Every other week this summer, WKU’s student chapter of NPPA will post the best images and projects our students (including those who graduated this past May) are producing at internships, trips abroad and during their free time.

Ryan Hunter-Reay’s car (1) is driven onto the track for the Pit Stop Challenge on May 24, 2013, during Carb Day at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway/ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Senior catcher Kellie Quarles, left, and senior pitcher Mallorie Sulaski, right, is hugged by sophomore Preslie Cruce, center, after the game.  WKU lost 13-1 against Alabama in the Tuscaloosa NCAA Regional Softball Championship game at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Sunday May 17, 2013/JEFF BROWN

A Roma family in the town of Kr‡sna H™rka hangs out in the morning before sending their kids to school/JOSH MAUSER

Madilyn O’Connell,8, of Philadelphia, Pa,  stand on top of a German tank while wearing a her mother’s SS hat during the WW2 Festival at Mid Atlantic Air Museum/IAN MAULE

Nicolas Young sits in a tree on his family farm in Cullman, Ala. on Saturday, June 1/KREABLE YOUNG

JABIN BOTSFORD

The National Guard Aerobatics Team pilots Jeff Boerboon of Phoenix, Az. and John Klatt of Lakeville, Mn. perform during the media flight at Norfolk International Airport on Thursday, May 30/DOROTHY EDWARDS

A climate change activist protestor is arrested at the Westin, in front of the Facebook shareholders meeting, on Tuesday, July 11, 2013 in San Francisco, CA.  A group of five protestors sat on the ground blocking the entrance to the hotel in an attempt to delay Facebook shareholders from making it to the meeting on time. Everyone in the group of five was arrested and taken away from the protest/KATIE MEEK

Sergeant First Class Lanfear of the U.S.Army oversee’s a  stream crossing exercise with the JROTC cadets in Fort Knox/MICHAEL NOBLE

Strawberry pickers wait in line to have their boxes inspected and counted at The Parkesdale Farm in Dover, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. The pickers are paid $1.50 per cardboard box, with the fastest pickers filling over 100 boxes a day.  AUSTIN ANTHONY

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association competitive cheer championships took place on Saturday at Diddle Arena from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is the first year KHSAA has hosted the competition, and some of the attendees said they really enjoyed having WKU as the venue.  JABIN BOTSFORD

WKU head coach Willie Taggart was doused with the Powerade bucket after WKU’s win over Kentucky.  WKU won over UK in overtime 32-31 at Commonwealth Stadium on Sep. 15, 2012.  JEFF BROWN

Newly crowned Western Kentucky University Homecoming Queen Amy Winkler laughs as her escort, Madisonville junior Michael Frederick, attempts to fix her crown. Winkler, a senior from Murray, was sponsored by Alpha Delta Pi, Omega Psi Phi and Alpha Tau Omega.  BRANDON CARTER

Participants fire off machine guns during the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in West Point, Ky.  DOROTHY EDWARDS

Geneva LaDiva gets ready backstage at the Twisted Tap in Bowling Green, Ky. “It roughly takes me about two hours to get ready before I do a show but that is one of the best parts…the makeup.”  TYLER ESSARY

Liberian refugee Shirley Bargblor takes a break from bagging leaves with her granddaughter’s Kwametee, 3, and Kwamena, 5, to speak on the phone with a friend. Shirley and her husband Eurodger live with four of their six children as well as two grandchildren in a four bedroom apartment; property of the Public Housing Authority in Bowling Green, Ky. Through different funds and charities, the Bargblor’s pay nothing to rent the apartment. “It is a gift from God,” Shirley said. Both Shirley and Eurodger attend WKU part-time and are on track to receive their business degrees.  LUKE FRANKE

Victoria Watts, 18, helps Kate Woodring, 8, bend into a bar stretch for evening ballet practice at Dance Images, a dance studio located in Bowling Green, Ky. Victoria has been a student at dance images since the age of four. Inspired by dance teacher and Dance Images owner, Kathy Wise-Leonard, she now acts as a teacher and mentor to younger dance students.
“I hope to be such an inspirational hero to Kate like Ms.Kathy is to me. Ms. Kathy is one of many heroes in my life. I hope that when Kate grows she’ll think of me like that,” Victoria said.  BRITTANY GREESON

