Category Archives: Through Our Eyes

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Kristin Smith, of Bowling Green, Ky., poses during a Halloween screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Capitol Arts Center, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013, in Bowling Green, Ky.  ERIC SHEA

Richard Wyatt, left, and Joseph Gullett, center right, of Scottsville, Ky., lunge at runners trying to pass through a wooden shack filled with smoke at the KY Zombie Mud Run held at Skeleton’s Lair in Settle, Ky., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013.  The two were dressed as zombies and are close friends who have been working at Skeleton’s Lair for the last five years.  DANNY GUY

Nick Reisaner carries his son Caleb, 6, as he runs from Jillian Kenney, of Bowling Green, Ky., at the KY Zombie Mud Run at Skeleton’s Lair in Settle, Ky., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013.  “I do this to scare people until they pee themselves,” said Kenney.  DANNY GUY

A woman referred to as ‘Ms. Ann,’ a regular at Shake Rag Salon in Bowling Green, Ky., takes a nap under a hair dryer as she receives a relaxing treatment on her hair.  BRITTANY GREESON

People make their way across East Madison Street as others board the train at the Madison/Wabash CTA station on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 in Chicago.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Alexander Celestian makes etchings into the red top pavement while waiting to return to the playground at McNeill Elementary in Bowling Green, Ky., on November 5, 2013.  JUSTIN GILLILAND

WKU defends against Georgia State in the 4th quarter.  WKU won 44-28 against Georgia State at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 02, 2013.  JEFF BROWN

Cindy Martin, 26, Florence, Ky, rests against the wall of the Capitol Arts building after the annual Halloween screening of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. Martin is seeking a graduate’s degree in Sociology from Western Kentucky University and saw the event as a way to ‘let loose and blow off steam.’  RAE EMARY

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Baylle Brownlee pulls her suitcase down an empty hotel hallway as her family prepares to leave for the WKU homecoming game where her mother, Brittany Cain, is a homecoming Queen candidate.  BRIA GRANVILLE

WKU senior defensive back Tyree Robinson leads a group prayer with his teammate before his team’s homecoming game against Troy.  IAN MAULE

Fog envelopes WKU’s Guthrie Bell Tower, October 28, 2013.  JUSTIN GILLILAND

WKU freshman long snapper Nolan Dowling hangs his head before the start of his team’s homecoming game against Troy.  IAN MAULE

Junior Susan Marquess, of Hopkinsville, KY, dives to swim the 200 freestyle, October 25, 2013. Marquess finished with a time of 1:54.16, finishing 4th in the dual meet against Northwestern University, who would go on to defeat the Hilltoppers by only 6 points.  JUSTIN GILLILAND

 

 

 

 

Family Tree: An Exhibition Print Auction

With the closing of our Family Tree gallery show comes an opportunity to take a piece of WKU photojournalism history home.

Current and former instructors of photojournalism will be donating print sales proceeds made from the silent auction to help support our students. There are some real gems in here, including prints by Jack Corn, David LaBelle, Michael S. Williamson, Jeanie Adams-Smith, Jonathan Adams, Francis Gardler, Tim Broekema, Mike Morse, Chad A. Stevens, Josh Meltzer and more.

Visit the auction page at www.32auctions.com/wkupj to browse through all of the amazing work up for sale.  The WKU NPPA student chapter will be using the money from this fundraiser to host guest speakers, pay for events–like print trades–and provide many more learning experiences to our students.  This is a great way to support the next generation of visual storytellers coming out of WKU.

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Seth Bickett (foreground) and KJ Simpson, both sophomores at Daviess County High School, practice tricks on their bicycles at the PNC Bank parking lot in downtown Owensboro, Ky.  KREABLE YOUNG

Wku junior guards Trency Jackson and TJ Prince celebrate after Jackson successfully performed a slam dunk during the dunk contest portion of Hilltopper Hysteria Saturday night.  IAN MAULE

Corey Lanerie contemplates his race before he gets out of the jockey dressing room in Keeneland before the eighth race on Friday, October 11, 2013.  PEYTON HOBSON

Burmese refugees Cing Sian Lun, 6, and Cing Ngaih Kim, 3, work on Cing Sian Lun’s homework in Owensboro, Ky. on Oct. 17, 2013.  Cing Sian Lun speaks Burmese and is also learning English and Spanish in the first grade at Deer Park Elementary School.  LEAH VOSS

Gene Wink (left), Roy Humphrey, Jack Humphrey and Donald Gill eat breakfast at J.R.’s Market before they begin their day. Donald carves a “hoo-doo” stick, whose propeller purportedly changes directions upon command.  ADRIANA FUNKE

