Ben Garvin talks photojournalism, family, and fun
By Brianna Vitands
Murphy News Service
Ben Garvin is a multimedia photojournalist at Kare 11, but didn’t start off studying visual journalism.
Garvin grew up in Fayetteville, Ark., and originally studied creative writing at the University of Arkansas. Garvin’s passion for photojournalism grew after he took a class in black and white photography.
“I just got more excited about that than I’d ever gotten about anything ever, and it wasn’t about people, it was just about shapes and forms and the craft of creating an interesting image,” Garvin said. “It really got me excited and I realized this is something I could really put my heart into in a way that I had not been able to put my heart into anything in the past, and it was a really exciting thing.”
Garvin decided to pursue visual journalism at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and moved from Arkansas to New York.
“That was a really scary moment in my life, I remember when I first went to my freshman year I remember crying in my dorm room, just like ‘what the hell have I done, this is so scary, I don’t know anybody,” Garvin recalled. “It was an entirely different world and I felt really lonely. Then I built a community of friends and met some great teachers, and graduated four years later, and I have a lot of great friends from RIT.”
In the summers Garvin did freelance work for the Associated Press and print color photography for a fashion agency. He met his wife, Jessica, in New York City at a Brazilian jazz concert around the same time.
Garvin later moved to New Hampshire to work for the Concord Monitor, where he was named photographer of the year three times. Jessica is originally from Minnesota, however, and wanted to move home. Garvin did not have a position lined up before relocating, but found work as a staff photographer at the Star Tribune.
Eventually, a staff photographer position became available at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he worked for 11 years. Collectively, Garvin has been working in photojournalism for nearly 16 years.
Although Garvin has experience photographing a variety of stories, he says he prefers stories that are positive and make people laugh.
“I’m not a photographer who’s drawn to stories that are super hard or difficult to photograph, I’ve never been like that,” Garvin said. “My work tends to make people smile more than it does cry, I love making people laugh, and sharing my joy and love and that kind of stuff.”
One of Garvin’s favorite lighthearted projects was his “Magic Beard” video, which went viral on YouTube with nearly 4.5 million views. He shot the video using an iPhone 4 and a stop motion app.
“I realized at one point when I was showing some friends, they were so excited to see when I was going to post it, they thought it was the most hilarious thing ever,” Garvin said.
Garvin also collaborated with Jim Ragsdale, a former Pioneer Press reporter, to create a “mockumentary” about “Peep abuse,” to coincide with the newspaper’s annual peeps diorama contest.
“The whole thing was a spoof, but it was so fun,” Mike Zerby, a former photojournalist for the Star Tribune and adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota said. “We need more lightness, not dumb stuff, just something to make us laugh.”
While Garvin enjoys his independent projects, he often covers sports events, but admits he doesn’t support professional sports organizations.
“To be completely honest I don’t like professional sports,” Garvin said. “I photograph them because it’s my job, and it’s a real challenge but I enjoy that challenge. I love being on the sidelines of a Vikings game and trying to get the best picture, it’s a fun competitive environment.”
Garvin has been a multimedia photojournalist for Kare 11 since April, and says that part of the incentive to join them, aside from having a talented team dedicated to pursuing excellent journalism, was because this is the first Monday to Friday position he has had in his life.
“In general it’s been awesome, because this is the first time since we’ve been living together that he has had a Monday to Friday job,” his wife Jessica said.
Jessica and Garvin have been married for 13 years and have four children; Arthur, 9, Lewis, 6, and twins Netta and Bailey, 4.
“My kids are the center of my life, and kind of the reason for me being here, I’ve learned over time that I need to be home at a certain time,” Garvin said of his new hours.
Garvin related that he is grateful that he will have the opportunity to be home for dinner every night while also being able to pursue the work that makes him proud.
The pieces Garvin is proudest of were pitched independently.
“I can get an assignment and do really well on it and take pride in it, but ultimately I’ll take more ownership of something when I know I brought it to the table,” Garvin said.
While Garvin thinks watchdog and investigative pieces are increasingly important, he believes it’s also beneficial to create pieces that people want to share.
“My goal as a journalist is to help people arrive at a feeling, whether that’s laughter, or tears, or awe, or surprise; I want to help people feel something at the end of a picture they’ve seen or a video they’ve seen,” Garvin said.
Reporter Brianna Vitands studies journalism and Spanish at the University of Minnesota.