Chris Michaels, 40, of Franklin, Ky., considers his life to be “pretty much neck and neck with being a rockstar.  It’s all smoke and mirrors and flashing lights, but I try to live that illusion, like I’m surrounded by women and partying all the time. Sometimes though I wish I was normal.”  DANNY GUY

A motel fire at the America Inn Motel in Flint was called in at about 10:30 on Saturday evening. Around 50 fire fighters from six departments responded to the scene. Everyone made it out of the motel safely.  SAMMY JO HESTER

Mississippi Rebels guard Marshall Henderson, #22, cuts down the net after the semifinals of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Mississippi won 64-52.  JOSHUA LINDSEY

Prince Mack plays on the swingset in his grandmother’s backyard in Bakersfield, Calif. His sickle cell anemia prevents him from playing with other children because catching even just a common cold could lead to hospitalization.  SHELBY MARIE MACK

Junior guard Brandon Harris screams in frustration after a foul was called on senior guard Jamal Crook, which prevented a fast break opportunity during their victory over Florida International in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship.  IAN MAULE

One of the employees hired to scare customers at the Psycho Ward and Nightmares Haunted House in Kalamazoo, Mich.  JOSH MAUSER

A man struggles with mental illness. He’s working to lead a more stable life through medication but senses that the medication won’t be enough to reign in his illness.  KATIE MCLEAN

Mar Rah waits anxiously for his friends to pick him up for work.  He continually casts glances back and forth between the clock and the door after the men are over five minutes late for collecting him.  In many ways, the lives of Mar Rah and his family are dependent on others.  All the help they receive due to the good deeds of others helps facilitate their lives in order for them to assimilate and function more easily in American society.  KATIE MEEK

Nick Slattery gets the Western Kentucky Rugby Team hyped before the game during the Nash Bash 2013. MICHAEL NOBLE

Kaelin Vernon is a farmer’s son. With his dad, he ran a 20,000 cattle operation for a few years, but after a whil the stress of big farming got to him. Vernon left and bought his own five-acre farm in Plano, Kentucky. Their little farm is growing, though in its own way. Vernon has two farmer’s sons of his own, Elijah and Amos. With the help of his wife, Heather, they have grown to 17 sheep and about 200 chickens. They spend most days at home, but still have to work jobs in town to make ends meet. They hope to be able to quit those jobs someday soon and live off their farm. ABBEY OLDHAM

Gloria Akakpo.  BRITTANY SOWACKE

Jay Armfield is a Western Kentucky University senior who fought to represent PIKE, his fraternity, in the 8th annual Sigma Chi Fight Night Battle of the Greeks.  MORGAN WALKER

Jackson Cofer has completely separated himself from Tina Maria. Tina is a person of the past. Jackson now leads a new life in Lexington, KY with friends and family that support him. ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Bikers race through the bike course at the UCI Cyclocross Elite World Championships that were held in Louisville, Ky. at Eva Banman Park on Saturday, February 2, 2013.  KREABLE YOUNG

 

 

Honorable Mentions:

RAE EMARY                           PEYTON HOBSON                REBECCA LUMBRIX              SAMANTHA MCGUIGAN        ALYSSA POINTER

                

As you can see, we had a great year in photojournalism at WKU. Thank you to everyone who submitted, and congratulations to everyone for creating these wonderful images and videos. Keep up the good work; we will be updating Through Our Eyes throughout the summer!

Here are the video projects completed by seniors in the Photojournalism Projects Capstone class.

Heart of the Game by Crystin Faenza

Don’t Look Back by Jerry Habraken

At the Heart of It by Alix Mattingly

Further From Alone by Josh Mauser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing Home Micah by Katie Mayfield

The community of Monks at Saint Meinrad Archabbey is made up of 91 men living, working and praying with God at the center of their lives. As brothers in Christ, these men love and support each other on their journey to live a more holy life. An interactive story, the Brothers iPad app allows readers to see and hear what forms this community. Readers choose their own path through the archabbey, exploring many places, including rooms in the monastery not normally open to visitors.

Brothers by Sam Oldenburg

The Sisters by Justin Philalack

A Place to Call Home by Mike Rivera

Home by Chad Young

*Luke Sharrett’s project unfortunately cannot be published at this time.*

 

As president of NPPA for the past year, I’m both excited and sad to see my time come to an end and have the new team for next year assembled.

