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Photography & Photojournalism

This page highlights some of my favorite photos from my Photojournalism class. Throughout the semester, I completed 7 projects geared toward photography concepts and photojournalism stories. 

In these projects, I got to play with the main elements of composition in photography including balance, color & light, leading lines, and texture. I took portraits of 5 individuals in various settings and really got to explore my college town, as well as locations that meant a lot to the people I photographed. With each project, I practiced creating meaningful captions to engage the viewer. 

My semester of practicing lead me to my final project: a photojournalism piece covering a day in the life of University of Northern Iowa’s Campus Activities Board during their last event of the school year. The 12-photo collection, each photo with its own caption, highlights the student body coming together for a fun afternoon in the sun.

Click below to view my complete portfolio, and scroll down to see my favorite snaps!





“A Day in the Life of Campus Activities Board”

Chase Sternhagen, a member of CAB, is amazed at how many students showed up to get food just one minute into the event. At its longest, the line for food reached almost all the way to the campanile. Staff and students from Noehren Hall, a residence hall on campus, arrive a half hour before the event to set up yard games, including 9-square and spikeball. Jesse Heath (right), Noehren Residence Life Coordinator, and the students pictured are part of Noehren Activities Board, an organization that plans and hosts events for the students in their residence hall. They collaborated with CAB to provide activities for the event. Elliot Tensen, CAB's official photographer, smiles as he wanders around the event looking for photo opportunities. Elliot was hired to capture the highlights of CAB events and attends nearly every one. CAB's social media platforms feature much of Elliot's work to recap events after they happen and promote upcoming events. When students finally reach the front of the line for food, they are greeted with pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, and drinks. Midway through the event, pizza was ordered as the original barbecue food ran out. A group of students have fun trying out the tight rope activity that the UNI Police Department provided. UNIPD also provided drunk simulation goggles and other activities to engage and educate students at the barbecue. Empty chip and pizza boxes pile behind the tables as food runs out near the end of the event.



These are from my “Color & Light” series, where I experimented with the black and white settings on Photoshop. Nixson posed here in front of a beautiful colored light wall, and while I love the original color photos, I love how clean and simple they are in B&W.





In this series called “Window Light Portraits,”  my only source of light was--you guessed it--light that shone through windows. Here, Maddie is seen in the Iowa State College of Design building, where she studies graphc design.





In “Winter is Still Here,” I laced up my snow boots and trudged through the recent snowfall to capture winter’s presence on UNI’s campus. 





These are from my “Leading Lines” series, where I looked to Target as the perfect setting to experiment with leading lines. Here, we explored the home decor section, where Nixson browsed Target’s selection of fake plants, read a story, and played hide-and-seek.