Workshop Participants
Emree Weaver is an independent documentary photographer, photo editor and videographer based in central Washington. She previously worked as the photo editor for the Yakima Herald-Republic and the Victoria Advocate in South Texas.
She received her master’s degree in Journalism and has a Bachelor of Arts in Italian, both from the University of Texas at Austin. While in graduate school, Emree served as a teaching assistant for beginner and advanced photography classes teaching the fundamentals of photojournalism and providing mentorship to student photographers.
Emree has a keen interest in anthropology and psychology and is passionate about universal stories documenting the human condition. She strongly believes that community-informed visual storytelling can foster connection among neighbors.
Emree participated in the December 2023 MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop. He had the following to say about his experience:
With my background as a still photographer and some experience in video, this workshop really helped me deepen my techniques as a cinematographer.
I learned how to meaningfully apply my approach as a photographer to motion, as well as how to expand my thinking for filming scenes in the real world.
The learning opportunities through practice, instead of just through theory, were invaluable. And the post-production work provided insights on a deeply organized workflow as well as useful feedback on what is needed in the field.
MediaStorm’s approach to documentary filmmaking through a photojournalism lens, and their love for stories with universal themes, is what makes this workshop and his insights so unique!
Tim Obert has been hooked on fishing since landing his first fish as a young boy with his father off the Santa Cruz Wharf on California’s Central Coast.
By the time he was 12, he was working and sleeping on charter boats in the town’s harbor.
It was an early start to the dream he’s been living for the nearly two decades since, as a captain and commercial fisherman.
The sea has provided Obert a stable life, allowing him to raise a family and invest in his business. But in fishing, there is always a risk.
Sometimes the fish are biting, sometimes they aren’t. There are good days and bad days. Sometimes those bad days turn into bad years.
It’s a salty old truth that long-time fishermen know how to plan for a rainy day.
Recent state regulations aimed at saving whales and increasing the salmon population have kept fishing boats like the Stacey Jo, which Obert captains, stuck at the dock.
Obert has stepped up to help his fishing buddies, running the Santa Cruz Commercial Fishermen’s Association and serving as a member of the Dungeness Crab Task Force to work with California’s environmental agencies on behalf of his fleet.
But it’s a role that comes at a cost, and not just financial. The most important trade off for Obert is time spent away from his family.
“I’m on like ten boards right now. Not a dollar am I making for it,” Obert said. “Being on a six-hour call is excruciating sometimes. The time away is horrible.”
In Finding Balance, Obert speaks candidly about the struggles of being a good husband and father while also working to succeed as a commercial fisherman, and how that’s been further complicated by the leadership roles he shoulders while stuck on land.
Obert and the other fishermen who have braved such regulatory storms before believe it will pass and they’ll again be pulling their catch from the ocean.
Obert believes both sides must work together to consider conservation interests alongside those of the fishing industry, just as he works to find the right centerpoint between his family’s needs and those of the industry he loves during his fleet’s long, rainy day.
It’s all just a matter of finding the right balance.
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This story was reported by four workshop participants in Santa Cruz, CA for the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop in early December, 2023.