For three years I have been running around Albert Lea with my camera in hand photographing the happenings of the community. And it has been a blast.

I photographed a Twins game, the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, state high school sports competitions, President Obama, the Republican National Convention, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and Albert Lea from a Mayo One helicopter. I have met interesting people and heard amazing stories. I have lived the ups and downs with subjects, and I am thankful I was there for those emotions.

Thanks to everyone in the community for being so supportive. It made me feel great that readers appreciated what I was doing.

Thanks to everyone who let me photograph them. I understand some situations are uncomfortable, so thank you for trusting me.

This includes not only the personal stories, but the tragic emergencies. The police and fire departments were always great to me, allowing me access because, I was told, “you do good work.”

Thanks to everyone at the Tribune. You have been family. You allowed me to let my creativity run wild, where I could pursue any project I could dream up.

Thanks to my family in the Cities for all their support and always checking out what photos I have at AlbertLeaTribune.com. They always seem to know how I got the photo (even if I was standing on top of a moving car).

I will be moving to Minneapolis to work at a children’s book publishing company. I hope to continue taking pictures on the side by shooting photojournalism style weddings and portraits and continuing my photo artwork. If any of this is of interest or if you have photo questions that come up in the future, feel free to e-mail me at BrieCohenPhotography@gmail.com.

You all will be missed.

— Brie Cohen