By Audrey Keefe
When Timothy Jacobsen received his first camera in middle school, he fell in love with the ability to capture stories. He never foresaw this passion for photography transitioning into a profession, so he focused on writing.
It wasn’t until Gary McDonald, Jacobsen’s advisor and photography professor at Winona State University, told Jacobsen that his photography skills drastically outweighed his writing skills.
“You have this whole idea that you want to be a writer,” McDonald told Jacobsen. “You’re not a good writer.”
McDonald, who Jacobsen now calls his biggest influence, pushed him to focus on a career in photojournalism, which would allow him to explore an entirely new world of storytelling.
“The idea of still being able to tell stories, but doing it visually, really intrigued me and it still does,” Jacobsen said Wednesday in an interview.
More than three decades later, Jacobsen now works at Hood College as an instructor and the coordinator of the broadcasting studios. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
Jacobsen has captured stories for news publications such as The Frederick News-Post, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and many others.
Jacobsen joined the photography staff of The Frederick New-Post in 1989, a year after graduating college. He worked with the News-Posts’ award-winning photography staff until 2001, when he decided to transition to freelance photography and spend more time with his two young children.
The day after the transition, The Associated Press hired Jacobsen to photograph a local event in Frederick, Maryland. Jacobsen said freelancing allowed him to teach his kids about photography.
“It was one of my ways of bonding with my kids,” Jacobsen said. “It was a way that I could be creative with them.”
The skills that Jacobsen used to teach his son and daughter about photography would come in handy in 2005 when he started the first photojournalism class at Hood College.
One year later, in 2006, Jacobsen became an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism and helped develop its photography curriculum.
As Jacobsen cultivated his teaching style, he said he was inspired by aspects of McDonald’s class structure and focus on students.
“I’ve always found it beneficial if you can form a personal relationship with a student and get to know them,” Jacobsen said. “It’s easier to motivate them.”
Students said that this personal relationship has made Jacobsen’s classes captivating.
“He strikes that right balance between being personable, but also a leading figure or more of a mentor,” said Lincoln Polan, a junior journalism and psychology major.
Polan, who took Jacobsen’s beginner and advanced photojournalism classes over two consecutive semesters, said he previously encountered journalism professors who were too rigid and ones who did not seem to care enough.
Jacobsen balanced both sides of the spectrum by critiquing students, but also recognizing that photojournalism is somewhat subjective, Polan said.
“I feel like I’m getting better because every time I make a new mistake, I’ll get feedback on it,” Polan said.
The critiques initially shocked Lillian Glaros, a freshman Spanish and journalism major. Glaros said she soon realized that the grades reflected the stories the photos would tell, while also taking into consideration lighting, composition and other factors.
“I prefer it when he gives me low A’s because it feels like I’ve actually earned it rather than some inflated grade,” Glaros said.
The critiques, Jacobsen said, carry over into his own photography.
“I’m my own worst critic,” Jacobsen said. “I can do everything perfectly well and I can still find fault.”
However, Jacobsen uses the critiques as a form of motivation. He said he combats his perfectionism by asking questions about what can be done better next time.
“What can I find that’s different, more creative, more visually interesting than what I already have in my camera,” Jacobsen said.
In the classroom, Jacobsen thrives to motivate his students to succeed and move out of their comfort zones, no matter their major or background. Jacobsen splits his time at Hood College and UMD to help students tell stories through photography.
“I go home at night and I’m exhausted, but I’m happy exhausted,” Jacobsen said. “What makes me happy is knowing that I’m kind of giving them the skills … and knowing that they’re going to be successful after they leave college.”
Featured Image: Timothy Jacobsen with his camera outside of Knight Hall. Photo by Audrey Keefe.
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