Student Spotlight – Adin Parks

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Adin Parks is a Junior, Visual Journalism & Photography major from Louisville, Kentucky. Last summer he interned at the Evansville Living Magazine and is the chief photographer on staff at WKU Herald. Here is some of his work from the past year at WKU.

https://parksshots.com/

Parks video “Living Twinkle Jon Stinkle” was part of his final for the Intro to Short Form Documentary class last year.

Clowning isn’t just a hobby for Bowling Green senior Cassidy Resch; it’s a lifestyle. Resch has performed as clown Twinkle Jon Stinkle since early 2023, using their background in theatre and dance to supply their clown with life. Resch is a clown, with or without makeup.

“Everyone’s a clown,” they said. “Few are brave enough to show it.”

Although Resch does not dress as a clown often, they said they enjoy doing so to go out and meet all sorts of people. The musical theatre major hopes to be a clown or on stage for their future career.

 

After school, Asher and his girlfriend, Harley Frazier, relax while taking turns playing a video game.

A young farmer awaits the small animal auction to begin during the 40th Annual Southern Kentucky Horse Drawn Machinery Consignment Auction.  The one day event draws in thousands from the Amish and Mennonite communities looking to purchase non-motor driven equipment and farm animals.

Greek life members of the Fraternities Sigma Chi, Iota Phi Theta and Sorority Phi Mu all participate in chants before the parade begins at the WKU’s annual Homecoming Parade on Friday, November 10th 2023 in Bowling Green KY.

Posted in: Intro to Short Doc, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

Student Spotlight – Kayden Mulrooney

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Kayden Mulrooney is a Junior, Visual Journalism & Photography and a Political Science major from Louisville, Kentucky. She will intern at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer this summer as their staff photographer. This fall she produced multiple videos as part of the Advanced Short Form Documentary class.  She currently serves as the Web Visuals Editor for the Talisman Magazine.

http://kaydenmulrooney.com/

For Lori Mutter, beekeeping is more than just a hobby.

Pomp ‘Till You Drop: Creating a WKU Homecoming Float

There is one word that strikes a chord in the hearts of every member of Greek life: “pomping.” For one week, fraternities and sororities spend hours making tiny balls of tissue paper to turn into a float for Homecoming. Alpha Delta Pi, Kappa Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta joined forces to create their float before the homecoming parade on Saturday, Nov. 15. Talisman videographer Kayden Mulrooney went behind the scenes to capture the work that goes into each float.

Posted in: Intro to Short Doc, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

Emilee Arnold

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Senior Visual Journalism and Photography student Emilee Arnold of Bowling Green, Ky heads into her final year at WKU, documenting some of her strongest work. Spring 2024 Advanced Photojournalism class focused on in-depth phicture stories combined with her advanced lighting class, prepared her for her summer internship at The Chautauquan Daily. Here are a few of her pictures from the past year.

 

Warren County Regional Jail inmate Donald Weaver, serving the last day of his sentence, shoots a basketball toward the goal in the gymnasium in Bowling Green, KY on February 28, 2024.

 

Children in a Bowling Green, Kentucky apartment complex home to many in the city’s Tanzanian-American community gather around a backdrop before a portrait shoot on April 8, 2024. Tanzanian- and Congolese-Americans make up a significant portion of the city’s refugee population, with over 1,200 immigrants arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2018.

 

Kelly Carr hugs her daughter Everleigh Gant after Gant finishes singing her favorite song during breakfast at Auburn Diner in Auburn, Ky on February 6, 2024.

 

David Dye cuts the hair of a client at Dye’s Barber Shop in Bowling Green, KY on February 7, 2024. “I’ve been here for over fifty years,” Dye laughs. “I probably gave him his first haircut.”

 

 

Posted in: Advanced Lighting, Internship, Introduction to Photojournalism, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

Dominic Di Palermo

\ Leave a Comment \ by

A junior transfer student from Chicago, Dominic Di Palermo has spent his past year in WKU’s Visual Journalism and Photography program, becoming involved in student publications and and trying to make the most of his time. Di Palermo secured an internship at the St. Louis Post Dispatch during the summer of 2024 where sports drove his passion.  Here are a few images from stories and assignments Di Palermo worked on this past year.

