By Steve Werblow, Owner of Steve Werblow Communications
Want to know how to become the next Photo of the Year recipient? We asked this year’s winner, Steve Werblow of The Furrow, what his photography secrets are, how he won the awards this year, and what impact it has on his career.
1. How do you win the Photo of the Year? What was the story behind your photo?
The final dinner of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ 2022 post-Congress tour of the Faroe Islands was held at the 900-year-old home of Johannes Patursson. Johannes is quite a character—funny, irreverent, and very proud of his heritage. He was decked out in a very colorful, traditional outfit, which was the perfect complement to the black trim of his house. The long northern twilight tinged everything outside in blue while the warm light inside the house glowed orange. I love trying to capture various types and hues of light in my photos, so this scene was lining up to be great fun.
Johannes was a cooperative model, so I pulled him away from the pre-dinner cocktails for about 5 minutes, stood him in the doorway to take advantage of the even outdoor light, and shot a series of images looking at and away from the lens. This one was my favorite—the outside light was soft and even, exposing for his face allowed me to drop the inside of the house into a deep shadow, and his expressive face is pointed slightly off-camera, adding a little sense of mystery to the scene.
2. How do these awards help your professional career and ACN career?
Awards can be very helpful for getting noticed, which is good for business. They also spark fun and helpful conversations about writing and photography. Finally, I find the judges’ feedback to generally be helpful and thought-provoking, which is always useful when it comes to upping my game. That’s especially important when you work by yourself, which means you’re generally pretty light on feedback most days.
3. What tips or tricks do you have for ACN members who want to receive this award as well?
Photograph with intention—think about what you’re trying to say with a photograph and how you can best get that message across. Don’t just settle for a snapshot. Try a different angle. Look at a scene and figure out what to leave in or out to convey the situation to a reader. Turn around or walk behind the scene you’re shooting to see what else you’re missing.
Study other photographs you admire and see if you can figure out what makes them work. We’re graced with so many great photographers in our industry. Just looking at images by Jim Patrico, Joel Reichenberger, Martha Mintz, Katie Knapp, Lorne McClinton, Rob Mattson, Betty Haynes gives me ideas and makes me appreciate well-done photography.
Buy some photo books and leave them around so you can leaf through them. You can pick up great Time-Life or National Geographic anthologies in just about any used book store or antique shop, and there are countless collections by great photographers like Margaret Bourke-White, Yousef Karsh, Philippe Halsman, Robert Capa, Arnold Newman, Lyndsey Addario, and so many more—masters of any subject or style you can imagine. Surround yourself with inspiring images.
Just remember to photograph for your readers, not for the judges. You never know what judges are looking for, and for every judge who thinks an entry is great, there’s another one who says, “meh.” Don’t let that discourage you. Go out and tell your stories the best way you know how, and keep experimenting with ways to shoot them better. At some point, your passion will come through and grab your readers…and the judges will feel it, too.
4. Why do you enjoy being a member of ACN?
On a practical level, my freelance business is the product of the relationships I’ve built through the association—they’ve literally put food on my table and put my kids through school. But the greatest value of my ACN membership is that I thoroughly enjoy the energy I get from talking with people who get as excited about telling agriculture’s stories as I do. The friendships I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the conversations I’ve had through ACN inspire me every day. That’s helped keep this job interesting for more than 30 years.