Shorthorn photographer Casey Holder wrote,

Business managment junior Dora Fernandez is currently in a competition to win a handicap accesible van from the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association for National Mobility Awareness Month. To see Dora’s profile go to http://www.nmeda.com/mobility-awareness-month/heroes/texas/arlington/810/dora-ivonne-fernandez.

It is crucial in photojournalism to tell a story with your photos.  It can be very difficult to do this in a studio, which is why Casey’s choice to photograph the subject in this piece outside in a different context was such a strong conceptual choice. Simply by placing her on the road, he not only gave himself a great compositional leading line with the road, but also linked the photograph back to the story.  This young lady was trying to win a handicap accessible van - a mode of transportation and freedom.

Shorthorn photographer Casey Holder wrote,

Visual communications sophomore Jake Bloom rejoices after his team “the defending champs” win their match Friday afternoon on the Oozeball courts. Bloom said their key to success was not caring about getting dirty.

Casey found a moment during the widespread, fast-paced Oozeball coverage this past Friday to capture a student full of energy after a victorious match.  By breaking from the traditional coverage and creating a portrait, Holder was able to sum up the tone of the event in one strong photograph.

Check out a video, photo gallery and story here.

Shorthorn photographer Erika Dupree said,

Senior tennis player Mindaugas Celedinas is currently undefeated in Southland Conference play. The Mavericks play in the SLC Tournament on April 27 and 28 in Nacogdoches.

Portraits - whether they are for a news, sports or features story - need to be clean, and simple.  Cluttered, messy backgrounds or poor lighting are what separate the amateurs from the professionals.

“I wanted to avoid it being high school senior portrait style with a net in front of him. I photographed him waist up instead of head to toe so that it was cleaner and closer,” said Dupree.

By using a telephoto lens, Dupree was able to clean up the already simple background.  Using artificial lighting from one side of the subject also created a more dramatic and intense tone that reflected the story - this player being undefeated in the conference.