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

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

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

Losing Cherokee by Sean McInnis

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Western Kentucky University’s Photojournalism & Documentary Sean McInnis, a junior, explored the culture and language of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tucked away in the Great Smokey Mountains. While interning last summer at the Charlotte Observer, Sean learned about how the Cherokee language is quickly disappearing, and the efforts that are being taken to preserve it. To better tell story, Sean created a multimedia presentation that pulls together examples of the Cherokee language in written and spoken form and broke down a timeline of the Cherokee Nations struggle the past 200 years to hold onto their culture.  Visit the it at: https://wkuvjp430.tilda.ws/losingcherokee

Posted in: Class Work, Intro to Short Doc, Photojournalism Projects Class, Student Work, Web Narratives

Poetic Journey – Advanced Short Form Documentary

\ Leave a Comment \ by

In an assignment in the Advanced Short Form Documentary class taught by Tim Broekema, students where given the challenge of creating a video in the idea of Poetic Documentaries, a from first seen in the 1920s.

It prioritize experiences, visuals, and aim to present the world from diverse perspectives. Characterized by abstractness and a flexible narrative structure, this sub-genre of documentaries boldly ventures into unconventional and experimental forms and themes. Its primary objective is to evoke emotions rather than convey a definitive reality.

Here are examples from two of our Photojournalism & Documentary students in the class.

Rod by Sean McInnis

A look inside the underground, do-it-yourself, traveling musical duo ROD, featuring Micah Wu and Angie Willcutt.

 

Like Father, Like Son by Brett Phelps

Maya Angelou said, “Every journey begins with a single step.” For Michael Phelps, his journey with fishing began with the first cast he made as a child with his father on a dock at the Lake of the Ozarks near Versailles, Missouri. Phelps continues this father-son pastime with his sons on the pond banks and lakes of Kentucky. Phelps understands that it’s not fish he is after, it’s something much more significant.

Posted in: Advanced Short Form Doc, Student Work

Emilee Arnold

\ Leave a Comment \ by

Emilee Arnold’s first internships last summer had her covering five eastern Kentucky and West Virginia counties, while working for the Appalachian Newspapers, Inc. A Bowling Green, KY native Emilee is a junior Photojournalism major at Western Kentucky University. Here are a few of her pictures from this past year.

Dean Woods, 58, holds his wife Brenda’s hand during an eye exam at a Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic at Easy Perry Elementary School in Hazard, Ky. RAM clinics offer free vision, dental, and medical care to patients in underserved areas. The couple were among the first to arrive at the clinic at its opening on June 3, 2023.

Olivia Beachy, 8, chases a classmate in a game of tag during indoor recess at her Mennonite school on March 31, 2023.

Family and friends of Martin, Ky. resident Amber Spradlin mourn during a visitation at Hall Funeral Home on June 22, 2023. Spradlin was found dead at a home in Martin on June 18, with Kentucky State Police deeming her death a result of “life-threatening injuries from suspected foul play”. Her family alleged at a later press conference that she was stabbed eleven times. As of September 18, no arrests have yet been made in connection to her case.

In the weeks following her death, relatives of Spradlin made calls for justice through demonstrations, a vigil, and memorial services. Her family says that they seek to keep Amber’s story in the community’s memory and see the perpetrator brought to justice.

Posted in: Class Work, Student Work, Through Our Eyes