Brace Hemmelgarn has had a big year. The SJU sophomore photographer and graphic designer has seen his career blossom. His experiences, including exposure in Sports Illustrated and photo assignments at Target Field, are the envy of both photographers and sports fans alike.
“I was just doing it for fun, I never expected any of this so soon,” Hemmelgarn said.
The photography started years ago as a leisure activity.
“My dad was always taking pictures,” Hemmelgarn said. “It was cool to see everyone excited to see photos of themselves. That’s what got me interested.”
During high school, Hemmelgarn put together a portfolio of his amateur work, centered around athletics. At the end of his senior year, he interviewed for a job at St. John’s to be a photographer/graphic designer in the Athletic Department. It was his portfolio that earned him the job.
“It is pretty impressive when a high-school senior knows exactly what he wants to do and how to get there,” former SJU Graphic Designer John Biasi said.
At St. John’s, Hemmelgarn’s duties have included work on game programs, media guides, as well as poster and ticket design.
“The biggest thing is that Brace has continued to improve,” Biasi said. “That speaks to what he can do in the next few years.”
“Working under Biasi has definitely been instrumental for me,” Hemmelgarn said.
In the fall of 2008, at around the same time his St. John’s experience was getting underway, Hemmelgarn began what has become an impressive list of photography assignments. The first was to take photos at St. Cloud State men’s hockey games. One of the photos from his St. Cloud State role was featured on the home page of ESPNU.com in January, 2009.
In the summer of 2009, he took two positions working in minor league baseball.
“I did photo and graphic design work for the Midwest League of Iowa and the St. Cloud Riverbats,” Hemmelgarn said.
With an already strong foundation of experiences, it was only a matter of time before even bigger and better opportunities came Hemmelgarn’s way. In the fall of 2009, the University of Minnesota Athletic Department came calling.
“I ended up shooting all home Gopher football games in the fall,” Hemmelgarn said. “That led to an invitation to do their basketball and hockey games in the winter as well.”
The work done for the University of Minnesota caught the eye of ICON Sports Media, a professional photography outlet.
“That was a big step, actually getting paid to take photos,” Hemmelgarn said.
His first assignments with ICON included the WCHA “Final Five” hockey tournament and the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Tournament.
Following the NCAA hockey tournament, Hemmelgarn’s photos caught the eye of Sports Illustrated. In its April 5 issue, his photo of a Wisconsin hockey player was featured in a story.
“Growing up, a lot of guys dream of being in Sports Illustrated,” Hemmelgarn said. “This wasn’t for the reason I once thought, but I’ll take it.”
As if the list of accomplishments wasn’t already impressive, Hemmelgarn’s most recent assignments from ICON have been Twins games at the new Target Field.
“To work a Twins game was a goal for a while,” Hemmelgarn said.
The future is unclear for Hemmelgarn, who still has two years left in Collegeville. He has set up a website to showcase his work: www.gamedaycreative.com, and will continue to work for ICON.