The University of Florida's Photojournalism Program

Our students get around! UF graduates Loretta Rae Keith (second from
left) and Yvonne Lai (with scarf) hob-nob with three famous photojournalists
at the Eddie Adams Workshop XVI in New York October 2003. Nick Ut -- known
for the "Napalm Girl" photo -- and Joe Rosenthal -- who shot
"Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima" -- were among the notable guests at the
workshop coordinated by Eddie Adams (far right) -- "Saigon Street Execution."
 

How many students?

At any one time, we have about 50 majors, from sophomores to seniors, and about half of them are in our NPPA student chapter. The hard workers find good internships (see paragraph below). Although there are no specific graduate-level photo courses, we sometimes have master's students working on a PJ emphasis. Photojournalism is a sequence within the journalism department, which has about 350 majors (including our 50 photo people). The entire College enrolls about 1,500 undergraduates. The other College departments are telecommunications, advertising, and public relations. The entire university has about 48,000 students at the moment. Check out a  Alumni Photo Gallery (always under construction) which features 15 of our former students.

Mike Weimar photographed a festival for the St. Petersburg Times while working weekends during his senior year at UF. He's now freelancing.

Experience outside class?

Many photo majors work a semester or two at the Independent Florida Alligator, the nation's largest student-run daily (circulation 31,000, Monday through Friday), and some string for the Gainesville Sun, our local paper (circulation 55,000) affiliated with the New York Times. An internship is a requirement of the photojournalism program. Since fall 1991, students have interned at the Miami Herald, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arizona Republic, St. Petersburg Times, Nashville Tennessean, Eugene Register-Guard, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Flint Journal, Detroit Free-Press and other newspapers. One of the most distinguished graduates is Tom Kennedy (class of 1972), former director of photography at National Geographic magazine and now managing editro/multimedia director at washingtonpost.com.

Gail Fisher, special projects photo editor at the Los Angeles Times/Orange County Edition, talks with the advanced photo class during a visit to campus in spring 1997. She showed slides from several worldwide projects that were self-assigned.

Photo by John Freeman

Awards and recognition?

Hearst Photojournalism Competition: Students have placed our program in the top five spots nationally 13 times out of the past 16 years. We won the championship in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. We were second for 1995-96, 1997-98 and 1998-99, 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. For a sample of some of the winning photographs, check out the 1998-99 news and sports entries by Rich Glickstein and Melissa Lyttle, or news and sports from 2003-2004, by Daron Dean and Greg Undeen. See more information below.

College Photographer of the Year: UF won eight awards in the 1998-99 CPOY contest, including the gold in picture story by Jon Fletcher. In the 1994-95 contest, we won first place spot news, first place picture story and several honorable mentions. In 1995-96, student Brian Lukanic placed first in sports portfolio. Rich Glickstein did the same in 1997-98. Eric J. Larson, now an Orlando freelancer, was first in sports action that year. Justin Best won several honorable mentions. See the UF awards page for updated information.

Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar: Graduate students David Zentz and Jen Sens won Honorable Mention student portfolios in the past three years; Daron Dean placed second in 2004. Rich Glickstein won second place student portfolio at the Atlanta Seminar in 1998, and several awards in professional categories. Stephanie Sinclair won best student portfolio for 1996. Former student Adrian Dennis won honorable mention student portfolio twice since 1991. See the UF awards page for updated information.

Alexia Scholarship: In March 1999, graduating senior Melissa Lyttle was named winner of this $9,000 photojournalism scholarship offered through Syracuse University for a semester of study in London during fall 1999. Roberto Westbrook was a $1,000 runner-up two years later.

Southern Short Course: Senior Rob Witzel won first place student portfolio and second place sports action (professional division) in April 2003. UF students took first and second place in the student portfolio division in April 1999. You've already met them above: Jon Fletcher and Melissa Lyttle. Fletcher also won two awards in professional categories. Want to see his winning portfolio?

Additional Awards: To see a complete list of UF accomplishments, including SPJ contest wins and recent internships, check out a page started by Rich Glickstein.

Photo by John Freeman

Former teaching assistant Rob Browman photographs a student in the studio (1996). Rob went on to become a multimedia producer with  MediaStorm.

Faculty and facilities?

JOHN FREEMAN teaches the beginning JOU3601 class (three sections), and in the fall, Advanced Photo I, JOU4604. He also coordinates the one-week practicum sessions, JOU4943, and the BERLIN JOURNALISM summer program.