Dijana Muminovic spends time with her father Kemal Muminovic in a hospital room at the Medical Center in Bowling Green, Ky. on Friday, April 19, 2024. Kemal Muminovic who was battling Stage 4 gastric cancer passed away the following Wednesday, April 24.

 

Jamie Mueller (left), who’s been homeless for around six months, and Corinthians Robinson, who’s been homeless for almost five months, embrace during a memorial service for their friend John Paul “JP” Yarborough hosted by New Life Evangelistic Center on the train tracks where he was struck at the intersection of Florida Street and North 1st Street in St. Louis, Mo. on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Mueller claimed to have been the first person to find his body earlier that week. “I knew he was was struggling,” Mueller said. “I definitely did. As we all are.”

 

Alpha Gamma Delta freshman Addileigh Wofford, left, pulls the rope while her coach Alumn Baylee Lackey screams at her during the annual WKU Greek Week “Tug” competition on Friday, April 19, 2024.

 

Portland Timbers goalkeeper James Pantemis (41), middle, dives past St. Louis City SC’s defender Anthony Markanich (13), right, and defender Joakim Nilsson (4) to save a goal during the first half of a game at CityPark stadium in St. Louis, Mo. on Saturday, June 8, 2024.

 

Posted in: Internship, Introduction to Photojournalism, Student Work, Through Our Eyes

The Highest Office Photo Exhibition

\ Leave a Comment \ by

The Highest Office

A visual journey of those who aspired to become president, celebrating the intersection of photojournalism and political history.

 

JRH Gallery

M-W: 9:00 – 9:00

Th – F: 9:00 – 4:00

Through Nov. 16 [A closing alumni homecoming reception before game]

 

The Highest Office is a powerful photo exhibit featuring iconic images captured by award-winning alumni of Western Kentucky University’s School of Media and Communication’s Visual Journalism and Photography program. These photographers chronicle the journey presidential candidates take before assuming the nation’s highest office, providing a rare and intimate look at the human side of American political campaigns.

From Beto O’Rourke standing on a stump in a front yard in Iowa, George W. Bush making his final plea just days before an election, the thousands that gather for the national conventions or images from an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, each photograph tells a unique story. These moments remind us that before a president occupies the White House, they must first navigate the complex and emotional path to leadership.

If you are interested in developing any learning opportunity or wish to coordinate a hosted tour, please contact tim.broekema@wku.edu, gallery curator.

FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE:

 

ROUTE – A visual journey down Historic Dixie Highway

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Stretching from the tip of Florida to the top of Michigan the historic Dixie Highway created communities along its Route.  Travel with Anna Leachman and Gabi Broekema as they document its path through the state of Kentucky, telling the stories of its people, religion and businesses, along its winding road.

View the entire project here: https://wkuvjp436.tilda.ws/route

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work

Survivors – Finding Hope Beyond Domestic Violence

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Ever so often students do a project that shakes you and makes one stop to notice the depth of storytelling that our students are capable of producing. Survivors is a senior capstone project by Allie Schallert and Arthur H. Trickett-Wile that had the room on an emotional rollercoaster during the presentation. It is a story of two women and their journey through the impacts of domestic violence.

View the entire story here: https://wkuvjp436.tilda.ws/survivors

Posted in: Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work

Roommates: From Western to The White House

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Follow the life journey of two Western Kentucky University photojournalism students and see how they landed a career documenting the biggest election in a century

Western Kentucky University’s School of Media and Communication and The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series present an exhibition of photographs and an evening presentation showcasing Jabin Botsford and Demetrius Freeman’s photographic journey From Western to the White House.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

6:15 p.m. Photo Exhibition, Jody Richards Hall Gallery, Western Kentucky University

7:00 p.m. Evening Presentation, Jody Richards Hall Auditorium, Western Kentucky University

NOTE: Parking is free after 4:30 in the Chestnut St. lot at the end of Regents Ave.

