Photog’s Picks: Top UW-Green Bay photos of 2016

The close of 2016 also marks the end of my first year as UW-Green Bay’s campus photographer.  It’s been a great year, and I thought it would be fun to take a look back at 10 of my favorite photos from the past year. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I have enjoyed taking them!

10 – Geoscience visit to Pictured Rocks

I have a major bias in favor of anything to do with our National Parks, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to photograph the science trip to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I’ve selected this photo because the setting at Chapel Beach provides a wonderful backdrop, because it captures a moment as the students take in the views in that setting and because the t-shirts made it clear what Natural and Applied Sciences have to offer.

 

9 – Chorale backs Barry Manilow

Continuing the theme of students having incredible experiences in incredible places, our chorale students backed Barry Manilow as he sang “Copacabana” before a packed house at the Resch Center. Making photos of events like this has a lot to do with access, and our friends at PMI were able to help me capture this high-energy performance while our students were on stage.

 

8 – Phuture Phoenix

Phuture Phoenix day brings a ton of energy to campus.  As you can see, the fifth graders are rarely camera-shy.

 

7 – Kumar carries the Mace one final time

In my opinion, never will there be a more distinguished UW-Green Bay faculty member than Kumar Kangayappan. It was an honor just to take this photo of him carrying the ceremonial mace out of commencement for his final time after 48 years of teaching at UW-Green Bay.

 

6 – Dogs in the Cofrin Library

The staff of the Cofrin Library is always looking our for ways to help students out, and that’s never more evident than when they bring in therapy dogs to help students relax during a stressful week of finals. The expressions on the faces show that it is an event appreciated by human and canine alike.

 

5 – Trump Town Hall at the Weidner Center

MSNBC held a town-hall meeting with now President-Elect Donald Trump at the Weidner Center ahead of the spring primary. As photographers, we were only allowed in briefly following the filming to grab a few images. I took some more posed images of Trump and Chris Matthews smiling for the camera, but this image shows a lot more personality.

 

4 – Move-in Day fun

You see a wide range of emotions on Freshmen Move-In Day. I’d put this at the joyful end of the spectrum.

 

3 – National Anthem at Lambeau Field

UW-Green Bay alumnus Kevin Wellens got to sing the National Anthem before a full house at Lambeau Field, and I got to go on field to take pictures!  Wellens’ rousing rendition was very well received, and it was easily as good of a photo opportunity as I’ll ever find.

 

2 – Snowy Day at UW-Green Bay

Isolating a tree in snow usually results in a good photo. I had seen this tree earlier, and noticed that in the right conditions it would look great with the Cofrin Library behind it. When we got the right snowstorm with the right sort of snow sticking to the trees, I headed out and made this image — now the cover photo for Inside magazine.

 

1 – Women’s basketball wins a thriller

I was fortunate enough to be in a spot where I was able to capture the whole sequence as Green Bay’s Jen Wellnitz hit the shot to push the Phoenix past Northern Kentucky in double-overtime of their Horizon League semifinal game. Of all of the images, this one, the first in the sequence where enough time has passed for the crowd to react, is my favorite. In fact, it’s my favorite of my photos from 2016.