JOHN KAPLAN teaches the Advanced Photo II class JOU4605 in spring, design classes, and an international trip called the Florida FlyIns in fall. 

BRIAN KRATZER, Gainesville Sun assistant managing editor/multimedia, teaches JOU4603, the studio-oriented "Specialized" class, in fall semesters.

TOMMY THOMPSON, a freelancer, teaches JOU4603 in the spring. Rick Wilson, staff photographer at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville taught it previously, following in the footsteps of Dede Smith, now photo director at the Times-Union. John Walther, retired photo chief from The Miami Herald, taught that class for nearly 12 years before Dede.

KIM BAULDREE, a former graduate student in documentary film,  teaches our PGY 3610 "Survey" class for non-majors. Her husband, GENE PAGE, a UF graduate who now shoots stills for movies, has also taught it. Gene also once worked for Newsday on Long Island. Adrian Dennis, a UF graduate with impressive freelance credit lines and several internships, taught the Survey class several times before moving to London where he shoots for Agence France Presse. Claudia Katz also taught the Survey class, and now freelances from Vancouver, Canada.

OUR PHOTO COMPLEX has been shuffled around and we closed the B&W darkroom about seven years ago. We have gone all-digital now (no film). Classrooms are PC-based with Dell computers running WindowsXP and PhotoShop CS3. Standard assignment prints are made on an HP ColorLaserJet 8500. Advanced students do some work in QuarkXPress and/or InDesign and have almost unlimited access to a five-station lab with five Mac/Window computers. Starting with spring 2005, beginning students were provided with Canon Digital Rebels, on a shared basis, for JOU3601. Incoming photo majors are encouraged to buy their own Canon or Nikon digital SLR cameras (used models: Canon Rebel, 10D, 20D or better; Nikon D70 or better). In fall 2005, 100 percent of the advanced students had their own digital camera, with Canon 20D being the preferred model. For courses past the introductory JOU3601, such as jou4603, students must provide their own gear, including flash units.

COMPUTER REQUIREMENT: Students are required to have access to their own computer and software capable of completing necessary coursework. We are basically a WINDOWS / PC college, with some Macs. Many students own a laptop, as the University has many wireless hotspots to the Internet.

For basic information about admission requirements and enrolling at (or transferring to) the University of Florida, visit the official UF homepage. For more photojournalism information, and to look at students' pictures, please click on my name below and follow the links on my homepage. Faculty are not directly involved in the admission process. Visit the official UF web page for all enrollment information. We do not mail out information packets; all material can be found on the Web.

To see more photo information: John Freeman, Associate Professor of Journalism.

To see the official College of Journalism and Communications homepage, click here. You'll find course descriptions, information about other faculty, several webcams and more links concerning admissions, transfers, etc.

How to get in touch:

• E-MAIL: jfreeman@jou.ufl.edu
• POSTAL MAIL: College of Journalism and Communications, P.O. Box 118400, Gainesville, FL 32611-8400
• LOCATION: Room 3070 in Weimer Hall on the UF campus.
• PHONE AT WORK: (352) 392-0430

• FAX: (352) 846-2673
  
                  ** SPECIAL PROGRAMS **

HEARST CONTEST NEWS:

HEARST 2007 NEWS: UF came in SECOND PLACE during the 2006-2007 Hearst Photojournalism Competition and will be awarded $5,000. The students winning points for UF were: Jarrett Baker (twice), Tricia Coyne, Tim Hussin, Morgan Petroski and Celia Tobin. Petroski becomes one of 12 semi-finalists and will submit a full portfolio to compete for one of six spots at the "shoot-out" in San Francisco in June. 

HEARST 2006 NEWS: UF came in FIFTH PLACE during the 2005-2006 Hearst Photojournalism Competition. The students winning points for UF were: Danny Ghitis, Jessica Crossfield, Emily Harris and Matt Marriott. Ghitis submitted a portfolio in the semi-final round, where six students from 12 nationwide were selected for a "shoot-out" in San Francisco in early June. Ghitis made it to the finals and finished second place, winning $4,000 individually.

HEARST 2005 NEWS: UF came in SECOND PLACE during the 2004-2005 Hearst Photojournalism Competition and was awarded $5,000. The students winning points for UF were: Daron Dean, Emily Harris, Liza Shurik and Matt Marriott. Dean and Harris submitted portfolios in the semi-final round, where six students from 12 nationwide were selected for a "shootout" in San Francisco in late May. Dean made it to the finals and finished second place, winning $4,000 individually.