It’s a Wrap! Final Thoughts on the NAU “Behind the Image: Guest Blogger” Project

Introducing the 35 NAU students who will act as Guest Bloggers on this blog starting today through early May: (In alphabetical order)
First row (left to right):First row (left to right): Evan Atwood, Tiffany Bociung-Bodtke, Heather Brick, Alyssa Burkett, Niko Chaffin, James Dean, and Anthony DeAngelo
Second row (l to r): McKenna Edwards, Sherese French, Daniel Garcia, Alex Gaynor, Mark Goodger, Tom Heger, and Shelby Irons
Third row (l to r): Rebecca Kooima, Emily Larsen, Kristyn Lechwar, Jenna Lyter, Clark Malcolm, Grant Masters, and Christine McCully
Fourth row (l to r): Marissa Molloy, Takashi Okunda, Jordan Patton, Jennifer Radke, Amanda Ray, Karen Renner, and Colby Rycus
Fifth row (l to r): Stephanie Sherban, Jessica Silvius, Quinn Tucker, Keenan Turner, Tracy Valgento, Margaret Whittaker, and Kimberly Yip

Whelp, gang, there you have it!  Since April 15, thirty-five students have posted their heartfelt and insightful “Behind the Image” stories and shared their wonderfully creative images with us.  Congratulations and a high-five for a job well done to all the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Intermediate Photography students who participated!  Let’s give them a round of applause as the students take a well-deserved bow!

What I appreciated most was the diversity of work displayed.  Though some of the subjects were similar, the presentations and visual messages differed and often directly reflected the individual photographers’ passions and specific interests.  I also found it refreshing to hear honest stories about how the image finally came together.  Sometimes things worked out perfectly, sometimes they didn’t right away.  The important thing is that they kept trying, and I admired these students’ persistence and commitment to achieve their unique visions as well as their willingness to openly shared their trials and tribulations with us.

At the risk of this blog post turning into one of those endless Emmy Awards speeches, I also want to once again thank NAU Photography Instructor, Amy Horn, for coordinating this assignment – no small task!  Thank you, Amy, for being so easy to work with and for enabling this partnering opportunity.

And thanks to YOU, especially those of you who have not only taken the time to enjoy the images and stories, but also have offered comments and constructive critiques on them.  For those of you who haven’t had the chance to review them (and I personally haven’t with my messy travel schedule, but intend to comment on each and every one), there’s good news!  All thirty-five entries will remain live on our blog, so when you do have time, you’ll still be able to offer your input moving forward.  To find them, simply click on “Guest Blogger” in the Categories box on the right-most column on your screen.  Then, feel free to add your thoughts in the Comments section below anytime that’s convenient for you.

While we’re at it, since this was the first time we’ve offered our platform to Guest Bloggers, I’d also welcome your thoughts on whether or not this is something you’d like to see more of in the future?

To the NAU Photography students specifically, what did you think of your blogging experience here?   Would you do it again?  Would you do anything differently in hindsight now that you’ve completed your assignment?

Let us know what you think by leaving us a comment on this post, as I value your opinions tremendously.  Looking forward to hearing from you.  Thanks again everyone!  It’s a wrap!