Abbey Oldham – President, Danny Guy – Vice President, Jeff Brown – Treasurer, Naomi Driessnack – Secretary

I know you all will do great and I cannot wait to see the progress you will make!

I also want to say a big congratulations to everyone who graduated this semester!

Sam Oldenburg, Mike Rivera, Brittany Sowacke, Alix Mattingly, Josh Mauser, Justin Shaw, Chad Young, Luke Sharrett, Crystin Faenza, Jerry Habraken and Katie Lewis!

Thanks again for a wonderful year,

Brittany Sowacke

Each Wednesday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you the best images of the past week taken by our very own students. To submit, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video in the last week (Monday to Monday). Send your top 5 choices to wkunppa@gmail.com and our officers will pick the best of the bunch to showcase.

Participants fire off machine guns during the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in West Point, Ky.

by Dorothy Edwards

Joseph Chebet races around the corner in the1500 meter race. Chebet went on to finish third with a time of 3:54.58 in the 2013 Hilltopper relay.

by Michael Noble

Gloria Akakapo (center) and other screaming fans lose their minds when rapper Wale takes the stage at Diddle Arena. The WKU Campus Activities Board sponsored the event.

by Luke Franke

Eastern Illinois University pole vaulter,Freshman, Zack Houck of Dayton Oh. Pole vaults through the air in hopes to qualify for the semi finals of the 2013 Hilltopper relays. Houck didn’t qualify for the semi finals but still loves to pole vault because, “It’s fun to fly through the air”. Jade Riebold, a junior, prepares to pole vault at the Hilltopper Relays April 15, 2013.

by Luke Franke

Freshman, Zack Houck of Dayton Oh. Pole vaults through the air in hopes to qualify for the semi finals of the 2013 Hilltopper relays. Houck didn’t qualify for the semi finals but still loves to pole vault because, “It’s fun to fly through the air”.

by Micheal Noble

Alabama sophomore forward Russell Larsen shoots the puck towards the Vanderbilt goal during the I-65 Face Off Friday, April 12, 2013 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.  The Alabama Frozen Tide defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 8-7 in overtime.

by Josh Lindsey

A boy walks through the target field during the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot on Saturday, April 13, 2013 in West Point, Ky.

by Dorothy Edwards

Each Wednesday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you the best images of the past week taken by our very own students. To submit, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video in the last week (Monday to Monday). Send your top 5 choices to wkunppa@gmail.com and our officers will pick the best of the bunch to showcase.

Geneva LaDiva gets ready backstage at the Twisted Tap in Bowling Green, Ky. “It roughly takes me about two hours to get ready before I do a show but that is one of the best parts…the makeup.”

Tyler Essary

Emily free models as the “struggle for water” in part of my portrait series for energy representation.

Tyler Essary

Carol Greer assists her daughter, Ginna Greer, while preparing for bed. At two weeks old, Ginna had a stroke that caused her to be diagnosed as developmentally delayed with a vision impairment. Now, at age 19, Ginna calls for extra attention to complete certain tasks. Carol said, “It’s just life; it’s just what you have to do. You put one foot in front of the other and do your thing. Sometimes, I get a little overwhelmed by her extra needs because I know at age 19 she’s supposed to be taking care of herself and some nights I don’t feel like getting up and helping her take a shower, but she brings a lot of joy to our lives so that’s what I have to think about.”

Kreable Young

Louisville fans fire of roman candles along 3rd street before the Cardinals’ 82-76 victory in NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball championship game against Michigan on Monday, April 8, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. The Cardinals had not won a mens NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball championship since 1986. LMPD spokesperson Carey Klain said officers made 12 arrests and 270 incident runs as of 2:20 a.m. for reports of shots fired in celebration, domestic disputes, disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication and fights.

Jabin Botsford

Michael Sterguon is a mechanic at USA Used Tires and Auto Repair. Sterguon was 16 when he dropped out of high school to begin working to help provide for his family. He has been employed at his current job for four months.

Kreable Young

Louisville fans run from a firework that was lit in the center of a large crowd while celebrating their team’s 82-76 victory in NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball championship game against Michigan along West Cardinal Boulevard late Monday, April 8, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. The Cardinals had not won a mens NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball championship since 1986. LMPD spokesperson Carey Klain said officers made 12 arrests and 270 incident runs as of 2:20 a.m. for reports of shots fired in celebration, domestic disputes, disorderly conduct, alcohol intoxication and fights.

