Weekly issues of The Lamron represent the collaborative effort of many talented writers, editors, designers, managers and photographers. Senior Keith Walters, an assistant photo editor for the paper, is a prime example of a passionate staffer who will leave behind a major void when he graduates in May.
Walters pursued involvement at The Lamron when he transferred to Geneseo in his junior year. "My old college had a newspaper, and I never got into it," he said. "I had always liked creative photography, so I figured I would like taking pictures for The Lamron."
In addition to working for The Lamron, Walters takes pictures for the Office of College Communications and Publications. He attends Geneseo events throughout the week, taking pictures and editing them for use in campus publications and newsletters. Between these responsibilities and personal and freelance work, Walters gets a lot of practice.
"[Photography has] always been a pretty serious hobby of mine," he said. As a high school senior in Webster, N.Y., Walters completed a photography project based on the work of Ansel Adams. He went around his town taking pictures of landscapes and obscure scenery, mounted and framed the photographs and donated them to the town community center.
The assignments Walters gets as assistant photo editor for The Lamron are certainly different from the creative endeavors he is used to. "It definitely is somewhat limiting," he admitted. "If you're taking a picture of a sidewalk or a building, it's harder to put a creative spin on it. There isn't much leniency when they give you a photography assignment. That being said, it's obviously a challenge to try and put in as much creativity as humanly possible, and a challenge is always a good thing."
Although he is a business administration major, Walters has already landed opportunities and jobs that capitalize upon his photographic interests and talents. Last summer he interned for Rochester Business Journal as a photojournalist.
"That was a great job because of how much I was exposed to," he said. "I worked at the [Ladies Professional Golf Association] Major Championship in Rochester, and that was a big deal. I got to interact with photojournalists from around the world, like from the Associated Press and Getty."
Interning for Rochester Business Journal also earned Walters the opportunity to photograph from the pit of a Tom Petty concert.
Walters will complete an internship as the multimedia coordinator for a summer camp in the Adirondacks. "I just fell into that, so if I can keep falling into things, that would be great," he said.
"I've never had a drive to pursue anything outside of my schoolwork [before]," he said. "I never wanted to do outside studying, other than [for] this one thing. I just love photography so much."