Giving Back: A Photographer’s Purpose

HIXTON, Wis. (latakoo) — Retirement didn’t slow Dave Wertheimer down. It simply gave him a new mission.

After more than 40 years as a news photojournalist and News Director, Wertheimer now dedicates his time to helping nonprofit organizations tell stories that matter. Along the way, hundreds of photojournalists around the world have benefited from his mentorship, experience, and commitment to visual storytelling.

Today, the veteran journalist travels regionally producing videos for organizations working to strengthen their communities. As volunteer storytelling work expanded, a familiar challenge emerged.

“I would fill these cards up and try, and transfer the video or stills in some of them,” Wertheimer said. “It would just be too much for a WeTransfer or just a simple email.”

Several free services offered solutions, but bandwidth limitations and upload restrictions repeatedly slowed delivery and complicated the process.

Rather than adapting the work to fit the technology, Wertheimer looked for technology that would adapt to the work.

That search led to latakoo.

• Watch Dave talk about his storytelling focus with latakoo.
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latakoo’s streamlined workflow means less time managing files and more time focused on the people and organizations behind each story. Equally important is the support.

Whether working close to home or traveling across the state, help is only a phone call away.

“One of the best things I found about latakoo is the support,” Dave explained. “I will call a number and I’ve only had as much as 45 seconds where somebody called me right back and I was so surprised. They care so much about what you’re doing. They’re so kind in their (email) wording to make me not feel like an idiot. So the people there are so wonderful. Better than calling Bangalore and trying to understand something, you’re actually calling Ohio or Texas,” he said with a gentle smile and laugh.

latakoo co-founder and CEO Paul Adrian loves nothing more than hearing that.

“Dave’s right. We don’t ship our support out, and we don’t ship our development out. We’re American made,” Adrian said.

“There are a lot of companies in our space that talk a good game, but when something breaks, you find out pretty fast where they’re really built and who’s really answering the phone. We build this here, we support it here, and we stand behind it here. That matters to me. I’m an eighth-generation Texan. When we say we’re going to take care of people, we mean it.”

Technology, however, remains secondary to purpose.

The real motivation is helping organizations amplify their missions, reach new audiences, and strengthen their communities through storytelling. Every assignment offers another opportunity to put decades of experience to work in service of others. That philosophy is rooted in a concept that has guided much of Wertheimer’s life.

“There’s a word in Hebrew called ‘tzedakah,’ which means giving back so everything in the world is better and giving of yourself. I believe in that word . . . because so many people have given back to me. That’s why I do it. And my favorite place in the world is having a viewfinder near my head so I get to combine that with trying to make the world a better place through my videos and stills.”

For Wertheimer, a camera has always been more than a tool. It is a way to serve others.

More than four decades after entering journalism, that mission continues.