CHICAGO—Pulitzer prize-winner John H. White has been a “Chicago Sun-Times” photojournalist and a photography professor at Columbia College Chicago since 1978. On Saturday, April 12th at Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Columbia College students, alumni and faculty, as well as peers and photography aficionados will join White in celebrating 30 years of photojournalism love (PJ Love) at the History of ‘The Photojournalist’ seminar.
Columbia’s photography department began its photojournalism seminar in 1983. The one-day seminar grew out of a desire to maintain the inspiration and the creative bond students experienced in John White’s photojournalism classes. On any given Monday and Thursday evening during each semester that White had class, office hours or was just on campus, students always stopped by for a ‘visit’ with John. It became apparent that there was a need for a class or workshop to use as a platform for current, former and future students to present their work, receive critique and feedback, share experiences and be inspired.
“Photojournalism is the bridge that connects current events, people and cultures by capturing what we see and feel and sharing that vision through the medium of photography,” said White.
This year’s featured speakers include Erik Unger, staff photographer, “Crain’s Chicago Business”; Adrian Burros, Rev. Jesse Jackson/Rainbow PUSH photographer; Jon Stall, video manager, “Chicago Sun-Times”; Bob Davis, wedding photojournalist; Stacie Freudenberg, freelance photojournalist; Pablo Martinez-Monsivais, AP White House photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner; and John H. White.
Attendees can sign up for portfolio reviews and register for two-minute presentations. The two-minute presentations are open to anyone attending the seminar. Photographers will have an opportunity to present six images in two minutes. A digital shootout competition at the noon lunch break is limited to 25 college and high school students selected by lottery. Photographers will have one hour to shoot and submit one digital image on a designated topic. The winner will receive a $200 gift card.
At the end of the day the winners of the John H. White Keep in Flight Scholarship will be announced. The award is available to two high school students and is valued at $250. To apply for the scholarship, students must present a photojournalism portfolio, written essay and a letter of recommendation from a teacher. The winner of the Keep in Flight award (available to Columbia photojournalism students only) will receive a signed 16 x 20 original print from White’s Pulitzer portfolio and a paid internship to “Crain’s Chicago Business.” To apply, current students must submit a portfolio of at least 20 images. The winning portfolio will best reflect the spirit of photojournalism.
From June through October 1973 and for a brief time in the spring of 1974, John H. White, then a 28-year-old photographer with the “Chicago Daily News,” worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) photographing Chicago, in particular the city’s Black community. The photos were for the EPA’s Documerica project. White’s photos portrayed the difficult circumstances many of Chicago’s Blacks faced in the early 1970s.
White purchased his first camera at age13 for 50 cents and 10 bubble gum wrappers. A North Carolina native and son of a reverend, he has photographed many historical moments throughout the world, including the first trip John Paul II made to Mexico as Pope, Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, Elvis’ funeral, the administration of six U.S. presidents and Jesse Jackson’s peace mission to the Middle East.
He captured smaller, every day moments, such as the births of New Year’s babies and coloring the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day. White was the first photographer inducted in the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993. He is the recipient of more than 300 awards from local, national and international organizations.