Telling stories and creating change through moment driven photojournalism.
Moment-driven, human-centered filmmaking that focuses on putting people at ease to capture their most authentic stories. From "run-and-gun" field production to cinematic multicamera interviews, we create narratives that resonate with honesty and empathy.
Drawing on a 25-year career in photojournalism for major newspapers and The New York Times, I specialize in capturing the unposed, defining moments of real life.
Fully FAA-certified and equipped for professional drone cinematography and high-resolution stills. We safely and legally capture unique perspectives that add a cinematic scale and a fresh point of view to any project.
A full-service creative partnership with producer Lindsey Seavert and editor Renny McCauley at our Minneapolis studio. We collaborate to shape your project from the ground up—offering everything from initial scripting and storyboarding to polished full-length documentaries and snappy social media cut-downs.
Featured Documentary Love Them First.
Ben Garvin shot, edited and co-directed the film. With unprecedented access over the course of a year, Love Them First: Lessons from Lucy Laney Elementary follows the determination of a charismatic north Minneapolis school principal, Mauri Melander Friestleben, as she sets out to undo history.
Not only does Minnesota have the largest achievement gap between black and white children in the United States, Friestleben faced another seemingly impossible obstacle, with Lucy Laney at the bottom of the state's list of underperforming schools for two decades. It's a story of inspiration, heartbreak, perseverance and the power of love.
Moment driven, beautifully shot video revealing the humanity in all people.
Commercial
Xcel Energy
Macalester College
Carelton CollegeUniversity of St. Thomas
University of Minnesota
Chicago Marathon
Marine Corp Marathon
Editorial
New York Times
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
PBS Newshour
VICE News
MPR News
APM Reports
Getty Images
Kartemquin Films
Atlantic Pictures
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About Ben Garvin
Minneapolis-based documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Ben Garvin has spent over 25 years capturing the moments that define our shared humanity.
From his duPont Award-winning film Love Them First to his recent work for The New York Times documenting the federal ICE surge in Minnesota, Ben brings a journalist’s perspective and a filmmaker’s heart to every project.
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© 2026 by Ben Garvin Media.