South Carolina Democratic Primary, 2020
Every four years, national politicians descend on South Carolina to curry their votes. SC is important because its primaries are among the earliest in the country, and because the majority of voting Democrats here are African American. Students covered the campaigns starting six weeks before the election. Their coverage culminates with the election itself on February 29, 2020.
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.
Previous Stories
COVID-19, 2020
When University of South Carolina campus closed in March to prevent coronavirus outbreaks, students went home but kept taking photos. Some only had a cell phone. Some had family members afflicted by the virus. Some lost jobs, others were obligated to work. These photos essays are first-person accounts of their time in lockdown.
Waverly, 2019
Waverly is a historic district in Columbia, S.C. within Harden Street, Gervais Street, Millwood Avenue and Reed Street. The neighborhood was established shortly after the Civil War and by the early 1900s became known as a self-sustaining black community that housed many leaders in business, spiritual and academic communities.
Georgia, 2018
Students in the 2018 spring semester completed a weekend workshop surveying Green County, Georgia.