Jabin Botsford

Congratulations to Ian Maule and Austin Koester who placed 8th and 18th, respecively, in The Hearst Picture Story/Series Competition! Ian is a senior in the program and Austin is a recent graduate.

To see the full list of winners, click here.

Everyone is invited, make sure to come out!

Each Wednesday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you the best images of the past week taken by our very own students. To submit, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video in the last week (Monday to Monday). Send your top 5 choices to wkunppa@gmail.com and our officers will pick the best of the bunch to showcase.

   Nick Slattery gets the Western Kentucky Rugby Team hyped before the game during the Nash Bash 2013.

Micheal Noble

An inmate of Warren County Correctional Facilities stands, holding his bible behind his back, in prayer. Once a month non-violent inmates are given the option of getting out of their rooms to attend a prison ministries service held be the pastor of Eleventh Street Baptist church of Bowling Green, Ky. The ministry began as an effort to inspire those who are incarcerated to find redemption through God and commit to a better lifestyle once they are released.

Bria Granville

The carpenter at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Saint Meinrad, Ind., Father Germain, glues the pieces of a frame together in the carpentry shop. Fr. Germain was making 20 new frames to replace old frames holding pictures in the hallways of the school of theology at the abbey.

Sam Oldenburg

Two teams clash during a scrum in the Nash Bash rugby tournament.

Micheal Noble

A snare drummer warms up before performing during the WGI Mid-South Percussion Finals at Western Kentucky University on March 23, 2013.

Brandon Carter

The results from the second clip contest have come in! Thanks to Grain Images and The San Francisco Chronicle for being our judges this time around!

Below you can find the judges comments and coordinating photos as well as the rankings for this years results so far.

 

Grain Images: Greg Kahn, Lexey Swall and Tristan Spinski

Feature

1st – This photo has great energy, moment, and light. Really feels like you’re on the sled with them.

2nd – Love the different elements in photo, each girl is in their own world. Great body language and quiet moments.

3rd – We thought this photo was really beautiful. Love the space the photographer gave this scene to breathe. We felt that the moment could have been better, maybe he or she could have waited for a bit more separation of the skiers and the trees.

News

1st – This is moment that could have easily been missed. It’s quiet, but the facial expressions tell the story. The children in the background are a wonderful added element. We’ve been in these situations many times and know how difficult it can be to come back with a great photo.

2nd – These firefighters look bad ass. It’s more than a simple silhouette. The light on their faces is really nice. Photographer had good access in a breaking news situation.

3rd – This was a nice quiet moment from a news situation. Great light, and good caption, although the last sentence contradicts what we see in the photo.

Portrait

1st – Simple yet effective. Great quality of light. A striking photograph

2nd – We felt like we got a sense of who this lady is, despite being in a very busy situation. Nice framing from the trees, shallow depth of field. I feel like we’ll look at this photo in 20 years and understand something about the time and place based on how she looks.

3rd – The caption of this photo could be improved. We like the use of light, but the boys could have been positioned better so the tractor parts weren’t coming out of the head of the boy on the left.

Sports Feature

1st – Really nice jubilation with layers extending into the stands. Photographer did a nice job positioning him or herself on the court to get this moment.

2nd – Great energy from the bench.

3rd – We really like the moment happening in the background of this photo. love that the photographer was looking for moments after the game, off the field. This photo would have been elevated in placement, but the player on the left of the frame is distracting from the heart of the photo.

Sports Action

1st – Really nice composition and mood from this photo. Layering was also well done.

2nd – Good sports action, photographer was in the right spot at the right time and was able to compose the frame well.

3rd – Good peak moment.

 

The San Francisco Chronicle

Feature

Good variety of images here. The images generated lively discussion between the judges in regards to the merits of graphics vs. moments, and the originality of some of the scenes.

1st – The first place photo is a beautifully clean moment that allows the viewer to connect to the emotion on the officers face. Well done.

2nd – The second place photo is a graphic location that was seen well by the photographer. The saturation of color coupled with the negative space is a strong visual. Excellent separation of subjects.

3rd – This image made us laugh, although there was some debate as to the frequency with which such scenes occur in Kentucky. Either way, we agreed that this was probably a good example of why a photographer should keep a camera handy with him/her at all times.

News

This category, with its mix of spot and general news, was interesting to judge.

