Mark, 48, lives in South Central Kentucky with his wives, Marian, 32, and Heidi, 23. Together they are raising seven children under the principle of Celestial Plural Marriage, also known as polygamy. Their beliefs about plural marriage are rooted in their faith, what they call independent fundamental Mormonism. Mark leads the family in a home church service each Sunday. Marian and Heidi home school the children. The family lives a life of sustainability, growing their own fruits and vegetables, and using solar energy to power their home.
NPPA WKU student clip contest underway!
• Students should submit fully captioned photos; photos from fall semester until deadline are eligible. They do NOT have to have been published.
• There are 5 categories: news, feature, sports action, sports feature, portrait/personality
• Photos should be sized at 10 inches on longest side, 240 dpi at highest.
• Naming conventions: use the first 3 letters of your last name, category, then number: lastname_category_number.jpg example, picture entered in sports action category: ebe_sportsaction_01.jpg
• File caption in “file info;” be sure to include your name in “photographer” field. We can’t award points if you don’t tell us who you are!
• There is no limit on entries, however, use your judgement- send only your best work.
• Log on the pj server and drop files on the “NPPA Clip Contest” for submission.
DEADLINE: Wed., Feb 10 at noon.
• After the Herald decides the winners, we’ll post them up in the lab and on this blog.
• At the end of the semester, after points have been accumulated for the series, there will be a prize for the winning photographer.
WKU has a great day at KNPA!
The Kentucky News Photographer Association annual seminar and contest was held Jan. 22 and 23 in Lexington, Ky. WKU did very well in the student division as well as in the professional division. Highlights of the contest include Scott McIntyre being named College Photographer of the year and Philip Andrews was runner-up. Ben Severance was awarded a special recognition Judges Award. Out of 54 possible awards given in the student competition, WKU received 45 of them. Also, in the professional division, Josh Meltzer, our newest faculty member, was runner-up for Photographer of the Year and Jeanie Adams-Smith won Best of Show. James Kenney and Tim Broekema also placed first in the Pictorial and New Media categories. To see all of the results please visit the awesome KNPA website! Be sure to support your state and join KNPA and enter next years contest.
A Chance to get a $5,000 Grant
The Photocrati Fund offers $5000 grants to non-professional photographers to undertake important humanitarian and environmental photography projects. Our goal is to identify outstanding, up-and-coming photographers and give them the resources necessary to pursue projects that will have a tangible and positive effect on the world.
We will offer one grant in 2010. The application deadline is March 15, 2010, and the award will be announced in June 2010. Awardees become Photocrati Fellows for the calendar year from the announcement of their award until the announcement of the following year’s award.
Applicants must be non-professional photographers who derive less than 50% of their income from photography or photography-related activities. The grant is open to photographers over 21 years of age from any country worldwide, but applicants should have a proven ability to produce outstanding imagery, as well as the background necessary to carry out their proposed project.
Capturing a dramatic rescue
WKU Freshman Tyler Cacek spent several weeks working with an ambulance crew for a project for Intro class. One day he documented the dramatic rescue of several people from a car crash.
Margaret Mason, 63, of Marion County, Ky, attempts to remove the victim of a head-on collision on highway 50 outside of Lebanon, Kentucky. The crash resulted in the hospitalization of 5 people, two of which were flown directly to Louisville, KY hospital from the scene.
Sending off toe-to-toe
WKU Senior Cody Duty photographed this couple in a somewhat different way, focusing on a tender touch of toes, using the contrast in footwear to tell the story of a soldier departing for war.
Mary Lewin (left) spends the remaining moments with her husband, Sgt. Mark Lewin of the U.S. Army, before the 36th Sustainment “Rawhide” Brigade Deployment Ceremony in Temple, Texas on July 4, 2009. “I’m proud of him, but it’s hard for us,” Mary said. The soldiers will be deployed for a 13-month tour overseas.
IVUmed: Teach One, Reach Many
Since 1992, IVUmed, a volunteer group of doctors and nurses from the United States, has traveled to developing nations worldwide using their medical expertise to change lives. Founded and directed by Dr. Catherine deVries, a pediatric urologist working at the University of Utah, the organization’s mission is to perform operations for people in need, while also teaching these medical procedures to the local doctors and nurses so they can eventually take care of their own. The ultimate goal of IVUmed is to be no longer needed in a country.
This multimedia project, which is narrated by Dr. deVries and produced by James Kenney, highlights IVUmed’s accomplishments in Vietnam, Mongolia and Nigeria. It is a story about how the work of a few dedicated doctors and nurses has made a profound difference in thousands of lives.
WKU Photojournalism Internship Day 2009
Every fall the WKU Photojournalism program invites Directors of Photography from newspapers across the region to spend the day with students reviewing portfolios and conducting intern interviews. Gary Hairlson, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, addresses colleagues and students during a round table discussion.
WKU student Ben Severence greets Kevin Swank, Assistant Managing Editor, Visuals at the Evansville Courier & Press.
Luke Sharett makes Pictures of the Day at NYTimes.com
WKU student makes his presence known while interning for the New York Times.
Peace After War in Uganda • WKU student Tyler Cacek travels to Africa
In June 2009, I left the United States for East Africa. The primary purpose of my trip abroad was to document the efforts of The HALO Foundation (www.haloworldwide.org) working with disadvantaged youth in Kampala, Uganda. The majority of my time was spent creating a portrait series for each of the homes HALO works in, but in my off time I pursued other stories dealing with issues across east Africa. For years I have wanted to be a documentary photographer working in the Third World. This was the perfect opportunity for me to embrace my dreams and take a step into a career that I will hotly chase for the rest of my life.
I spent two months photo-mentoring a group of boys living in one of the group homes HALO supports. There isn’t much art appreciation in Uganda, so giving disadvantaged kids cameras and allowing them to explore the world in a way that they never thought possible allowed them to grow and appreciate a little bit of something that they never had.
I will continue to return to Uganda to document human stories an elements. My trip this summer allowed me to solidify my passion and honed my vision for my future.