Congratulations to WKU Gabriel Scarlett the 2020 Student Still Photographer of the Year for the White House News Photographers Association annual photography and video competition.
Michelle Hanks 2nd place in Feature: Long Term Video Project. A video project she documented during her semester abroad at the Danish School of Media. Her story is about Mahmoud Bayragdar,who fled the Syrian civil war and is trying rebuild his life in Denmark.
Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!
First Place
(Left) Self-portrait in a wedding dress (Right) First day of hunting season. | Morgan Hornsby
Second Place
David Curran is a firefighter with the Bowling Green Fire Department. | Nic Huey
Third Place
Nick Richards #4 of the Kentucky Wildcats jumps to score over Keyontae Johnson #11 of the Florida Gatos during the first half of the game at Rupp Arena on February 22, 2020 in Lexington, Ky. | Silas Walker
Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!
First Place
St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk (72) keeps his eyes on the face-off circle against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on February 16, 2020. Nashville won 2-1. | Chris Kohley
Second Place
Jack Quinn, a freshman at WKU, grew up with music as a large influence in his family. Quinn is currently in two bands whilst pursuing a degree in graphic design and journalism. | Sam Mallon
Third Place
Sabre Semrau is a Junior at Western Kentucky University who co-founded the art collective Deep Relief Designs. Semrau works in varying mediums, including embroidery and collage. Semrau has recently started working with Resin, producing a variety of ashtrays, rolling trays, and plans to start making coasters. “I won’t lie, the resin is expensive as shit but I also have more issues with charging friends for my art since I don’t believe in capitalism,” Semrau explained. | Lydia Schweickart
WKU PJ students listen in on the Career Day roundtable discussion during the 16th annual event sponsored by the WKU Photojournalism program in the School of Media at WKU.
On Friday, February 21, 2020 we hosted our 16th annual WKU PJ Career Day. Thirteen professionals from the region come in for the day to interview our Photojournalism program students for potential jobs and internships, but mostly to give many of the students an opportunity for “first contact” with the photojournalism profession and an opportunity to allow the students to exercise their interview skills.
As evident from this list, our alumni support is strong:
Marcia Prouse, Director of Photography at The Tennessean in Nashville, listens as Lily Thompson, a WKUPJ junior, talks about her portfolio work.
Emily Moses, a WKUPJ senior, has her portfolio reviewed by Associated Press photographer Mark Humphrey.
WKU graduates Albert Cesare from the Cincinnati Enquirer (L), Sam Upshaw, Jr. from the Courier-Journal and freelance photographer and SONY camera ambassador Patrick Murphy-Racey talk with WKUPJ students during the roundtable discussion.
After a morning of interviews, we broke for lunch, then we conducted a roundtable discussion, where the professionals gave the students advice about how to prepare for a career in photojournalism while still in school, how to obtain employment, and tips on how to succeed in the profession once they enter it. We then resumed with interviews throughout the afternoon.
James Kenney started organizing this event 16 years ago because he said he heard too many students say they were hesitant about reaching out to the profession because they didn’t feel like they were ready to do so. As a faculty and staff in the photojournalism program we feel the the sooner they make contact the better, and therefore the more directed (and committed) they will be toward their goals while navigating their way through the photojournalism program. The added bonus is that many of our students have directly benefited from Career Day, with many of them obtaining internships as a direct result of meeting with the professionals during this event. One professional who has attended the past two years, Sawyer Roque, was hired as an intern at Kertis Creative (a multimedia firm based in Louisville, Kentucky) as a result of an interview with the company during Career Day. After her internship was over, they hired her on full time, and now she is attending as a professional to mentor a new generation of future visual storytellers – full circle! Kertis currently has six of our Photojournalism program graduates working for the company, and many others from our program have interned and worked there over the years.
Sawyer Roque, a WKUPJ graduate, came to Career Day representing Kertis Creative to complete the full circle of student, intern, professional and now mentoring current students, like Grace Pritchett, a WKUPJ senior.
Below are some of our favorite photos from this week’s Through Our Eyes. Each week the selections are chosen by WKUPJ students. Stay tuned for more to come!
First Place
Dixie Mahurin has worked at WKU for over three decades. She taught mathematics before transitioning to academic advising. Growing up in Hopkinsville, Ky., Mrs. Dixie, as her students call her, remembers classmates dropping out of school to go to Vietnam, being the only woman in her mathematics classes and witnessing the American political climate cleave. From fashion to politics, there isn’t much Mrs. Dixie doesn’t have an opinion on. Her colleagues say her eccentricity makes the office as fun as it is. Mrs. Dixie’s passion for her students’ success can be felt in her words and seen in her actions. One example is the names of straight A students scrawled in chalk on her office wall. “Maintenance had a fit,” Mrs. Dixie said. “It isn’t a chalkboard. It won’t come off, but I just couldn’t stand that black wall.” | Reed Mattison
Second Place
Mamadi Diakite (25) of the Virginia Cavaliers dunks the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half of the game at KFC YUM! Center on February 08, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Virginia 80-73 for the first time in since 2015. | Silas Walker
Third Place
Hoda Amira is originally from Palestine and is a Nursing major at WKU. Amira is pictured wearing Palestinian cultural wear, commonly worn for special occasions, with a pattern that represents Palestinian nationalism. Amira wears a headscarf every day and when asked about her experiences with discrimination explained, “On campus, I haven’t noticed a lot of instances other than the usual stares. Some people might have some misunderstandings or they might have misconceptions before speaking to me. That’s the only thing I wish people would open up about is to ask questions rather than assume.” Amira is a member of the Muslim Student Association and expressed an appreciation for the sense of community that the organization provides. “On campus, I feel like all of us have an understanding of each other, so we never have that miscommunication or misunderstanding,” Amira explained. “We just try to convey a message to everybody else that we are just normal people. The whole point of the MSA is to show people what Muslims are really about.” | Lydia Schweickart
Honorable Mention
When Keith or Everett gets sick, it’s just them, Keith said. The two in their rough shape laze on the couch as they try to recover from colds. “Whenever I have a bad day, he knows how to help,” Keith said. | Reed Mattison
WKU PJ Career Day is a unique opportunity for interaction and discussion with members of the photojournalism world who might employ you someday. This is a chance to meet with several professionals in one day, show your work and begin (or continue) the all-important process of making contacts for future internships, jobs and freelance opportunities. Though it is not the main purpose of this event, participation has led to many internships and other employment opportunities over the years. More important than this, it is an opportunity to make several contacts within the profession you have chosen to pursue, as well as practice interacting with them, so you need to commit to getting involved no matter what your level is in our program.