A little over a decade ago, Western Kentucky University students Jabin Botsford and Demetrius Freeman shared an apartment on Park Street. Their ambition to make a name for themselves in photojournalism was high as they worked their way through the strenuous rigors of academic life. After graduation, they each went their separate way, Botsford landing his first job at The Washington Post while Freeman cut his teeth as a freelance photojournalist and eventually a staff photographer for the New York City Mayor’s Office.

Botsford has documented the Trump Presidency since the beginning, capturing many of the iconic images that became highly discussed news revelations. For four years he reported daily to The White House providing some of the most comprehensive visual documentation of the Trump Presidency. In 2020, Freeman was brought on as a staff photojournalist for The Washington Post. Botsford was assigned to document President Donald Trump and Freeman was assigned to cover Senator Joe Biden’s campaign for President. Following the 2021 Biden inauguration, the two former roommates were back together again, this time on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Both photojournalists will discuss their journey from Western to The White House and photojournalism’s role in political news and its importance during an election year. Presidential campaigns are highly staged events, and they will talk about finding a split second of reality in such high-pressure situations.

A gallery exhibit of over 60 photographs, will showcase their work spanning their career, both in and out of the White House. The gallery will remain on display through April 19.

 

Our Guests

Jabin Botsford is a staff photographer at The Washington Post.

He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY with a degree in photojournalism and sociology.

Jabin began his career at the Washington Post March 2015 and was assigned to cover Donald J. Trump’s first presidential campaign that summer. Once President Trump took office, Jabin was stationed at The White House throughout his term covering the Presidency.

He was named 2019 and 2017 White House News Photographers Association Photographer of the Year.

Jabin has interned for the New York Times in both New York City and in their Washington DC bureau. He interned at The Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles California and for The Washington Post in Washington DC.

Jabin participated at the 2012 and 2013 Mountain Workshops. In October of 2013 he was a student at The Eddie Adams Workshop XXVI. He has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, College Photographer of the Year, The William Randolph Hearst Photojournalism Award program, the Associated Collegiate Press, the National Press Photographers Association, the Kentucky News Photographers Association, The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, and many others. His images and multimedia have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, AARP, and numerous other publications throughout the country.

As a student he placed first in the 2014 Hearst National Journalism Awards Championship photojournalism shootout as well as receiving awards for best photo and best portfolio. He has been named Student Photographer of the year two years in a row by the Kentucky News Photographer’s Association and named Sports Photographer of the Year two years in a row by College Photographer of the Year. Jabin has also been named Student Photographer of the year by the Ohio News Photographers Association, the White House News Photographers Association and The NPPA Southern Short Corse.

Jabin is currently based in Washington, DC.

 

Demetrius Freeman is a Staff Political Photojournalist at The Washington Post.

Demetrius holds a BA in photojournalism with a minor in political science from Western Kentucky University. He has studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and has completed an international master’s program at the Danish School of Media & Journalism in Aarhus, Denmark.

Demetrius began working at The Washington Post in August 2020, covering Joe Biden’s presidential campaign during that summer.  Once President Biden was elected, Demetrius started photographing more often from The White House.

He has worked as a photographer for the New York City Mayor’s office, under Mayor Bill de Blasio. He has also worked as a freelance visual journalism and creative director based in New York City before being hired fulltime by The Washington Post.

He has held internships at The Chautauquan Daily, The New York Times, and The Tampa Bay Times. He also worked as a photographer for the New York City Mayor’s Office.

Demetrius has participated in several workshops and seminars including The Mountain Workshop, The Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, The New York Times Portfolio Review, The New York Times Safety & Security Workshop, The Missouri Photo Workshop, and is an alumni of The Eddie Adams Workshop XXVII. Demetrius is a member of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and Diversify.Photo.

Contacts for lecture series and gallery exhibition

If you need more information about the lecture series or want to connect with one of the speakers, contact organizer Jonathan Adams jonathan.adams@wku.edu.

