Member Spotlight: Jeff Witherow, Chief Photographer for the Catholic Courier

Meet Jeff Witherow, chief photographer for the Catholic Courier, newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester.

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Tell us about your background and how you ended up working in Catholic media.

I've always been a creative type of person, but photography was not a part of my original plan. Heading into my first year of college I intended on getting a degree in education with the plan to eventually become an art teacher. I took a photojournalism class by chance and fell into it hard. I loved the immediacy photography provided, and the freedom to be creative while not being hunched over a desk for hours with a pencil in hand. I joined the school paper as a photographer and a semester later I was the photo editor, keeping that position for three semesters until I graduated with a two-year degree. I continued onto the Rochester everything visual that goes into our paper and onto our website. In addition to producing photo and video content, I coordinate other staff photographers and freelance photographers, plan and schedule the art for written content and help plan and produce the numerous major multimedia projects we do every year.

Are you a Nikon person or a Canon person?

I’ve been shooting Nikon going on 15 years now. The colors are beautiful and more importantly it's familiar. That doesn't mean I don't find myself looking longingly at Canon or Sony over a new lens or a focusing system they might offer help; but all the cameras being produced right now are an incredible step up from when I started. Institute of Technology to study photojournalism and received a BFA in 2013. I spent a few years freelancing in Rochester for several local publications, including the city's daily newspaper. It was through that experience that I was alerted to an opportunity for a part-time photographer position at the Catholic Courier in 2015. I was very fortunate that they took a chance on me and after a year I was made full-time. A few more years later, things must have been going well and they promoted me to chief photographer.

As chief photographer for the Catholic Courier, how would you describe your job?

My role goes beyond just being the guy that takes photos and video. I play a role in almost everything visual that goes into our paper and onto our website. In addition to producing photo and video content, I coordinate other staff photographers and freelance photographers, plan and schedule the art for written content and help plan and produce the numerous major multimedia projects we do every year.

What is your most used lens and why?

This was a close race, but I'd say a mid-range zoom like the 24-70mm f/2.8, or even my aging 17-35mm f/2.8 is my most used lens. Longer lenses like my 70-200mm f/2.8 are an essential tool, but I feel the wider lens forces me into the action more, giving me the up close and personal perspective a reader might look for from a professional photo. It is easy to stay in the back; with a telephoto and be invisible, but there is a certain intimacy I can only capture when I use my legs and get close to the action. The faster aperture is important as well for low light situations (as we know churches are often dark) but also creatively when trying to isolate a subject.

What is a typical day like for you?

Typically, my days are inconsistent. There are days I spend in the office, answering emails, editing photos and videos, making plans for assignment coverage, etc. And then there are better days (and some nights) that I get to be out in the field with my face in a viewfinder, meeting people and it's always a new experience. We have a large diocese that encompasses twelve counties in the hilly Finger Lakes region,so on days when I'll be doing a lot of traveling, I try to stack up as many assignments in that area as I can to make the driving worthwhile. The driving has to be the one constant part about my job, I do a TON of driving.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part about my job is that I have to be present to do it. I can't take pictures from the office or from home, I have to have my boots on the ground. My job is to see the things other people want to see and to capture those things in a variety of engaging and creative ways. It's a lot of fun, I always have the best seat in the house at every major diocesan event. I once talked my way into the cathedral's pipe organ to climb to the top and mount a remote camera that would get a front vantage point during a Holy Week Mass. It's hard to imagine someone not in my position getting such access. Again, it's a lot of fun.

What is the hardest part?

The hardest part ties into my favorite part about the job, in that sometimes being present means having to go places or do things outside of my comfort zone. In the past we've worked on several multimedia projects covering the opioid epidemic, as well as Rochester city violence, and it can be very difficult to go to these communities hit by these crises and see them firsthand. After those days, I have to hope the work I produced did justice to the experience and to what those affected are going through. I don't want to confuse the hardest part with my least favorite part, however.

Why do you think Catholic media is important?

I think Catholic media is a valuable resource, not just to enlighten people on diocesan news, but as one of the only sources to offer the Catholic perspective on some of the larger matters affecting our community, such our work covering opioid use, violence and an upcoming project of ours on asylum seekers. My hope is that it has the potential to inspire people, and sometimes inspiration is the goal we have in mind. For example, last spring I worked on a video series speaking to priests on their vocation to the priesthood and it received tremendous positive feedback, racking up several thousand views on YouTube.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about you?

I’m married to my lovely wife and together we have a 1-and-a-half-year-old daughter we're pretty fond of.

This article originally appeared in the February 2024 issue of The Catholic Journalist. All photos credited to: Jeff Witherow/Catholic Courier.