Josh Kuehl receives the Serving Those Who Serve July Hero of the Month award. His non-profit continues to help veterans using the art of photography. Kuehl knows still photography is an art that can have a powerful effect. “If someone learns art therapy, they're having a moment, they are kind of triggered, they can't just whip out a canvas and dial up some paints to deal with it. A camera, you clip it on and you're ready to rock and roll,” Kuehl said.
This is what he tells veterans that come to him to help deal with their triggers. “Your formative years are spent in a very set culture, with very set ideas and norms, and you enter into civilian life thinking these are the norms of the world, and they're not,” Kuehl said. The camera lens becomes a veil: something to hide behind to help ease the transition back into civilian life. “We like to call it our invisibility shield,” Kuehl said.
“You're in a social situation, you're uncomfortable and you put up the camera…you just disappear into the room.” This is the appeal of a non-profit Kuehl co-founded three years ago. It's called “Task Force: ISO.” The “iso” in the name is a photography term that refers to the sensitivity of the camera sensor. They re-purposed the acronym ISO to stand for imaging, support and outreach. Read more.