Editorial

FedEx forklift driver James Wilson

March 5, 2019

Last week I photographed inside the FedEx Express Hub in Indianapolis for a weekend story in The Wall Street Journal about the booming U.S. economy. I left my house at 1:17 a.m. and arrived at the massive facility at the Indianapolis International Airport just before 2:30 a.m. I’ve been in a lot of factories over the years, but I had never seen anything like this. The subject for the story, James Wilson, is a material handler who uses a forklift to pack pallets of overnight packages into aluminum shipping containers to be loaded onto airplanes. Wilson’s work area is a ballet of forklifts playing three-dimensional Tetris. It kept me on my toes. I had my head on a swivel to make sure I wasn’t walking into the path of a forklift or getting in the way of the other workers. It was incredible to get a glimpse of the intricate process that goes on while most of us are asleep.

James Wilson, a FedEx material handler, uses a forklift to load a pallet of packages for shipment at the FedEx Express Hub in Indianapolis in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. The jobless rate in the United States is near the lowest level since the 1960s, but gains are not being distributed evenly. (James Brosher for The Wall Street Journal)

James Wilson, a FedEx material handler, secures cargo netting over a stack of packages at the FedEx Express Hub in Indianapolis in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. (James Brosher for The Wall Street Journal)

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Indiana defeats UConn in NCAA men’s soccer tournament

November 19, 2018

Indiana's Andrew Gutman (15) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an NCAA men's soccer tournament match at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018. (James Brosher for The Herald-Times) — Indiana’s Andrew Gutman (15) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of an NCAA men’s soccer tournament match at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018. (James Brosher for The Herald-Times)

Indiana's Griffin Dorsey, right, shoots past Connecticut's Munir Saleh (14) during the first half of an NCAA men's soccer tournament match at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018. (James Brosher for The Herald-Times) — Indiana’s Griffin Dorsey, right, shoots past Connecticut’s Munir Saleh (14) during the first half of an NCAA men’s soccer tournament match at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018. (James Brosher for The Herald-Times)

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‘Obamacare’ protection of pre-existing conditions

June 11, 2017

Last month I spent some time one afternoon photographing Debbie and Phil Carter at their farm in rural Vigo County, Indiana not far from Terre Haute for The New York Times. The article told the story of some people who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act’s regulations in regards to pre-existing conditions. Thanks to health care changes made under the ACA – also known as “Obamacare” – Debbie received a liver transplant after being diagnosed with a bile duct disease. Because of rain, the Carters were working in their barn for most of the time I was with them. After I finished shooting, I chatted with them for close to an hour. I grew up in a rural farming community in Indiana, but I hadn’t photographed on a farm in several years. It was a nice change of pace to get out in the country away from Bloomington and Indianapolis for a shoot.

Stymied by a rainy day during planting season, Debbie Carter looks for a filter as her husband Phil, not pictured, performs maintenance on one of the couple’s farm tractors on Monday, May 1, 2017, in rural Vigo County, Ind. Debbie Carter received a liver transplant after being diagnosed with a bile duct disease thanks in part to changes made under the Affordable Care Act. “We would have lost the farm,” she said. (James Brosher for The New York Times)

Debbie Carter, Phil Carter — Debbie and Phil Carter stand in a field of butterweed on Monday, May 1, 2017, on their farm in rural Vigo County, Ind. (James Brosher for The New York Times)

White River flooding in Spencer, Indiana

May 9, 2017

I drove out to Spencer, Indiana this past Sunday afternoon to capture drone footage of the White River cresting for The Herald-Times. According to the paper, the river crested at 23.22 feet, the worst flooding in the town since 2008.

Syrian refugees in Indiana adjust to Trump’s America

February 23, 2017

I recently photographed the first family of Syrian refugees to resettle in Indianapolis for a story in The Washington Post. The story focused on refugees in Indiana and how they are coping since President Donald Trump’s election. Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence, tried unsuccessfully to ban Syrian refugees when he was Indiana’s governor.