2019 Micro-Grant Winner: Ben Gregory
About Ben:
Ben is a firefighter, photographer, and writer of short stories and reflective essays. He chases wildfires in the Summer months and chases sunshine in the Winter months. Ben is constantly working to document the lived experience of himself and others through writing and photography. You might find him wandering through the streets of Portland, OR on a rainy day but you might not.
Grant Category: Photography
Project Vision:
Good stories raise questions and leave the audience searching for something they hadn’t known was missing. The storyteller has nothing without interesting characters and this story will be full of them. This portion of the American Wildfire Experience digital storytelling grant will cover the 2019 fire season from a first-hand photographic account. Over the summer, I will be capturing portraits (using 35 mm film, digitized) and stories of firefighters I encounter and documenting the season as it pertains to the personal experience of the individuals who live it.
These portraits are intended to be striking and intimate giving the viewer a look into life on the fireline and will be accompanied by writing, either my own or from the subject. For behind-the-scenes glimpses of the 2019 season follow the project on Instagram @OldPinesAndBadMasters.
Previous Work:
Favorite thing about wildland firefighting:
My favorite thing about wildfire is, and always will be, the men and women on the fireline.