Reflection on Photo Essay

When I started this essay, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was not aware of the work necessary to complete a respectable photo essay. I intended to show that Western Kentucky is spending their money inefficiently and I believe that I did show that. I originally intended to take pictures of the entire town of Bowling Green but once I began taking my pictures I knew that taking pictures of both WKU and Bowling Green would be a very broad focus, so I decided to narrow my subject to solely WKU. If I were to change something about this project, I would have changed the topic I picked. I feel that I did not entirely understand the prompt and immediately chose a topic that was more original. I thought that we had to our photo essay on whether we were taught to be a "good student or a good consumer."

Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose for Photo Essay

            As I walk around the campus of Western Kentucky University and drive around the little town of Bowling Green, I can’t help but notice the plentiful dose of intense advertising around me. Is it just my analytical mind making observations or is it factual? This is what I intend to explore during this assignment and what I plan to depict. I want to capture several types of photographs, including pictures of all the name brand merchandise and brands of merchandise offered on and around campus. 

I also would like to capture in what ways the advertising aids WKU and Bowling Green and in how it also inversely affects the same area. I plan to make stops at the local shopping mall, Greenwood Mall, and take pictures of Scottsville Road and Campbell’s Lane in the city of Bowling Green. And I want to capture images of several places on campus such as E.A. Diddle Arena, L.T. Smith Stadium, Cravens Library, Downing University Center, several dorm halls and several class halls.

Once I find the pictures that I will use, I will then arrange them by color of their contents, along with an explanation of the photo. I want to use color as a category to determine if there really is an abundance of one particular company trying to sway us into their product. Although I am barely aware of all the product placement happening around me, I expect to find a great deal of Pepsi and WKU advertising.

This is the Subway outside of Garret Hall at WKU. Contrary to its typical state, it is quite docile. Also seen is one of the many ATM's on campus and the entrance to Garret Hall.

This is a building named Cherry Hall. Its namesake, Henry Hardin Cherry, founder of Western Kentucky University would definitely be unhappy of the buildings condition.

Just one of the hundreds of vehicles on the WKU maintenance fleet. A new Ford Ranger costs approximately $18,000 to the general public, One would assume each truck was not bought at full price but one would also question why such a vast fleet is needed.

Hardin Planetarium; Dead as usual, the maintenance on this building must be expensive. One might wonder how useful it is and how long it is before it replaced.

This is main building of the Ogden College of Science, Thompson Complex. This is, in my opinion, the second most run-down building on campus. The tile is dirty and faded, the walls are discolored and the ceilings are old.

These vending machine are positively the most expensive pieces of equipment in WKU's science buildings.

This is Western Kentucky University's main library, Raymond Cravens. The most run down building in all of Campus, if not all of Bowling Green. If you can make it past the squeaky floors, cob webs and the maze of stairs and doors, you may just find books. But you wonder how much funding has been put into this building over the past century. Why does WKU renovate Preston Health Center and other athletic facilities while the library remains run down.

A damaged bench outside of Raymond Cravens

Here we see precisely the amount of money being invested into "New Books".

This is a recreation of the plans for the Downing University Center at WKU. It has been announced that the renovation will cost nearly 50 million dollars and will be completed over 4 years.