Bethany Baker, ’10, is a native of Northwest Indiana and a graduate of River Forest High School. She graduated from Indiana State with a B.F.A., with a concentration in photography. In her career as a photojournalist and videographer, Bethany has worked throughout the American West. She has photographed Arizona’s Grand Canyon, bears in Yellowstone National Park, Native American celebrations in Montana, and the Burning Man festival in Nevada. She has also covered historic Colorado wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and the severe drought that is currently baking the West, among other national news stories. Bethany has freelanced for Associated Press and Reuters, and has assisted on several projects for National Geographic, including a feature on a racing team competing in Mexico in the Baja 1000, an annual off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. Bethany currently works for the Fort Collins Coloradoan, a Gannett publication.
In September 2021, Bethany will begin her studies in Harvard University’s Digital Storytelling Graduate Certificate program in Cambridge, MA. Eventually, she expects to apply to the Harvard Extension School’s Journalism Graduate Program.
Where are you from, and why did you decide to attend Indiana State?
I am from New Chicago in Northwest Indiana. Multiple factors led to my choice to be a Sycamore. First, I had two high school band directors who were both Sycamores. They are the reason that I first applied. Secondly, the Fine Arts program offered more photography classes than any of the other Indiana schools I was considering. Finally, when ISU offered me the best financial aid and scholarship package, my decision to be a Sycamore was easy.
When did you first become interested in photography, and when did you decide to make it your career path?
I became interested in photography after visiting my older brother in Arizona during summer vacations in high school. He worked for a local newspaper and travel magazine in Page, Ariz., which is located on the border with Utah and right next to Lake Powell. He would take me on news and travel assignments with him and let me shoot the photos. This was the first time that I had ever shot photographs for an audience.
After seeing the black and white images of the Civil Rights movement, from an era considered to be the Golden Age of photojournalism, I began to look at photojournalism as my dream career path. Fortunately, I was able to work at The Indiana Statesman to gather more experience.
Are there any faculty that were especially helpful in your time at Indiana State?
Fran Lattanzio was by far one of the most influential of my professors. (Lattanzio retired in 2020 after 45 years at Indiana State.) Admittedly, I was only interested in digital photography. However, we started out with 35mm black and white film. For the first three semesters, I hated that I couldn’t shoot digital. To me, it seemed like a waste of my time and money. Looking back, I am so glad that I spent that time in the dark room. Plus, learning how to frame and visualize a photograph without the instant gratification of an LCD screen is such good practice for young photographers. Professor Lattanzio, fully aware that I had no passion for the dark room, was extremely patient with me as I learned the hard way the values that the dark room instilled in me.
Why did you decide to go into photojournalism?
As I learned about history during the Golden Age of photojournalism, I noticed that historical moments could not be separated from the visual imagery that helped tell that story. In a way, these photographers were a part of how this country initially told and now continues to remember key parts of our own story. That closeness to history always fascinated me.
Can you provide an overview of your career, as well as describe the current position you have at Fort Collins?
My first full-time position out of college was as a staff photographer in the Marketing and Communications office for Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.
From there, I moved to Seattle, Washington to work as a staff photographer in the Marketing and Communications office for Seattle Central College.
I finally landed my first news job when I accepted a position in Coos Bay, Oregon as a photojournalist at The World, a local daily newspaper.
After a year, I transferred within our company to a sister paper in Billings, Montana. I worked as a staff photojournalist for The Billings Gazette, the largest newspaper in Montana.
In August 2019, I started a job at The Coloradoan in Fort Collins, Colorado. Here, I work as a photojournalist at a midmarket daily newspaper that is part of Gannett. I photograph everything from breaking news, sports, general news, and portraits. I also shoot quite a bit of video. I am occasionally sent throughout the state on assignment, as well as out of state for larger projects. I am also a member of the drone team at The Coloradoan. In addition to COVID-19 coverage, I also covered the Cameron Peak Fire and East Troublesome Fire, the two largest fires in Colorado state history.
What are your favorite type of assignments to cover, and your favorite type of stories to tell visually?
My favorite assignments tend to be projects. I like to really take the time to dive into a topic and became as knowledgeable about it as possible. This greatly enhances my ability to make the personal connections that lead to a better visual story.
Right now, I would say that I love to tell stories and cover projects visually through video. Each medium has its strengths, and I certainly fell in love with still images first. However, right now, I am really intrigued about video journalism and the power that the medium offers.
Any advice for students who are interested in the field of photojournalism?
- Don’t forget that you’re still journalists. Photo is just the tool. Develop the same journalism skills as your peers.
- Find creative solutions to advancing your career. Don’t wait for someone to tell you exactly how to get from point A to point B. If you know you need to do it, do it. At the same time, don’t let people tell you that you’ll never make it because you don’t fit into some predetermined mold. I never had an internship. I didn’t even have a journalism degree. And here’s a secret: There are many phenomenal photojournalists at the national level who don’t have journalism degrees, either. (This makes your journey harder, but not impossible.)
- Develop a thick skin.
- Be a problem solver who finds solutions where others cannot.The photojournalism world is very small - so tread lightly.
- The photojournalism world is very small - so tread lightly.
- Ethical missteps ruin careers. Permanently. So don’t make them.
- Be sure that you are doing this for the right reasons. Know that as a journalist you are an ambassador for every other journalist out there. Never do or act in a way that will jeopardize your colleagues down the road.
- Learn to like ramen. Journalism is a lifestyle. Come to terms with that early or face frustrations later.