Helen Kasey has been working the day shift at Moonlite Bar-B-Q for over 19 years. 61 years young she is often referred to as “momma” in the kitchen due to her warm and caring personality. Underneath that good spirit Helen is constantly reminded why she works as hard and as much as she does. Her husband Donald Kasey, 61, was diagnosed with Leukemia around four years ago and has been unable to work. Placing the stress of supporting the both of them squarely on Helen’s shoulders. “His disablement check helps out,” Helen said. “I try not to eat until I get here so I can save money.” The stress of her ailing husband and worrying about bills certainly hasn’t dampened Helen’s spirits. “It’s not a burden to take care of him because I am helping him,” she said. “I take the vows I made to him very seriously.”  LUKE FRANKE

Tan Mayhall (left) and Tony Rodgers (right) share a laugh at Elmwood Cemetery before the “Voices of Elmwood” performance, which dramatizes the lives of those buried. “I got involved by mistake,” said Rodgers, whose four year involvement has given him experiences as two separate characters in this unique showcase.  HARRISON HILL

Cing Lan Nuampi (left) and her husband, Zaw Zaw are refugees and natives of Myanmar who moved their family to Kentucky in July.  Even small errands like doing their laundry poses a challenge because the couple do not have driver licenses or a car.  The family relies on favors from relatives or the International Center to get them around their new town, Owensboro, Ky.  LEAH VOSS

Sunrise to moonrise gives witness to life clicking along in Owensboro through time- lapse photography. The city’s energy — new life mixed with old — reveals itself under clouds, stars and light.  JEFF BROWN

 

 

Mountain Workshops holds a special place in any WKUPJs’ heart. Top photojournalists surround, critique, and inspire us to push ourselves past our limits. As a special treat, we were honored with guest editors Mick Cochran, Rodney Curtis and Kathleen Flynn for this week’s Through Our Eyes post. We cannot thank them enough for their time and input.  Visit the Mountain Workshops page HERE to follow our exploration of Owensboro, Ky.

WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Julianna Rosas cools off with a cup of water as she runs down North Broadway during the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Chicago.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

Blake Sarmiento and Mitchell Garcia of Western Kentucky University attempt to tackle Caleb Nelson of Murray State. WKU and Murray State played a rugby dress match to benefit breast cancer awareness.  MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

A man waits at dusk with other commuters at the State/Lake outer loop elevated metro station in Chicago.  NAOMI DRIESSNACK

Runners make their way down North Columbus Drive during the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Chicago.  ADAM WOLFFBRANDT

“When I haven’t slept in days I make photographs that feel as strange as I do.”  ERIC SHEA

An aerialist performs at the Fly Free Fest in Adams, Tenn., on Friday, Oct. 11, 2013.  KREABLE YOUNG

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Melanie Durrett, 22, of Hodgenville Ky. sits with her boyfriend of a year Derail Shelton and their dog Cochece in their temporary home, The Holiday Motel in Cave City, Ky. The two have been living there for about a month. “I’ve been trying to find work”, Durrett says, “It’s been real hard, a mixture of the recession and my hand tattoos.”  KATIE MCLEAN

Reynalda Ruiz, of Chicago, Ill., watches over neighborhood children playing in a fenced-off alleyway between apartment buildings in the Pilsen neighborhood on Friday, October 4, 2013.  “I’m just babysitting for a friend,” said Ruiz, “just helping out.  This isn’t a job, they wouldn’t be able to pay me anyway.  The economy never changes, this is just normal.  This is how it always is.”  DANNY GUY

During the wedding ceremony of Jamijo Gilbert and TIm Carter, Jody Garrett, mother of Jamijo, is kissed on the forehead by her life partner Bill Surian. Though they had planned the wedding to be next June, Jamijo and Tim were married on Oct. 4, 2013 at Covenant Health Care’s Chapel due to Jody’s recent diagnosis of terminal cancer. “It’s always a mother’s dream to see her little girl get married,” Jody said after the ceremony.  SAMMY JO HESTER

Smiling as she stands in the doorway of her food truck along Veterans Memorial Ln in Bowling Green, 56 year old Barbara Jackson patiently waits for her next customer. “They’ll come, they know the food’s good,” she said with a laugh. A nurse by trade, Barbara usually spends her days at Tristar Skyline medical center in Nashville but her passion has always been food, so for extra money she started cooking for the masses and set up shop selling what she calls the best BBQ in Bowling Green.  BRIAN POWERS

Ear and throat cancer were not enough to stop Butch Elrod of Rockfield, Ky. Elrod, a 30 year truck driving veteran, who has driven over 3 million miles during his career. After retiring in 2006 Elrod traded his 16 wheels for 2 and has driven cross country on his Harley Davidson motorcycle twice. “I’m gonna live how I wanna live,” Elrod said while spending time with a friend in Bowling Green on Monday, October 07, 2013. When he is not on his motorcycle, Elrod’s other passion is horses and he stays busy raising over 30 of them on his Rockfield farm.  BRIAN POWERS

