28 | DECEMBER 8 • 2022 A dam Fox-Long picked up his mother’s cam- era as a child, and shortly after found an old cam- era of his dad’s — a Pentax ME Super — and he hasn’t looked back since. He can’t remem- ber a time when photography and cinematography were not among his passions. Fox-Long, 25, a Ypsilanti resident, now produc- es promotional spots for Detroit Public Television. After he graduated from East Lansing High School in 2014, Fox-Long started a film program at DePaul University in Chicago; but after just a few weeks decided that college wasn’t his thing. Admitting now that his decision may have been “youthful cockiness, ” he taught himself what he needed to know to build a career. He held odd jobs for local businesses, worked as a cashier at Sears and did data entry at Michigan State University while honing his craft, doing a lot of free videos and promotional photography. His supportive family helped him out with enough money to buy groceries. He admits there were some missteps along the way, which he describes as “technical nit- ty-gritty things. ” Once, doing an hourlong promotional film for a women’s choir, he forgot to hit “record, ” and the whole shoot had to be redone. In 2016, he worked as an election field organizer for the Democratic Party. In 2018, he was a full-time videographer for Gretchen Whitmer’s first gubernatorial campaign. After she was installed as governor, he served as her photographer for a time but didn’t see that as an ongoing career option. After leaving Whitmer’s staff, Fox-Long moved to Los Angeles; but he didn’t like the environment, or even the weather, which he found too monotonous. So, he moved back to Michigan in 2020 — just in time for the COVID lockdown. He was able to find work for a Lansing television station and moved to Detroit Public Television about a year ago. His efforts for DPTV included a series of local introductions to Ken Burns’ documentary The US and the Holocaust, which aired this fall. Fox-Long’s pieces featured Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, CEO of the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills. “It was an incredible expe- rience working with the team there on something I’m very passionate about, ” Fox-Long said. His job keeps him busy enough that he’s not really look- ing for freelance photography or videography gigs — though his website (www.adamfoxlong. com) is still active, and he’ll do occasional jobs, especially for family and friends. “I use my camera to tell your stories, capturing moments that might otherwise be lost in the shuffle and showcasing their natural beauty, ” reads a state- ment on his website. “Whether I’m working in a whirlwind political environment, creating striking promotional and news- room content or producing my own passion projects, I have a skill for spotlighting humanity — a skill for storytelling. ” He still owns a couple of cameras that he uses occasion- ally, including a Pentax k1000 and a Horizon Panoramic. His main camera, which handles videos as well as stills, is a dig- ital Fujifilm XT-3, which Fox- Long says goes everywhere with him. A member of Congregation Kehillat Israel in Lansing, Fox- Long is engaged to Martha Spall, who works in marketing for the University of Michigan School of Information. They’re planning a wedding next October in Ann Arbor. NEXT DOR A Skilled Storyteller Adam Fox-Long VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION Self-taught videographer Adam Fox-Long has built a career with his camera. BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER For a time, Adam Fox-Long was a fulltime videographer for Gretchen Whitmer’s first gubernatorial campaign. Adam Fox-Long with fiancée, Martha Spall