A letter from the visual editors:
When you ask someone what they would take from a burning house, more often than not, they say they’d take the photo album.
Visuals make people feel. They make people engage. Visuals are an essential tool to the modern publication — what’s a newspaper without a front-page photo? A picture must grab attention, send a message, provoke change and tell a story, and it happens in an instant. They have an important role to play, allowing a potential reader to deem whether or not the content inside is worth their interest.
To be a newspaper photographer is to be a documentarian. Moments are fleeting, and it is our duty to save those moments and share them with our viewers. It’s very much like holding on to photo album memories.
As photographers and visual thinkers, we learn to see the world through a different perspective from most: our own perspective. How we choose to make an image is choosing how we want to represent the world around us. And for that reason, we have a very impactful role to play.
We hope this 2018 collection reminds you of the many events that occurred this year. The photos featured in this edition were taken by the following Daily Emerald photographers: Adam Eberhardt, Benjamin Green, Maddie Knight, Rylee Marron, Madi Mather, Sarah Northrop, Phillip Quinn, Devin Roux, Dana Sparks and Henry Ward.
Kelly Kondo (Art Director), Sarah Northrop (Photo editor) and Regan Nelson (Design editor)
Benjamin Green: Years from now, when I look back at my college career, I know the first thing that will always come to mind will be the tunnels. I don’t normally shoot urban or industrial subjects, so this story was definitely a step out of my comfort zone. Not only that, I’ve never been in a confined space before and had a feeling I’d be afraid of the dark. That’s where the monsters live, right? I remember climbing down that ladder, thinking to myself, “What have I gotten myself into?” But hands down that was one of the most amazing days of my life. To be one of the last college students to enter into those tunnels after they were closed off, to show the rest of campus what lurks beneath us — that’s an experience I’m never going to forget.
Dana Sparks: My background is in long-format photojournalism, meaning I like to take my time and dig deep when working on a story. But event coverage, like photographing the Oregon Country Fair, feels quick and dirty — literally so for the latter, in this case. My sandal-clad feet and camera alike were crusty with dust kicked up in the dry heat. Weaving in and out of the crowd among the trees was a learning lesson and the reward is images like these.
The 49th annual OCF ran July 13 to 15. As this was my first time attending, I finally received some long-awaited answers about the fair. The event had been placed on a pedestal for the whimsical fun it had provided my friends while growing up and now growing old. I could ask questions about what happens at OCF, but none of the answers — usually involving “a hippie fair” — could quite capture what it’s like. Even still, it’s changing.
Each year it gets a little more popular, and I worry about what is lost as the forest festival swells with traffic pouring in from around the country. Should these images inspire you to attend next year — or start your own hippie fair — slow down, dig in and remember that it’s a community around you.
Henry Ward: One of my favorite concerts would have to be the Foo Fighters show I shot for the Emerald in September. Seriously, my ears are still probably ringing from it. While I’m not the biggest fan of the Foo Fighters by any means, they still absolutely blew my expectations.
This was my third ever time shooting a show, so I was very nervous, but all of that went away the second Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters came out. No one can match Grohl’s energy, so my being literally five feet away from him gave me an unreal confidence boost. Just seeing the way he runs back and forth on the stage while interacting with both his fans and band members is amazing, and I’ve never seen anything like it.
As a photographer, you’re typically only allowed in the pit area for the first three songs. The Foo Fighters were amazing with this, as their three songs probably lasted ar least 20 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to snag amazing pics and enjoy the moment. On top of all this, Emerald Editor-in-Chief Zach Price and I were given free front row seats to watch the entirety of what is one of the greatest shows I’ve seen. Dave Grohl himself even announced it was going to be a special show because the band’s first show was also in Portland, 20 years earlier. Foo Fighters rocked the Moda Center on what was a memorable night, playing at least one track off every album they’ve released.
Maddie Knight: I have always been amazed by the way photographs capture a moment in time forever. I strive to take photographs that evoke emotions in their viewers. Photographing Billie Eilish, one of my favorite artists, was definitely the best photography experience I have ever had. Looking back at the photos I took from that concert feels like going through a time machine. Capturing those hectic, high-energy moments of her concert allows not only me, but anyone who views the photos, to relate and connect with the photographs as if they were at the concert too.
The Emerald’s Top Five
Madi Mather: Louis the Child was the first concert that I shot professionally and has been one of my favorite shoots so far. The show was sold-out at the McDonald Theatre in Eugene. I have wanted to shoot concerts since I was young; my father was once a concert photographer and has told me stories of his experiences. It was amazing to be able to be a photographer at this event, especially when I also have a personal interest in the performing artists.
The opening acts, Wafia and Nombe, were very energetic and lively on the stage. By the time Louis the Child was ready to perform, the floor was packed with fans dressed for the occasion. During the performance, the EDM duo gave new meaning to “lighting up the stage” with their flashing lasers and bright colors. This being my first time at a rave, it was shocking to shoot with the lights and set. However, I enjoyed the new experience and challenge. After shooting this concert, I decided that I want to continue photographing as many concerts as I can.
Benjamin Green: Two of my biggest passions have always been sports and photography. I started playing hockey the same year that I first took a picture, at age 4. They’ve both not only been present throughout my life but also extremely important to who I am. After spending years playing different sports, I feel as if I can take bits and pieces from the mechanical side of sports and express them passionately and artistically through my camera.
Track is one of the most exciting and challenging sports to shoot. These athletes train for months on end to compete in one event and nothing feels better than capturing a dream coming true. The reason I love this picture is because Jessica’s face screams accomplishment.
Devin Roux: I started shooting sports in high school, and I was instantly drawn to the challenge of capturing action. I love the intensity and spirit of Oregon Athletics, and I have had a blast photographing each team. It is incredibly rewarding to get the shot as imagined, and I still am as passionate about sports photography as when I started six years ago. The energy of both the women’s and the men’s basketball teams, as well as the passion of the fans, makes photographing at Matt Knight Arena an incredible experience.
Dana Sparks: Sasquatch! Music Festival — R.I.P. — was the ultimate last-minute adventure of summer 2018. Equipped with our cameras and a cheap tent, Emerald photo editor Sarah Northrop and I jumped in the car at 5 a.m. for the long drive to the Gorge Amphitheater.
Entering the camp site, cars lined the narrow dirt road like a wagon train — some diverging left or right to settle into little neighborhoods of car campers outside the venue. Our backdrop for the weekend would be the blue, summer skies and the golden green ripples of tall grass that gave way to cliffs and the Columbia River.
Inside the venue, four different stages were perched on small rolling hills — a celebration of music seemingly establishing a small town overnight. Headliners included Bon Iver, David Byrne, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals and Modest Mouse, with supporting acts from performers like Phoebe Bridgers, Japandroids and Lizzo.
A three-day assignment across state lines with live coverage from the Emerald proved to be exactly what it sounds like: three 18-hour days in a row, more music than comprehensible and these sick pics all for you.
Sarah Northrop: The walkout itself was a peaceful moment. It was a beautiful display of communities coming together and of our First Amendment rights of freedom of expression — something we journalists hold dear. I tweeted the photos out that afternoon, not expecting much to happen. Instead, my phone buzzed off the hook for most of the day, and the day after that, which serves to show that those pictures were meaningful to many more people than just the photographer.
