An eclectic mix of people moved into New Orleans’ most lead-tainted neighborhoods after the 2005 hurricane. Now parents and volunteers are cleaning up yards, schools, parks. Read more…
Photo by Robert Franklin Class of 2008
Robert Franklin is a staff photographer at the Indiana South Bend Tribune, a job that takes him all over the country, covering Notre Dame football and basketball events. He names photographing the 2013 BCS National Championship and three NCAA Women’s Final Four tournaments as career highlights in the three years he has worked for the Tribune. Robert has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work including being named the 2013 Sports Photographer of the year by the Indiana News Photographer’s Association and receiving an Associated Press Media Editors’ Bushemi Sweepstakes Award.
When asked about his experiences at Randolph Community College Robert says, “I still have flashbacks of Chuck Egerton’s classes, basically everything I do in my job today is something I learned during my time at RCC.” He went on to state, “the structure of the program, combined with great instructors, set me on a path where I could succeed in this very competitive business.” As far as advice to current students he says to use and learn about all the equipment at the school and make sure to work on plenty of video skills. Franklin shoots video on a daily basis and insists that being able to produce clean, slick multimedia will be one of the most important skills that Photojournalism grads will require to secure a job in their field.
Robert Franklin
Story by Seth Combs, Class of 2015
As part of the Fall Journalism class, the Photojournalism students interviewed and wrote a short profile story on a Randolph Community College Photography Program graduate. We will feature a new profile each month over the next year.
The North Carolina Press Association held it’s Annual Awards dinner on Thursday, Feb. 26 – Congratulations to all our alumni recognized!
Hugh Morton Photographer of the Year was awarded to RCC alumni Jerry Wolford!
This award, sponsored by The High Country Media Group, honors the late Hugh Morton, former owner of Grandfather Mountain. The award recognizes a photographer’s body of work for the contest year.
Chuck Bigger is a documentary photographer with thirty years of experience working cross-culturally in more than thirty countries around the world, documenting humanitarian issues with compassion and dignity for international development groups and non-government organizations. Chuck graduated from the photography program at Randolph Community College in 1978. Before enrolling, he had considered other photography programs in different states. Yet Chuck found that the photography program at RCC was just as proficient. He states, “RCC developed a reputation, even then, of turning out graduates with a level of practical competence that translated quickly into the job market.”
“I was drawn to photography in the first place because of the power of the photograph to address and effect changes on social issues,” said Chuck, “I chose the Photojournalism concentration because of my interest in social documentary styles of photography.” Chuck appreciated the fact that even though a person was able to choose one concentration out of a few, such as portrait and commercial, the program still allowed for developing skills in other areas of photography as well. Chuck comments, “This range of experience across photographic genres translated well in working at newspapers, particularly smaller ones where photographers might find themselves working a football game, a news event and in the studio all in the same day.”
Chuck enjoyed the different kinds of hands on teaching that he received at RCC. “In addition to developing a photography skill set, the instructors also invested time in developing problem solving skills in the students.” Chuck reflects, “The experience was great. I took away skills from my internship that I used throughout my newspaper career and continue to use today. I hope to continue using photography’s universal language in making images that cross cultural viewers respond to not only with empathy but with a call to action to get involved in their communities or the world.”
Story by Cate Gordon, Class of 2015
As part of the Fall Journalism class, the Photojournalism students interviewed and wrote a short profile story on a Randolph Community College Photography Program graduate. We will feature a new profile each month over the next year.
RCC A North Carolina Photography School 