Tim Gruber and Jenn Ackerman use both photography and video to tell stories for editorial and commercial clients. 
This project is my conversation with an old friend that I finally understand.
I grew up in a tiny, central Minnesota town with a population that teeters at 554. Many would recognize it as Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon region. I moved back to Minnesota this year after being away for almost a decade. I lived in a variety of places from an island off the coast of North Carolina to the heart of Manhattan.
That time away helped me appreciate all the things I took for granted as a child. Little did I know that having cattle graze(the photo below) in your backyard wasn’t normal for most people. I am reminded of warm summer days spent on my bike speeding down gravel roads to go swimming at the lake and Mr. Beutz’s scary old radiator shop that I now see as a work of art. These memories serve as photographic sparks in helping me rediscover a place I once again call home.
This project is my way of reconnecting with a place I only knew as a child and young man. This is my reunion with a state that I left, but that never fully left me.
A few working scans from the Hasselblad, which has become my camera of choice for all the personal projects I’m shooting right now.
I like this idea. I have often thought about doing the same thing with my hometown. There’s just something about where you come from that seems to draw you back every now and then. Looking forward to seeing more!
Thanks Max – it’s a hard draw to resist. If you find yourself back in IL anytime soon give the idea a try. Would love to see what you make of it.
Hey the cow’s look great in the backyard. Country living the best.