Photographers photograph the sunrise at Oxbow Bend in the Grand Teton National Park which was closed later that day due to the government shut down in Moose, DC on Tuesday October 1, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

As an artist of many mediums, Finland native and Louisville, Ky., resident Marjaleena Pihlajamaki, 59, finds that most of her creativity comes from laying in bed. “The TV is on, the music is loud, the cat is laying right down there and my easel is right in front of me,” Pihlajamaki said.  “I’m most creative when I’m most comfortable.”  Since moving to the Derby City her art forms have expanded to hat and jewelry creations, which she sells in a small Bardstown Road storefront.  SALLY JEAN WEGERT

James Earl Johnson sits in his new home, previously used as a storage unit. Johnson is retired but spent the majority of his life working construction and most recently working at the ACK Controls Factory in Glasgow, Ky.  KATIE MCLEAN

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

The front porch of Elizabeth Pedigo, center, acts as a gathering place for her family, “It’s where we come together,” she said as she sits on her porch with her son, Wayne Gray, left, and holds her granddaughter, Aliona Beck. Aliona’s mother, Ariel Pedigo, far right, plays with her twin sister Aubrey Beck while in Bowling Green on Thursday, September 26, 2013.  BRIAN POWERS

A portrait of Dr. Rahraw Omarzad founder of the Centre for Contemporary Art Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 2006 Omarzad established the only women’s art center in Afghanistan. “We taught women how to drawing and after three months we gave them hints of conceptual art and creative painting. Their art work shows the struggle and sacrifice of woman over time and is strictly open for interpretation,” said Dr. Omarzad.  DEMETRIUS FREEMAN

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts play with and make foam plate gliders and get an eye opening look at life in aviation as the Youth Aviation Adventure has a program at OSU Don Scott Field in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013.  JABIN BOTSFORD

A freshman defensive end for Western Kentucky University, Kalvin Robinson loves the game for the game itself. “I have a quote from my favorite artist and I think about that every game. The quote is, ‘You can fly, no body can stop you, nobody,” Robinson said.  BRITTANY GREESON

Joann McCoy and fiancé Joe Smith of Glasgow, Ky. lean in during a joking argument (left) and Arthur and Annette Morton of Panama City (right) laugh at their discussion while Tremekia Dice watches after her niece, Dada Hamilto, 2, and her brother Malik Dice, 12, (center) on the steps of Wigwam Church during the Cave City Proud Days Festival.  KATIE MCLEAN

WKU’s ROTC presents the American Flag before their game against Navy at Western Kentucky University on Saturday, September 28, 2013.  DEMETRIUS FREEMAN

Each Thursday, WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA brings you some of the best images of the past week taken by our very own classmates. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video within the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 1-5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com by our Tuesday 6:30pm deadline and our officers and attendees will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Talen Sourcy, 6, of Auburn, Ky., plays with his umbrella during half time at the Greenwood vs Logan football game.  KATIE MCLEAN

WKU alum Charqwan Harris, 25, of Memphis, watches the WKU v. Morgan State game as her son E’Mauri Hazelett, 1, sleeps. E’Mauri’s father, Ed Hazelett, plays offensive line for WKU.  WILLIAM KOLB

Freshman Greenwood High School running back Alex Hines looks out toward the field while his teammates warm up for the Logan County vs. Greenwood Varsity football game held at Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky., on Friday, September 20, 2013.  Prior to the game, Logan County’s overall record was 0-4, while Greenwood stood at 1-3.  The score was 41-0 at the half.  DANNY GUY

Ashlee Tilford at her home in Bowling Green, Ky. September 17, 2013. Ashlee is the top participant in the walk to end Alzheimer’s. She raised more than any other participant and is very active in the fight against the disease.  DEMETRIUS FREEMAN

Joe Svensson, of Tampa, Fla., paints a model of a Gastonia dinosaur at Dinosaur World in Cave City, Ky., on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013.  The dinosaurs become weathered and dirty from children playing on them and are repainted once every five years, according to Svensson.  “Between our three locations, I have 500 dinosaurs to paint,” said Svensson.  “But I don’t really like it that much, I just get really bored.”  DANNY GUY

WKU’s Student Chapter of NPPA presents some of the best images of the first three weeks of the semester taken by our very own students. To submit for our weekly posts, you must currently be a WKU Photojournalism student and have taken the images or produced the video in the last week (Tuesday to Tuesday). Send your top 5 selections to wkunppa@gmail.com and our officers will pick the best of the bunch to showcase at our open meetings every Tuesday at 7pm in Lab 127.

