A Portrait of a My Neighborhood

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The Other Side of The Tracks

Photo by Austin Koester
Every city is divided into neighborhoods, sometimes for economic reasons, and sometimes for issues relating to race or income. The following photograph shows a neighborhood different from the city it belongs to. There’s no clear line that separates it from it’s better half. Some say it’s divided by a set of railroad tracks. Some say it begins in an alley way between Kentucky and Adams st. Wherever it begins and whatever it may be called, I know it as my backyard. This is one photograph that represents a collection I put together for my capstone photojournalism class. It aims to give viewers a glimpse into the neighborhood and it’s inhabitants.

Posted in: Class Work, Photojournalism Projects Class

The Only Sure Thing

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The Only Sure Thing

To 98-year-old Tyrus Cobb Bailey, death is the only sure thing. He has watched as his parents and six siblings passed away one-by-one over the last century. Although he is not afraid of dying, Bailey has used his passion for woodworking to prepare for the inevitable. This project was produced by Zach Conkle over the winter break. Nice job Zach!

Posted in: Class Work, Web Narratives

Christian Randolph and Brynn Anderson selected for Hearst

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Congratulations to Brynn Anderson and Christian Randolph for having the qualifying singles portfolio at WKU PJ to advance to the Hearst judging for Photo 1 competition. Their entries can be seen below.

 


Onlookers to a one-car crash call 911 and check on the condition of an unconscious Erica Wilson. She was in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by David Menchinger. The car spun out while traveling at a high speed and slammed into a stone wall in Bowling Green, Ky., on May 11, 2011. Menchinger fled the scene after attempting to restart the car but was later arrested by Bowling Green police for driving under the influence. (Photo by Christian Randolph)

 


As Waverly High School’s James Doran (12) was attempting to find an open teammate in the second quarter at Pius X High School in Lincoln, Neb., on Dec. 2, 2010, a bleacher full of the opposing team’s fans took advantage of their home court to distract the player. Pius X won the game 72-55. (Photo by Christian Randolph)

 


Blind in one eye, Roger “Pimp Baby” Grant is unable to work aside from his small business of selling discarded trinkets from around town in his front yard in Bowling Green, Ky., on Nov. 4, 2011. Grant uses the few dollars he is able to gather from his sales to buy cigarettes and beer, a habit which has had him splitting time between the apartment his sister pays the rent for and the local jail where he is frequently incarcerated on charges of public intoxication. Shortly after this photograph was made he sold the jacket he was wearing for $5. (Photo by Christian Randolph) Continue Reading →

Posted in: Class Work, Contest Winners, Student Work

There’s No Place Like Home

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There’s No Place Like Home


Lelia Jones Ruth, 26, has been a mother for ten years. However, it wasn’t until her recent divorce that she became a single parent. In addition to getting herself and her four boys to school on time and planning birthday parties, Ruth quickly realized an added devistating loss in this new chapter of her life can be very trying and often unpredictable.

Posted in: Class Work, Web Narratives

Leave Without Absence

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Leave Without Absence


Chris Jensen, who has been sent to Iraq three times, faces another deployment to Afghanistan on Dec. 27. He and his wife, Holly, have been separated for nearly half of their nine-year marriage. “You’re more scared that when you come back your kids aren’t going to remember who you are,” Chris said.
He tries to stay connected with his children by recording himself reading bedtime stories. They can see his face and hear his voice at the end of each day. Nevertheless, Chris worries that his son, Ryan, may face challenges transitioning from boyhood to manhood without his father at home.

Posted in: Class Work, Web Narratives

John Moore of Getty Images to Speak at WKU

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Photojournalist John Moore of Getty Images will be visiting Western Kentucky University on Monday, April 25 to discuss his recent work covering the uprisings in N.     Africa, including in Libya, Egypt and Bahrain.  In addition, Moore will honor the work and lives of his two colleagues Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington who were both killed last week while covering the news in Libya.

The event will be held in the Mass Media and Technology Hall on WKU campus at 7PM and is free and open to the public.

 

 

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Suicide Awareness

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Understanding Suicide

About 30,000 people reportedly kill themselves each year in the United States.

People who attempt suicide are often trying to get away from a life situation that seems impossible to deal with.

Many who make a suicide attempt are seeking relief from:
Bad thoughts or feelings
-Feeling ashamed, guilty, or like a burden to others
-Feeling like a victim
-Feelings of rejection, loss, or
-loneliness

Suicidal behaviors may be triggered by a situation or event that the person views as overwhelming, such as:
-Aging (the elderly have the highest rate of suicide)
-Death of a loved one
-Dependence on alcohol or other drug
-Emotional trauma
-Serious physical illness
-Unemployment or financial problems

Risk factors or triggers for suicide in adolescents include:
-Access to firearms
-Family member who committed suicide (almost always someone who shared a common mood disorder)
-History of deliberate self-harm
-History of neglect or abuse
-Living in communities where there have been recent outbreaks of suicide in young people
-Romantic breakup

Posted in: Class Work, Web Narratives

Among The Stars – A story of Dreams

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No matter what age a person is, everyone has at least one dream that they hold on to. Some follow their dreams and lead rich, happy lives. Others put their dreams down to pursue something more practical or responsible. The dreams we have tell so much about who we are as individuals because however simple the dream is, it is unique, belonging only to the person who created it.

This is the story of two people who are following their dreams at completely different times in their lives. Connie is a singer and traveler from Denmark who only wants to play her songs in the street. She thrives off of the energy of the moment and holds onto no hopes of future fame or fortune. Harry is a songwriter who came to Nashville 20 years ago to try and make it as a songwriter. Tasting a little bit of fame, he left to pursue a career in the restaurant industry. Unfulfilled in his job, he decided to return back to Nashville to rediscover his original dream of writing songs.

One day while Connie is playing on the street, Harry sees her and is taken by her unique voice and spirit. He introduces himself and hands her the lyrics to a song that he has held onto for over 20 years, but never found the right singer for. When he returns she has put music to his words and the two form an unlikely and special friendship through their music.

Posted in: Class Work, Photojournalism Projects Class

Keep Going: A Look at Growing Old

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At 96, Sherman Price is Russellville, Kentucky’s self-proclaimed “oldest citizen.” He was born on the day that WWI began, and he was 5 years old when it ended. He was a teenager during the Great Depression and he remembers that his family was among the first in their neighborhood to buy a radio.

“I used to be real backwards, bashful, you know? But after I got over that I went the other way and I can go up to anyone that I want to and go to talking to them and it don’t bother me a bit.”

Price is a greeter at his church, and a farmer who still raises horses and angus calves. He says that he believes that having a purpose every day in his work is what has kept him going and that the only thing he worries about when he dies is that his livestock won’t be cared for.

 

Posted in: Class Work, Web Narratives