Fellowship recipients’ work is on display at Coe.
The University of Wyoming Communication and Journalism department held a reception for the 2018 recipients of the Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship Friday in the Coe Library.
Students and community members had the opportunity to view the winning entries, “They Came for Gold, They Stayed for Sheep: A History of the Basque People in Wyoming” by Jamie Lindsey, and “Small Fish, Shallow Water: Protecting Wyoming’s Horneyhead Chub” by Tamara Rodgers.
“It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work,” said Cindy Price-Schultz, the chair of the Communication and Journalism Department. “The committee looks for good photos and a good story. Both the entries this year had that.”
Lindsey’s entry portrays the experience of the Basque minority in Wyoming. The fellowship focuses on telling unique stories, and Lindsey feels that the story of the Basque people is both unique and important.
“My interest began with a desire to introduce audiences to a culture of which they might not have been aware, a culture that adds a layer of richness to Wyoming,” wrote Lindsey in an essay about her work. “This story gives historical background to how Basque life in Wyoming began, how it left a lasting impression, and how it lives on today.”
Lindsey presented this entry in the library in Buffalo, Wyoming, before bringing it to UW, and it received a positive reception there.
Rodgers’ entry is more local to the Laramie area. She captured the efforts of the Wyoming Game and Fish department to conserve the hornyhead chub, a species of fish that is native to the Laramie River.
“When I applied, I thought about what I was interested in that was relevant to Wyoming,” said Rodgers. “I knew I wanted to be outside, I knew I wanted to use underwater equipment, and so I went to the Game and Fish department and said ‘What do you got?’ They pitched a couple of things, but I kept coming back to this fish that I had never heard of, that’s not doing so well.”
The photographs required a special camera that can take photographs underwater, which cost Rodgers about $1,500. She feels that, without the help of the fellowship, she would have never been able to portray the story of the hornyhead chub so effectively.
The fellowship comes with a $5,500 stipend to be used for whatever purpose the photographer sees fit. Lindsey used some of it for traveling and Rodgers used most of it for her specialized equipment.
Both entries will be on display on the third floor of Coe Library until the end of the month. Visitors demonstrated interest in the photographs, many saying that the underwater photographs were particularly noteworthy.
For those interested in photojournalism, there is still time to enter a project proposal for the 2019 fellowship. The fellowship is open to any UW student who has an interest in photography. Proposals are due by March 15, and those interested can contact Price-Schultz for more information at cprice@uwyo.edu.
