Each spring, students at the University of South Carolina’s journalism school spend extended time photographing stories that matter to their communities. Eye Witness is a semester-long photography project under the guidance of Associate Professor Denise McGill.
The highlight is the Talmadge Moore LeGrand Photojournalism Workshop, now in its second year. The class spends 48 hours with coaches who are professional photojournalists. Their coaches go out into the neighborhoods, look over the images, whatever is necessary to build storytelling skills. The class works out of a basecamp on campus where they download images and review projects. The result is a cohesive story that is important to their state.
The Talmadge Moore LeGrand Endowed Scholarship Fund generously supports the Eye Witness project, the workshop and scholarships to provide students with the support they need to become professional-level photojournalists by funding educational opportunities beyond what SJMC could previously offer.
The Eye Witness website was designed and created by two of SJMC’s visual communications students, Sophie Bello and Aaron Falls.
Cole Lowery, left, gets advice from Lisa Krantz, photographer at the San Antonio (Texas) Express News, about his photo story on a Greene County farmer. VisCom students attend a photojournalism workshop in Greensboro, GA, where they spend the weekend making a photo story under the tutelage of professional photographers from across the country. © 2018 Denise McGill 
Mike Haskey, left, chief photographer at the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, helps Cole Lowery with his camera settings. #ugavj instructor Mark Johnson documents the lesson. #UofSC_SJMC VisCom students attend a photojournalism workshop in Greensboro, GA, where they spend the weekend making a photo story under the tutelage of professional photographers from across the country. #mcgillmedia 
Associate professor Denise McGill tracks students’ progress during the 2nd Annual Talmadge Moore LeGrand Photojournalism Workshop covering the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary elections in Columbia. © 2020 Renée Ittner-McManus with RIMPhotography.com 
VisCom students take advantage of evening light to explore a field with their cameras. 
Students Haley Salvador, left, Alex Wyatt and Meagen Sigmon step out of workshop headquarters to join the national media covering former vice president Joe Biden’s watch party at the end of the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary elections in Columbia. © 2020 Renée Ittner-McManus with RIMPhotography.com 
Photo coach Kim Kim Foster Tobin, former photographer for The State newspaper, talks through a photo series with a student at the 2nd Annual Talmadge Moore LeGrand Photojournalism Workshop covering the South Carolina Democratic presidential primaries in Columbia. © 2020 Renée Ittner-McManus with RIMPhotography.com 
#UofSC_SJMC VisCom students attend a photojournalism workshop in Greensboro, GA, where they spend the weekend making a photo story under the tutelage of professional photographers from across the country. © 2018 Denise McGill 
Gavin McIntyre watches headlines on Saturday, the day of the election, and helps students adjust their coverage hour-by-hour as the election plays out throughout the day. Students were in place when polls opened at 7 am, and photographed at watch partied until late that night. McIntyre is staff photographer at the Charleston Post & Courier. © 2020 Renée Ittner-McManus with RIMPhotography.com 
Photo coach Steffanie Burns, left, professor Denise McGill, and student Lilly Marcadis talk through Marcadis’ images from the Biden watch party. Burns worked closely with four students, including Marcadis, all weekend at the 2nd Annual Talmadge Moore LeGrand Photojournalism Workshop covering the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary elections in Columbia. © 2020 Renée Ittner-McManus with RIMPhotography.com