Princess, a chihuahua, relaxes on a boogie board with her owner Mckayla Manning during the Puppy Paddle hosted by the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society at the Russell Sims Aquatic Center on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013.  SHELBY MACK

Edgar Esdrada, of Zacapa, Guatemala, works in the apple orchards at Jackson’s Orchard in Bowling Green, Ky., on Sept. 3, 2013.  Esdrada has lived in the United States for 17 years and has worked at Jackson’s for 13 years.  Esdrada said he has a good job.  LEAH VOSS

WKU Sophomores Sarah Buckley and Rachel Veith scream and shout from excitement after the Toppers score a touchdown. The two are sorority sisters in the Omega Phi Alpha.  ERICA LAFSER

A rider sits on a fence while waiting for his turn to bullride at the IPRA World Championship Rodeo in Cummings, Ga., on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013.  KATIE MCLEAN

Nashville freshman Holly Reynolds (center), a new member of Alpha Omicron Pi, shouts her first chant with her new sorority sisters in front of Mass Media and Technology Hall during Bid Day on Sunday, August 25, 2013.  SHELBY MACK

Freshmen couple Dillon Chambliss (left) and Drew Norwood of South Warren, Ky, share a kiss in Academic Complex before heading to their classes on the first day of the fall semester. “[Today is] going good. Glad it’s almost over,” said Dillon.  ALYSSA POINTER

 

 

 

Here are some of our favorite photos and videos taken over the summer by our students.

Program Councilor Jake Trione works to start a campfire for an evening program on Aug. 6, 2013, at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. Trione plays the mandolin during the campfire and learned the instrument specifically for this job. Learning an instrument for the summer is a common thing for Philmont staff to do.  CASSIDY JOHNSON

Daniel Boone designated player Rachel Levens (facing) hugs left fielder Kelsey Winger after losing a perfect game thrown by Neshaminy senior pitcher Lauren Quense in the PIAA playoffs. “When one person is down there will always be someone to pick us up and be there for them,”‘ said Winger about her team. IAN MAULE

Cadet Tiara Marshall, a 21-year-old junior at Howard University, participates in the Leader’s Training Course. The assault course gives cadets a training experience for real-life situations. “I learned a lot, but it was harder than I thought,” Marshall said.  MICHAEL NOBLE JR.

Brilea Harre, 12, and her siblings Katie, 10, Walker, 10, David, 9, and Landon, 7, swim with their father Brian (top right) in Lake Juanita Saturday, June 8, 2013. Brian and his wife, Tammy, have 12 children, seven of which are adopted. The Harre’s four acre property backs up to the lake, which the kids swim in often.  AUSTIN ANTHONY

Katy Faust holds her son, Benjamin Faust, Tuesday afternoon at the Grant High School Pool. Faust, a resident of Seattle and a mother of four is a Grant High School alumni.  BRITTANY GREESON

Eungene Pette from Detroit, Mich., serviced in the US Army from 1978 to 1988, Pette got out of the Army serving as a captain.  “I grew up a lot in my first year in the service, above all to be proud, have respect and tolerance for others,” Pette said.  DREW BLY

Tangela Large, a member of the 2013 Chautauqua Theater Company conservatory, rehearses a scene from the production “The Untied, Held Peace of Walter Weede Ewing.” The production is unique in that it will debut outdoors at University Beach on July 1, 2013.  KATIE MCLEAN

Muy Thai amateur fighters compete at Center Stage in Atlanta, Ga.  ALYSSA POINTER

Hannah Fahey,10, of Elizabethtown, Pa, jumps rope with her self made jump rope at the Kutztown Folk Festival. IAN MAULE

Students play “telephone” during a class at the Commissioners College at Philmont Training Center on June 28, 2013 in Cimarron, N.M. The Commissioners’ College is a week-long school for Boy Scouts of America leaders around the country to attend to improve leadership skills and learn new scouting techniques.  CASSIDY JOHNSON

Frank Smith Jr. clutches his father Frank Sr. as he tries to fix the helmet required for when Jr. rides a horse for the horsemanship merit badge at Glover Stables. Smith Jr. was diagnosed as autistic when he was four years old, and became self-abusive when he was 18-years-old and now takes medication to control the self-abusive behavior. He was in the midst of an episode that occurs in between medication cycles, during which he yells “No” repeatedly and paces or grabs onto his father.  AUSTIN ANTHONY

Love Erchul, left, and Polly Bates, right, dance together to a rendition of the classic Sesame Street song “I Love Trash.”  BRITTANY GREESON

At the Youth Activities Center, a participant in the “Bubble Gum Blowing Competition” shows off his skills after the event finished.  KATIE MCLEAN

Klint Shamblin, 7, of Harrisville, Pa., said a prayer before the start of the Washington County Fair Rodeo. IAN MAULE

More than 1,000 faculty and staff work at Interlochen Arts Camp each summer. Some individuals can be seen leading classes and working with students. Many more work behind the scenes to keep Interlochen running.  DANNY GUY

Coco’s Pie Eating Contest.  JEFF BROWN

Brown.  AUSTIN ANTHONY