Dateline, Iowa: OHIO alumni photograph Iowa Caucus for world audience
Bloomberg, NBC News, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times hired Des Moines-based alumna Rachel Mummey (MA 鈥16 Photography) to photograph the .
Republican candidates for president traversed the Hawkeye State for months, culminating in the Iowa Caucus on January 15. The quadrennial caucus鈥攁n opening contest in the presidential election cycle鈥攇enerates a spike of assignments for photojournalists like Mummey.
Other OHIO alumni traveled to Iowa to cover politics, including:
- Maddie McGarvey (BSVC 鈥12), a Columbus-based freelance photographer for leading news outlets who 鈥渟pent a couple days following presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis campaign around Iowa late last year for NBC News.鈥
- DC-based (鈥22 MFA Communication Media Arts) documented the Iowa Caucus for The New York Times, along with Pulitzer Prize winning Times photographer Ruth Fremson who is based in metro Seattle, WA.
- The Post and Courier in South Carolina sent staff photojournalist Grace Beahm Alford (BSVC 鈥99) to Iowa during the week before the caucus. 鈥淭hen it dumped snow, more than 10 inches. We traveled through the snow to talk to Iowans about the GOP caucus and follow Nikki Haley on the trail,鈥 she posted on Instagram.
- Cincinnati-based alumna Madeleine Hordinski (BSVC 鈥20) was in Waukee and Clear Lake, Iowa, on December 8-10, 2023. Her photo of Nikki Haley was published January 14 by The New York Times to accompany a on Haley.
Iowa as home
Mummey lives in Des Moines with husband John and their dog Hera. She photographed presidential candidate Donald Trump in Mason City on January 5 for Reuters and in Waterloo on December 19 for The New York Times. Mummey鈥檚 images of candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis have been widely published.
Reuters and spotlighted Mummey鈥檚 photo of presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wearing Baby Yoda ears at a 2023 campaign event in Iowa.
Award-winning training at 91探花
As a graduate student at 91探花, Mummey was named national College Photographer of the Year in 2010, also winning a scholarship from the National Press Photographers Foundation. Five years after earning a master's degree from OHIO鈥檚 School of Visual Communication, Mummey was named Indiana News Photographers Association Photographer of the Year.
OHIO Professor Stan Alost describes Mummey as 鈥渁n incredibly talented photojournalist鈥 who stood out among skilled classmates.
鈥淗er election coverage,鈥 says Alost, 鈥済oes beyond the candidates鈥 public relations manipulation and staging to help readers understand not only the politicians, but the people they are trying to sway.鈥
Mummey recalls 91探花 as 鈥渁 great learning community鈥 of award-winning peers Marcus Yam (2022 Pulitzer Prize winner for Breaking News Photography), (鈥13 MA Photography), , (鈥11 MA Photography), (鈥12 BSVC), (鈥13 Photography), (鈥13 MA Photography) and more.
The faculty, she says, had impressive experience including professional work in Washington, DC.
Advice for young photographers
Mummey encourages young people who want to break into the crowded field of political photography to document public events and protests that don鈥檛 require credentials, to build portfolios, and to share their work with photo editors.
Large events such as political rallies can involve team coverage (multiple photographers).
鈥淵ou can pitch a unique angle that might get an editor鈥檚 attention,鈥 she says. 鈥淏-team assignments are okay.鈥
Addressing challenges as a political journalist
Some attendees at political events are hostile to media, says Mummey.
At the , an annual political event in Iowa that attracted eight presidential candidates in June of 2023, 鈥渁 big motorcycle guy鈥 yelled at Mummey.
鈥淲ho do you think you are?鈥 the man shouted at the photographer.
After the crowd cleared out, Mummey and the man spoke with each other in a calmer setting.
鈥淗e started to cry, and said he was sorry,鈥 describing his battle with cancer and recent loss of a friend, she said.
Mummey鈥檚 advice on dealing with people who express anger toward the media: 鈥淭alk to them.鈥