1st – In the first place image the raw emotion in the woman’s expression carried this frame to the top of our list. Nice spot news moment.

2nd – We liked the graphic qualities of the frame in the second place photo – the composition is what makes this photo work. It’s a graphic image that conveys the feel of the scene. That being said, we feel that a clean graphic image should be just that. Clean and graphic. We thought the asymmetrical trees on either side of the frame took away from the otherwise clean composition. Overall, though, nice seeing.

3rd – In the third place photo we enjoyed the light. While there is undeniably a moment in this image, it was somewhat difficult to read – the girl on the right almost seems to be smiling. Given the uncertainty of building fires, we applaud the photographer for finding a moment and coupling it with nice light.

Portrait

We felt that portrait was one of the strongest categories. In portraits we are always looking for well composed images that bring you to a level of intimacy with the subject that evokes an emotion in the reader. We feel that there were a few images in this set that did just that.

1st – The first place image is well composed, with the subject framed by the trees and highlighted by a shallow depth of field. We liked the juxtaposition between the woman’s proud expression, formal outfit, and her sneakers.

2nd – The second place image automatically makes us feel something. From the scars to the wrinkles to the band aid, there is so much being said by this quiet photo. The use of light and shallow depth of field brings an added layer of intimacy to the image.

3rd – The third place image is light nicely and allows us to see the subject for who he is. The intensity of the moment is subdued by the off camera look, however the feeling of concern is still evident. This photo has nice light and a clean background.

Sports Feature

We were struck by the similarities between this category and sports action. We felt that this contest might be improved by concrete category descriptions. Our understanding of sports feature is a photograph that captures a moment away from game action and introduces a level of intimacy not typically seen by most people. For this reason, although we liked images such as the women’s basketball player celebrating on the ground, we felt like this was a action photo shot from a standard photo position (similar to the second place sports action winner).

1st – The first place image is a strong photo that captures the spirit of small town football. It’s a moment found after the game that carries emotion and strong composition seen through layers. Good job making a nice frame in a hectic moment.

2nd – The second place photo is a great example of a well seen moment in a place where there is usually limited access. The photographer stepped off the field to find that quiet moment that helps tell the story of the game. This photo could benefit from a slight crop all around to help spotlight the moment.

3rd – The third place photo is a nice moment seen from field level. The initial subjects brings a nice sense of emotion that is augmented by the subject on the right. The weak link to this image is how busy the background is. There is a feeling of disconnect that is created by the distance from the photographer to the player.

Sports Action

In this category, the judges were looking for strong technical images along with photographs that helped tell the moment of the event.

1st – The first place image displays great layers and presents a timeless feel, one that resembles classic cycling photography from past eras. The repetition of shapes (helmets) helps add to the overall appeal. The one thing missing would be a key moment, however, we feel that the overall tone and technical decisions carry this image.

2nd – The second place photograph shows great intensity with a peak moment. Although it shows strong emotion, there seems to be a disconnect between the emotion on the main subject and the players around him. The guy standing in the back is distracting. Cropping in from the right and top would have improved this image. The helmet in hand adds layer of humor that we liked.

3rd – The third place image captures a great moment and does a good job of conveying the struggle happening on the court. It’s a nontraditional action photo, but made successful by the three elements in the center of the frame – namely, the face, ball/hand, and clock. The dead space on the right and bottom left works against the image, such that we thought a tighter crop would make the image stronger and cleaner.

In this round, First Place is a tie between Adam Wolffbrandt and Jabin Botsford, each with eight images in the finals.

Second Place is a tie between Brittany Greeson, Ian Maule, Kreable Young and Jeff Brown, each with three images in the finals.

Third Place goes to Sammy Jo Hester with two in the finals.

Fourth Place is a tie between Josh Mauser, Brittany Sowacke, Katie Meek, Sam Oldenburg and Christian Randolph, each with one image in the finals.

This means that Adam Wolffbrandt is still in the lead, now with 13 points, Jabin Botsford is in second with eight, Ian Maule is in third with five, Austin Anthony is in fourth with four, Kreable Young, Brittany Greeson and Jeff Brown are in fifth with three, Josh Mauser, Brittany Sowacke, Sam Oldenburg, Sammy Jo Hester and Christian Randolph are in sixth with 2 and Bria Granville and Katie Meek are in seventh with 1.