The Top TU Photos of 2019

By Lauren Castellana on January 10, 2020

It’s always fun to pick the best photos of the year. I usually don’t get a chance to reflect on my work because we’re so busy, so having this opportunity to look back has been refreshing!

I am proud of the images I have made over this past year, and am thankful to the TU community for being so kind, exciting and most importantly, photogenic! I have been the Assistant Director of Photographic Services at TU for over four years, and every year I learn more about TU and discover new places I have never been before. During my time at TU, I’ve been able to work with Kanji Takeno, who has been an incredible mentor and boss, and I wouldn’t be the photographer I am today without his guidance.

So here are my favorite photos of 2019, and I’ll see everyone around campus in 2020!

Academics

"That is one big ant! Aaron Robinson studies ants and had a large tray of specimens in the research lab. I asked him to choose the largest ant, for photo purposes, because many were too small, and he picked this behemoth."

"Professor Ju-Lee Wolsey of the Deaf Studies department in her classroom. I just love her expression in this image, you can clearly see the passion and excitement she has for teaching."

"The composition of this image is really exciting to me. You have the dancer out of focus with her leg in the air but the focus is still on Ramona De Saa of the Cuban National Ballet School."

"I’m sure it comes as no surprise that a dance performance is on this list. Every time I photograph the dance department I am continually impressed by their talent and hard work."

"If you have never seen a production from the Department of Theatre Arts, you are missing out. From the costume and set design, to the performances, last year’s production of 'Merrily We Roll Along,' was spectacular."  

People

"We photographed SGA President Naimah Kargbo in our studio for a feature story. Her smile and energy perfectly matched the bright yellow background and I instantly knew this image would be my favorite as soon as I saw it on the back of my camera."

"One of my favorite things about photographing President Kim Schaztel is how much she enjoys being around students. She always takes the time to have genuine conversations with students…even during a busy photoshoot."

"The TU Marching Band surprised Kanji at his gallery exhibition, played the TU Fight Song and presented him with a framed image of the marching band spelling out KANJI on the football field. It was such a special moment that I will forever be grateful to be a part of."

"We photographed foreign language professor Paco Martinez Ibarra in front of a map in the College of Liberal Arts Building. His smile and expression along with the lighting of the hallway just meshed perfectly for this feature photo."

"I just happened to walk by this group of friends that were getting their picture taken after graduating. It perfectly sums up that feeling of relief and excitement after you walk on stage and officially become college graduates."

"This was a big moment for the campus and gave the TU community the opportunity to unite against hate. This wasn’t an assignment, and is an example of being at the right place at the right time and capturing a moment of solidarity on our campus."  

Athletics

"Could I have asked for a better sunset for this shot? It is not very common for an image to come out exactly like I imagined it to or even better than I had planned. This is one of those exceptions. And it almost didn’t happen because Tom forgot we had a shoot that day, but the sunset was actually better because we had to push the shoot back."

"Shane was a lot of fun and didn’t need much direction. He just did his own thing, and it worked out perfectly. He was willing to dive, jump and even “Superman” for us to get the perfect picture. Also shout out to TU Gymnastics for letting us borrow a landing mat (that is photoshopped out!)."  

"The planning and creative process for this shoot was fun. I was able to step out of the box and try something different with this shoot. With yellow-gelled lighting, atmosphere spray, and the intense background, we were able showcase Olivia’s hard work in the weight room."

"Before this shoot, I asked Kionna what her favorite color was, so we went with the red-gelled lighting. The smoke in the background was achieved by Kanji sprinting back and forth with the atmosphere spray, just trying to add a dramatic backdrop to match Kionna’s intense expression."

"Each year we do marketing shots for our athletic teams. We bring players into SECU Arena and photograph them for their posters, e-mails and other marketing materials they send out. This photo shows all the hard work, lighting and effort we put into making our athletic teams look good!"

Campus

"This magic moment happened when I went out to photograph a recent snowfall on campus. It was there I caught the sun setting right behind the tiger statue at Tiger Plaza. Another example of being at the right place at the right time."

"We took a some of our student interns from University Marketing & Communications on a shoot for the Office of Parking & Transportation. This particular image is successful because of the location of the students, the new TU brand being spotlighted on the bus and the sun creating some interesting flares near the bus."

"This is a perspective of campus few people get the chance to see. Each year we take a new aerial image of campus, which consists of me holding my camera outside of a two-person helicopter with no window. Luckily I’m not afraid of heights!"

"A photo more than two years in the making! After beginning the process of introducing a new logo in late 2016, this past year we introduced the “Brand New TU.” These banners were our first addition to campus that featured our new identity."

"One of the best parts of this job is getting the opportunity to walk around campus with no specific agenda. It’s a great chance to appreciate the beauty of campus."