Portfolio

a condensed look at the work of gabi broekema

Graduating cadets gain their first bar and rise to second lieutenant during the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2023 Graduation at Falcon Stadium on the U.S. Air Force Academy campus in Colorado Springs, Co., on Thursday, June 1, 2023. The graduation featured President Joe Biden giving the graduation address and a flyover by the Thunderbirds alongside the special day for 921 graduating cadets.

Captured while on assignment for the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Taste N' Glow hot air balloon volunteer Anika Knipple of Mount Prospect, Ill. waves down to her parents and the rest of the chase team as she takes to the sky alongside brother Alex Knipple and Black Flag Ballooning pilot Mike Lorentz of Canton, Oh. in Wasting Time for a morning flight on the second day of the Taste N' Glow near Stettin Town Hall in Wausau, Wis. on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Hot air balloon pilot Lorentz had each of the assistants guess what number he was thinking of to choose who he'd take along on the flight, and the Knipple siblings got lucky and guessed the closest.

Captured while on assignment for USA Today-Wisconsin's Wausau Daily Herald.

Cheyenne Mountain freshman tennis player and Peak Performer Saffron Heroldt may be only three years into her tennis career but looks up to an older name in the game: Rodger Federer. "I think he's one of the best tennis players in the world," Heroldt said. "He's also really funny and cool."
Portrait was conceptualized and created for the 2023 Peak Performers Portrait series with the Colorado Springs Gazette.
A mourner prepares to board the London Underground Jubilee Line at Baker Street Station on Friday, September 16. About a quarter of a million people came to Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as she lay in state for four days at Westminster Hall before her funeral on Monday, September 19.
Part of my larger project, Carry On. Here is a link to the full project.

Fennimore High School discus thrower Rachel Schauer takes one of her throws in the division 3 finals during the 2024 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Track and Field Championship at Veterans Memorial Field in La Crosse, Wis. on Saturday, June 1, 2024.

Captured while on assignment for the USA Today-Wisconsin.

Guardian siren MermADA, also known as Breanne Tarasevicius, coaches a child on how to be a mermaid in the water tank at the MerFest International Festival at Lake Arvesta located on the edge of South Haven, Michigan on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Vendors sold jewelry, bodices and books as mermaids took turns swimming in the large tank in the center of the island that the event occurred on.
Captured while on assignment for MLive: Kalamazoo Gazette.
The blood worm moon darkens to its signature shade in the sky during a total lunar eclipse over central Wisconsin on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Gunner Marak, 6, of Land of Lakes, Wis. shivers in the chilly morning air as his mother Tracy Marak takes her baseball cap back after putting on an extra sweatshirt as they head to their place in the queue for the Mosinee Trump Rally at Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, Wis. on Saturday, September 7, 2024. “We’re here to support; it is definitely an experience I want my kids to have,” Tracy said, acknowledging her two other children holding their place in line. The family drove two hours before the crack of dawn to be one of the first in line for the rally despite gates opening at 11:00 a.m.

Captured while on assignment for USA Today-Wisconsin's Wausau Daily Herald.

Kelly Gottschall, older cousin of Bailey Broderick, hugs one of Broderick's close friends Melissa Powers in front of the Kalamazoo Courthouse in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, April 1, 2022. Broderick died in a drunk driving accident at Western Michigan University in November 2021. Friends and family of Bailey Broderick stand with signs in the cold and snow demanding justice and no charges had been issued.
Captured while on assignment for MLive: Kalamazoo Gazette.
Rich Strike's jockey Sonny Leon reacts to their win as soon as he crosses the finish line at the end of the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, May 7, 2022.
Captured while on freelance for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Austin Jones, 30, sands the paint off car parts with his grandfather Clarence Jones in a garage at his grandfather's farm in Harrison County on November 2, 2019. Austin loves to deconstruct old cars and motorcycles. Clarence says he hears people talking about Austin every morning when he's getting coffee. "He's an inspiration to the community," Clarence says.

Part of my larger project, Cynthiana's Friend, captured while attending Mountain Workshops. Here is a link to the full project.

DIXIE
Many Americans looked to Dixie Highway as their main method of transportation for decades. When Interstate 65 was built and 'Dixie' became better known as Highway 31W, most excitement for the beloved scenic route faded as more and more cars chose the quicker route.
This piece serves as a trailer for 'Dixie,' a three-chapter documentation project of the remaining communities that exist along the highway that once was.

Created 2023 at Western Kentucky University alongside Anna Leachman, who also collected visual content for the video.
Here is a link to the full project.
ROLE:
Cinematographer | Producer

'A little Stamp of our own'

Former Rudolph Postmaster Becky Trzebiatowski discusses the history and tradition of the Rudolph Country Christmas stamp and postmark at the small town's post office on their busiest day of the year.

Pulished December 2024 for USA Today- Wisconsin's Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.

Here is a link to the video and gallery package.

ROLE:

Cinematographer | Producer

Anaana
Qupalu Nuku Platou lives the horror all parents hope to never face: she lost her two twins, Hans and Fredrik, to the Danish government after they deemed her unfit to care for her boys. Seven years later, she continues to fight for her kids.

Created 2022 at the Danish School of Journalism and Media alongside Núria Sanz Megías
ROLE:
Cinematographer | Producer
For more examples of my work, please review my full website, glbvisuals.com.