sunlight that shone through a gap in the buildings across the street and onto -- Hallelujah! -- a tree trunk festooned with a large yellow ribbon. As quickly as I could, I set up the tripod, had Tommy compose himself at the base of the tree and began shooting the cover.

I used an 80-200 mm lens at about 200 because I wanted to blur the background. I got on my knees to be at eye level with Tommy and moved around to find a dark background so he would pop out at the reader. I also had to leave some blank spaces in the frame for the magazine's logo and the cover blurb type. I didn't have to work on his expression. As I said, he was a somber sort, which was appropriate for the tone of the story. I had him look at me, then over my shoulder.

I shot about 40 frames in probably five minutes. Then the sun was gone, and I was pretty sure I had what we needed.

How did you begin your career? What advice do you have for those just graduating in ag comm? What does it mean to be a member of AAEA? How do you maintain a high standard of ethics in your writing and your career?

I was fortunate to attend the University of Missouri and earn a degree in journalism with a concentration in photojournalism. My intended career path took me into newspapers. I worked for a daily newspaper for only three years, but in that time I learned an awful lot about pressure, production and patience. I then was lucky enough to get out of newspapering and into the world of ag journalism. I took a job with the Missouri Ruralist and had the good fortune to work for editor Larry Harper, who valued photography and encouraged us youngsters to work hard at making words and photos work as a team.

My advice to the next generation of ag journalists interested in photography is to follow Larry's advice and learn to value photos. Make them a priority for each story you do. Think about them before, during and after the research and interviews on which you build your stories. Remember, headlines and photos are the graphic elements that capture a reader's attention. Without them, the reader is not going to read the first paragraph of your wonderful prose.

A second bit of advice is to hook up with other professionals who have similar values and goals as you. The AAEA is a great place to find such people. It is also a valuable resource for comparing your skill level to that of others. For instance, the AAEA Photo Awards competition each year attracts hundreds of entries. Independent judges evaluate the entries and choose the outstanding ones for recognition. One of the judges then comes to the annual meeting and gives a presentation so that AAEA members can see the best their organization has to offer and hear why the judges chose the winning entries. It's a great way to get motivated to achieve more with your photos.