Directed by Owen Dubeck & Zach Ingrasci for Optimist Films. Written by Owen Dubeck. Photographed by Zach Ingrasci, James Beer & Marjorie Beer.

Grandpa Beer - The Wildlife Professor

This project began when Zach Ingrasci found a box of old photographs that his grandfather, James Beer, had shot in the 1940s and 1950s. Professor Beer worked at the University of Minnesota as a wildlife professor and was one of the early voices of environmental conservation. He was fascinated with documenting the natural world, and his wife would often joke that they had to force him to take photos of the family.

After reflecting on all of the old photos, Zach decided to take his grandfather’s camera and shoot a roll of film over his birthday weekend. Zach’s photos in the film were shot at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco and in his neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Our intention was for the film to reflect a juxtaposition between the old and the new, of what we have gained and what we have lost in the last 50 years. Above all else the film is about finding connection through photography. Enjoy!

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