Friday, Feb. 21, 9 a.m. until mid to late afternoon – JRH room 127
Roundtable discussion – 12:30-1:30, JRH room 127
“You’ll never get over it. You don’t want to,” Davidson said. “It changes you.”
Randall Davidson brings roses to his wife Megan’s grave every Sunday. “Roses symbolize love,” Davidson said.
“There’s a part of me that hasn’t accepted it,” Davidson said. Randy has been left to raise their 8-year-old son, Drew, while still living with the grief of losing the love of his life.
Megan died on July 27th, 2019 from a fatal car accident. Her death affected the lives of all 1,000 people who showed up to her funeral service. Megan was a wife, mother, nurse, church minister, and athlete, and was loved by everyone she met.
Randall Davidson lost his wife, Megan, on July 27th 2019 in a fatal car accident. Every Sunday Randall brings flowers to Megans grave in Tompkinsville. “You’ll never get over it”, Davidson said, “You don’t want to.”
Drew taking a break from his video game to look at pictures of him and his mom. “Every time Megan was on the couch trying to relax, Drew would always jump up on her and try to get her attention. He loves his mom,” Davidson said.
Every night, Randy reads bedtime stories and says prayers with Drew. “He’s the reason I’m still breathing,” Davidson said.
Tracey Moore is a midwife, and so much more.
With kind eyes and a mother’s touch, Tracey catches babies around the western and central regions of Kentucky. She is on call 24/7, 52 weeks a year. She’s a home birth midwife, one of few in the state. Tracey helps women of all kinds, she wants each and every woman to feel respected and loved through one of the most sacred moments of their life.
Tracey checks “baby noodle’s” heartbeat in Rosie Hunt’s belly. The couple didn’t pick a name for their baby until after the birth and lovingly referred to the baby as “baby noodle.”
June Hunt was born at 7:13 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2019 to Rosie and Alex Hunt. June was born on the same couch her older sister was born a couple of years before.
Tracey leans on her husband for comfort after telling him about a complicated and upsetting birth she had attended hours before. She had to leave the house early in the morning to attend to the birth, and missed church and an outing with her family due to midwifery commitments. “For us, faith in christ has been the solid rock we’ve needed, because it’s not been always been easy,” David said. “That faith has helped us have grace. When couples have hard times, they can either break or build together. Midwifery has shown us in our hearts where we were at with each other and challenged us to be better in Christ.”
OPENING RECEPTION and GALLERY TALK
Friday, February 7, at 6 p.m.
Gallery is open Tues – Fri 10:00 – 4:00, Sat 12:00 – 4:00
Baker Arboretum and Downing Museum
4801 Morgantown Road
Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101
Western Kentucky University and the Baker Arboretum and Downing Museum invite you to an exhibition of visual works by WKU faculty members Yvonne Petkus and James Kenney that opened January 28 and will be on display through April 4 at the Downing Museum.
The opening reception and gallery talk will be Friday, February 7, at 6 p.m., featuring foods unique to Bosnia and Herzegovina, courtesy of WKU’s Office of Global Learning and International Affairs.
Everyone in the university community and beyond is welcome.
Baby Contest, an image from his 50-year body of work | Photo by David LaBelle
The School of Media’s Photojournalism department would like to invite you and your students to come meet photographer, author, teacher, motivational speaker and lover of life David LaBelle as he presents lessons he has learned in his 50-year career at a lecture presentation on the campus of WKU. LaBelle will reveal his emotional connection to the purpose and meaning behind why he wanted to share with the world the death of his mother in his 350-page recently released novel. It is a story that you will not soon forget.
“After many years or laboring with this story,” LaBelle said in a press statement, “my first novel is finally finished. Though some suggested I write this as a memoir, I resisted because I wanted to change history and give the story of my mother a different ending. Since my mother’s body was never officially found or identified, Bridges and Angels: The Story of Ruth is about what could have happened after her disappearance. This 350-page book is fiction, but much of it is nonfiction. I hope you find the story compelling.”LaBelle, an internationally known photographer, teacher, author and motivational speaker, grew up on a frog farm in Oak View, California, exploring the creeks and hills with two sisters and two brothers and numerous dogs. He began his photojournalism career as a weekend sports-shooter and lab man at the Ventura County Star-Free Press in California while still in high school. During his 50-year career, David has worked for a mix of 20 different newspapers and magazines. He has also worked at four universities across the United States, which includes several years here at Western Kentucky University.
• A WKU “swipeable” event and is free and open to the public.
• Free parking is available in the Chestnut St. South lot after 4:30 PM.