Portfolio Work

It's been a while since I have updated this and this is because I have been working for Lifetouch and haven't been shooting as much as I would like. I'm sure I will update with some work from Lifetouch later on but for now here are some of my favorites from my professional photojournalism portfolio.

 I love the lighting in this picture. This was taken at the K-State Drag Show last year. I jumped on stage and shot from the corner of the stage, giving me a different view of the performers.

 I snapped this picture at the NCAA tournament last spring in Tuscon, AZ. One of the opposing team's members was injured and I was next to where they were cleaning him up. I just looked over and saw blood running down his face and remembered my adviser telling me that some of the best sport photos aren't of the action on the court.

 This was part of the engineering departments displays at the K-State Open House last April. Campus was full of activities and displays for prospective students, current students and community members to explore. This kid was having a blast playing with the sprinklers.

 This is Mariah Charland. She was an amazing women to shoot. She doesn't have kidneys and has to undergo dialysis every night for nine hours. I did my final photo story on her for a class. She still attends classes and is part of a sorority, she is perfectly normal and was even a member of the K-State Equestrian team. It was a great opportunity to be able to share her story through photography.

K-State's Black Student Union hosted a step show in the Union last year. I was shooting on the ground next to them and almost got stepped on several times and the lighting was difficult with the mirrors on the ceiling but I liked the symmetry in shot and the effects my speedlight had on the ceiling.

Creekstone Farms

Kansas Magazine's Fall 2011 issue will feature a story on Creekstone Farms in Arkansas City. They are a packing plant and they ship their product all over the world. A supplier in New York City supplies the meat from Kansas in the higher end restaurants.

What Would John Brown Do?

Lawrence Magazine is doing a story on what would John Brown do if he would come back and live in Lawrence today? We did several photo shoots with different models dressed in a John Brown beard and hat.

These two shoots were Free State Brewery and the Farmer's Market.

St. Jude and Up 'Til Dawn

                  Danny Thomas was a young man trying to make it in the entertainment world.  He had a wife and a young baby on the way, but his career was on a downward slope.  He needed some help.  He began praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes.  He promised that if St. Jude showed him what he needed to do, he would erect a shrine in his honor.  Thomas soon started having success and so he had a promise to keep.

                  During the 1950s, Thomas began planning how he would honor St. Jude.  The idea of establishing a “unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children” was tossed around.  The construction was completed, but the operation costs were a problem.  Thomas then created the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, ALSAC, to help with these costs.  St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital daily operating costs are about $1.6 million, so the ALSAC has been a beneficial factor on keeping the doors open since February 4, 1962.

                  St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is concerned with the research in gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation, chemotherapy, the biochemistry of normal and cancerous cells, radiation treatment, blood diseases, resistance to therapy, viruses, hereditary diseases, influenza, pediatric AIDS and psychological effects of catastrophic illnesses.  These are very important to the 5,700 active patients seen at St. Jude.

                  Linda Baumberger has had much experience with St. Jude because her daughter Kendra was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 6 she became a patient at St. Jude. 

                  “You can’t imagine what a fantastic place [St. Jude] is.  I hope none of you ever need it, but if your children ever develop cancer go there as quickly as you can” Baumberger said.  “Everyone in that hospital is pulling for these kids and they are researching around the clock to give the children the best treatments.”

                  St. Jude is really good about caring about their patients.  They don’t require their patients to pay anything that insurance doesn’t pay.  The donations collected at events like the letter writing and benefit concerts of Up ‘Til Dawn help with those costs.  Kansas State University has been helpful in collecting $98,579 this year.

Up 'Til Dawn Photo Gallery

The Spring benefit concert for the Up 'Til Dawn fundraiser was on April 1 in Old Stadium. The concert featured the Jared Daniels Band and benefited St. Jude's Children Hospital.

Up 'Til Dawn recap video

On April 1, 2011 members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority hosted the spring event for the Up 'Til Dawn fundraiser.

Up 'Til Dawn director Podcast

Diana Klote was the director of Up 'Til Dawn for 2010-11.

Norma Dunning and  I covered the Spring event for Up 'Til Dawn. Here is the first part of our project.