Tim Gruber and Jenn Ackerman use both photography and video to tell stories for editorial and commercial clients. 
Life in Appalachia is a body of work I photographed for the most grueling and demanding class I experienced in grad school. During the course of that quarter I experienced some of my brightest and darkest patches as a photographer. Shooting the same essay topic with all of your classmates can be hell esp. when they are a talented and driven bunch. Some of you may have seen this work and for others it will be new. (I wrote briefly about the essay class in this old blog post.)
At the time I saw this body of work as a failure and was never very fond of it, but now with time and a fresh edit(broadened the scope) it is growing me. Or maybe I am homesick and this body of work brings me a little closer to a place I love and once called home.
Check it out if you have time.
I like this edit better.
Personally, I’m still recovering from that class. It’s like I’m still finding wounds I didn’t know I had .. but it was one that changed how I thought and the further I get from it the more I see how it was a turning point.
Hey Tim,
Some nice stuff in there. I really like the photo of the kids on the ATV and the couple that follow that with the man swimming and the reflection of the house is pretty rad too.
John
Beautiful work, I really enjoyed it. Lovely color and tone adding to the mood.
Coal mine head lamps was brilliant.
Thanks for sharing.
Tim, I like the images in the series, especially since many resonate personally with me, being from Appalachia (kinda). I guess the real question is are you happy with the story the images tell?
This work is really beautiful, and I know what you mean about seeing it with new eyes from the perspective of time having passed. Sometimes our work is a bit like soup- it has to sit for awhile before the flavors can fully blend to their perfect point. There’s a good variety of images here, and not having spent much time in that part of the country, I can tell you that I objectively feel a sense of place that’s very particular and special. I especially love the image that you chose as the title shot… and the one of the boys on the ATV is a standout too.
Your work always impresses me… you seem to be able to adapt your picture making to the subject and let he/she/it speak for itself.