Best of CASE District VI Award
 

Institution: Missouri University of Science & Technology

Title of entry: Here Comes the Boom

About this entry: The image is of a student-athlete, Cameron Sturgell, that was not only a 4.0 student, but an all conference linebacker for the football team. Cameron has the unique major of Mining Engineering, along with a minor in Explosives Engineering. The blend of his academic focus and success, along with his on-field performance, created an opportunity that showcased how unique our school and programs are.

I worked with Cameron, his coach, and one of our explosives professors that runs our mining field site to coordinate a day during finals week to create the amazing images. Staff at the mine pitched in to move boulders, set lines for the explosives, and managing the detonations.

I used a series of three different cameras, with one camera triggering the other two using remotes. Each of the cameras was wirelessly synced to different sets of strobes. The setup allowed me to maximize each of the explosions and create photos with different focal lengths and light. I also setup two video cameras to record the explosions behind the student for future promotional work.

The work was used as a unique news piece in the fall during football season, social media post, to promote Homecoming to our Miner Alumni, in our new welcome center and some of our recruiting materials. Future uses of the image, and others from the shoot, are in the works. An alternate from the same shoot was used as the cover for the College's Annual Report.