Luke Sharrett is a photographer based in Louisville, Kentucky, where he covers a number of subjects central to Bloomberg’s business and financial coverage, including housing, manufacturing and jobless claims.
In Depth recently met with Luke to discuss his love of photo stories and his favorite subjects to shoot.
As a photojournalist, you do a lot of photo stories, reporting on issues through pictures instead of words. Why do you find this particular style of journalism so appealing? Can you discuss the importance of photo stories as a part of Bloomberg’s overall coverage?
Photographs make the news come alive. They are an immensely powerful medium that has a way of grabbing the viewer and pulling them into the story. Telling stories and communicating the news with a still photograph is an excellent way to engage our readership. An effective news photo can take an otherwise impersonal story about employment numbers or manufacturing and connect you to specific faces and places. When you see a job seeker anxiously clutching a resume in line at a job fair or the sweat beads forming on a factory worker’s brow, the story becomes less abstract. It’s really a treat to be able to use the skills I’ve been blessed with to make images for Bloomberg. None of this would possible without the top-notch editors on the photo desk and the excellent job they do supporting Bloomberg photographers on assignments.
Many of your photos have a particular focus on Americana and rural life. What makes this subject interesting to you? How do you express your views on it through photography?
The more of America that I experience, the more I am convinced that this is the greatest country in the world. The ingenuity on display in the factories across flyover country and the hospitality and generosity of the people I come in contact with confirm this belief in my mind. It’s such a privilege to document this land of opportunity and learn what makes its economic engine tick.
What are some of your favorite subjects to shoot?
My favorite things to shoot are railroads, the yearly tobacco harvest and the UPS and FedEx hubs.