The photo exhibition will be on display March 13 – April 19, from 9-5 M-TH when WKU is open. For more information about the photo exhibit please contact Tim Broekema tim.broekema@wku.edu.

About the John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series

The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series, launched in 2004 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Gaines’ family-owned newspaper, the Daily News, has brought several award-winning international journalists to WKU.  Previous lecture participants include the Indianapolis Star Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered the USA Gymnastics sex abuse cases; The Cincinnati Enquirer Pulitzer Prize-winning team that documented the addiction crisis, journalism icon John Seigenthaler and his son, former NBC network news anchor John Seigenthaler Jr.; Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts of The Miami Herald; and Chicago Tribune photojournalist and official White House photographer Pete Souza.

Documenting a Mennonite family by Emilee Arnold

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Junior Visual Journalism & Photography major Emilee Arnold gained access to a family of seven children growing up in a Mennonite community in rural Western Kentucky.

Olivia Beachy, 8, salutes during a Bible verse recitation at Franklin Mennonite School on March 31, 2023. Students at the school memorize 100 Bible verses throughout the year alongside their courses in math, science, history, and English.
Olivia Beachy, 8, collects eggs from the chicken coops in her family’s yard in Auburn, Ky. as part of her evening chores on March 28, 2023. “The reason I make lists of chores all the time is so they learn how to help each other, and how to be responsible for what’s around them,” said Valerie Beachy, Olivia’s mother. “I’ve said that idleness is the devil’s workshop.”
Isaac Beachy, 16, talks with his mother about his cross tattoo during a family dinner on Sunday, April 2, 2023. The tattoo is a point of contention with his mother, who dislikes the tattoo but is “glad it is what it is”.
The Beachy family enjoys a homemade meal of deer steak and potatoes at their residence.

Valerie Beachy and daughter Olivia, 8, pray facing the back of the room during a service at their Mennonite church in rural western Kentucky.
Posted in: Through Our Eyes

Aging in America by Brett Phelps

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Junior Visual Journalism & Photography major Brett Phelps  has spent the past year documenting 87-year-old Billy Salsman as she struggles to live on her own as a childless widow. Her failing health and loneliness is taking a toll on her making day to day life a challenge.

Eighty-seven-year-old Billie Salsman is among the 6 million Americans age 85 or older. She has no children and has lived alone since she became widowed in 2008. Salsman has a multitude of health issues and has recently suffered from three strokes that have affected her speech, swallowing, and mental processing. She lives on a limited retirement income and cannot afford to reside in an assisted living or nursing home facility without losing her home. Salsman’s social life is limited to the neighbors who drive her to the grocery store and doctors appointments and the therapists who provide in-home services To combat her loneliness, Salsman passes the time reading the Bible and researching her family’s genealogy, as Salsman no longer attends in-person church services. Salsman credits her longevity to her Christian faith, “You must remember the word ‘joy.’ Put Jesus first, then others, and then yourself.”

Eighty-seven-year-old Billie Salsman selects a necklace to wear to her doctor’s appointment at her home in Hodgenville, Kentucky on April 7, 2023. According to Salsman, her husband gave her jewelry for birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas over the years. “I enjoy dressing up on occasion, but it’s hard for me to with my arthritis.”

 

Salsman winces in pain as she uses an assistive device to pull her leg into the bed at her home in Hodgenville, Kentucky on the evening of April 6, 2023. “I sleep with my Bible, and sometimes when I hurt bad, I beg God to relieve the pain. I take my Bible and lay it on that spot. And you know, I soon doze off to sleep.”

To stay close to God and to combat loneliness, Salsman reads her Bible at her home in Hodgenville, Kentucky on April 23, 2023. Salman reflected, “God is the word. I feel close to him when I read my Bible.”

 

Salsman takes a moment to reflect at her late husband’s tombstone in Hodgenville, Kentucky on April 9, 2023. “My companion, James Salsman, died on September 17, 2008. He was a good Christian husband, and I thank God that he chose such a good person for me. I miss him. I miss him bad,” shares Salsman.

 

Posted in: Class Work, Introduction to Photojournalism, Student Work, Through Our Eyes