A new Facebook group<\/a> allows students who have participated in the project to connect.<\/p>\nThe website was created by two UT employees, both graduate students who took Heller\u2019s advanced photojournalism class last spring: Kellie Ward, who works in UT\u2019s Office of Communications and Marketing, and Jules Morris, director of marketing and communications for the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.<\/p>\n
Eyes on LaFollette came about as part of the evolution of photojournalism group projects.<\/p>\n
Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, \u201cday in the life\u201d events had photographers around the world shooting pictures on the same day to publish simultaneously. As the internet evolved, Heller had his students collaborate with photojournalism students at other universities to produce similar projects.<\/p>\n
Then in 1993, Heller and his friend, Larry Smith, retired publisher-editor of the LaFollette Press<\/em>, came up with the idea for Eyes on Lafollette. For Heller\u2019s students, the project is an opportunity to experience the terror and exhilaration of producing quality work under deadline pressure; Smith\u2019s paper reaps the benefits by showcasing the best photos.<\/p>\nAt first, Eyes on LaFollette took place every other year.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to wear out our welcome,\u201d Heller said. But in 2003, Heller began taking the 12 to 20 students in his advanced photojournalism class to the small town each spring.<\/p>\n
Over the course of the years, Eyes on LaFollette has witnessed \u201cthe entire reinvention of photography,\u201d Heller said.<\/p>\n
In the beginning, the students shot black-and-white film. They\u2019d return to Knoxville and spend hours developing the film and making contact sheets. After several years, they switched to color. Thompson Photo Products in Knoxville would open over the weekend to help them develop the film. Now the students shoot digitally.<\/p>\n
Each spring, work on Eyes of LaFollette begins weeks before the first photo is shot.<\/p>\n
Heller takes his students on a day trip to the small town about a month before the shoot. Hosted by the LaFollette Press<\/em>, the students hear from local officials such as the mayor and the head of the Chamber of Commerce. They get access to the newspaper website so they can peruse old stories, and they are encouraged to search the internet and make phone calls to ferret out leads and make appointments.<\/p>\nOn the appointed weekend, Heller and his students head to LaFollette on a Friday morning. They spend the day shooting and then gather that evening to debrief. They shoot more on Saturday morning and head back to Knoxville in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
During the following few days, students sift through all of the photos and choose the best 50 or so to be printed in the newspaper. They edit, write short stories and cutlines, and produce a special section for the LaFollette Press<\/em>.<\/p>\nHeller estimates he\u2019s had about 300 students participate in Eyes on LaFollette over the years.<\/p>\n
Adam Brimer, now a video producer and coordinator in the UT Office of Instructional Technology\u2019s support and training group, took Heller\u2019s class as an undergraduate in the mid-2000s.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the biggest things I learned was how to connect with a small community. We were charged with finding our own stories. Rob gave us pointers and suggestions, but it was on us to go out and make the connections,\u201d he said. \u201cI also learned that it takes being authentic, honest, and extremely patient to find gold.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even more than all he learned in Heller\u2019s class, Brimer appreciates getting to know Heller himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a great mentor and friend,\u201d Brimer said. \u201cHe taught me what it meant to flesh out a story\u2014to come home to your editors with enough photos to tell the story without even reading the copy. He\u2019s also really good at telling you when something doesn\u2019t go well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morris, one of the students who helped build the website, said she first had Heller has a teacher 23 years ago as an undergraduate. Taking his advanced photojournalism class last spring and working on Eyes of LaFollette as a graduate student was a joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved every second of it and wanted to keep it alive through building a website showcasing the years of effort,\u201d she said. \u201cHeller\u2019s excitement around a good photo is contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Heller, watching the website take shape and reminiscing about the many students\u00a0 he\u2019s taught over the years have been both nostalgic and invigorating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like this proud papa,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery year I think, \u2018I\u2019m getting too old for this project.\u2019 It\u2019s taxing. Then I remember it\u2019s old hat for me, but it\u2019s new for my students.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Each spring, professor Rob Heller from UT\u2019s School of Journalism and Electronic Media in the College of Communication and Information takes his advanced photojournalism students to LaFollette, Tennessee, to find and photograph stories in the Campbell County community of 7,000, about 45 miles north of Knoxville. It\u2019s a ritual that has been reaping rewards for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,20,8],"tags":[42,43],"class_list":["post-2218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faculty-news","category-featured-story","category-news","tag-eyes-on-lafollette","tag-rob-heller"],"yoast_head":"\n
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