University of Alabama photographers have a unique perspective of campus. From covering events to taking faculty and staff portraits to capturing everyday life at the Capstone, the photography department in the Division of Strategic Communications gets to see it all. Their work not only showcases the University but also adds to the historical record for generations to come.
We asked the team to share their favorite images from this year.
Capturing photos for high-profile University publications is one of the many roles of the photography department. This portrait of Becky Britt, the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ associate dean for research, scholarship and creative activity, was shot by photographer Matthew Wood for the College’s Communicator magazine. “I shot this in the studio using a combination of strobes and constant lights with colored gels on them while moving my camera to get different lighting effects,” he said.
Drone-captured photos are a new unique way of showing our campus at angles unseen by most people. “Before drone technology, the only angles you would be able to get were limited to your height or the longest pole you trusted to hold the camera,” said UA photographer Jonathan Norris, who captured this shot of an unusually empty Student Center Plaza on a random morning. “The drone is actually really easy to fly — very similar to playing a video game,” he said.
This summer two Chinook CH47 helicopters landed on campus during a training exercise for UA Army ROTC cadets. It was the first time riding in a military aircraft for many of the students. UA photographer Bryan Hester captured this shot of a student just before the aircraft took off. He said, “How her expression conveyed the anticipation of flying, and how the light happened to fall right on her in that moment” is what made the photo.
This striking shot was taken at the Alabama Fire College in Tuscaloosa for an Alabama Alumni Magazine feature. “I loved the dramatic look and the color tones of the image,” said Wood, who captured the shot.
The list would not be complete without the most anticipated photo of the entire year — the annual Script A, which is made up of the entering freshman class. Director of Photography Zachary Riggins makes this shot possible each year by setting up an ultra-powerful lens to create an image large enough for one to zoom in to see each individual’s face.
Photographers take hundreds of portraits of faculty and staff each year on the front steps of Rose Administration, but the team also captures environmental portraits for feature stories on faculty and staff. Images like this one taken by Riggins of Ruth Weeks, who celebrated 50 years of service to UA this year, can convey so much about a person and their story.
Photographers often get to go behind the scenes of research labs around campus to show students and faculty at work. This picture of a researcher in the Alabama Analytical Research Center taken by Hester shows another unique angle that visualizes work being done on campus that otherwise goes unseen by many. “I was aiming to capture the minute scale of the tools and materials they work with in the lab,” he said.
Riggins turned the camera around on photographer and recent alumna Emily Henderson for the Where Legends Are Made campaign. This studio image captures the confidence and boldness of Henderson, who like so many others, forged their path at the Capstone.
“Capturing celebrations are always the most fun and chaotic from the fans screaming with joy to the players accomplishing something they sought out to do from day one of their careers — sometimes dreamed of it their whole life,” said Norris, who captured this moment of freshman Kayden Proctor’s emotional response to his team winning the Southeastern Conference Championship in December.
“It’s a little of luck that you are aimed in the right direction at the right angle when it comes to celebrations — and really any time for that matter,” Norris said. “The skill comes in being ready and getting to that spot.”