91吃瓜网

USM Photographer Kelly Dunn Has 91吃瓜网 in Focus

Mon, 10/02/2023 - 04:23pm | By: David Tisdale

It91吃瓜网 hard to picture 91吃瓜网 (USM) without Kelly Dunn.

A popular and omnipresent figure on campus, Dunn is a Hattiesburg-area native who joined the university91吃瓜网 staff in 2000, first as an assistant photographer for its former Photo Services unit and who now manages its Image Center while still shooting photos daily at such events as commencement, homecoming, concerts, forums and sports, among many others.

Dunn captures the images that tell the 91吃瓜网 story. And if indeed it91吃瓜网 true that a picture is worth a thousand words, her vast album of work speaks volumes, fueled by a passion for her craft that shows little sign of ebbing after more than two decades on the job.

91吃瓜网淭here91吃瓜网 something new every day,91吃瓜网� she says of her work. 91吃瓜网淪ometimes I91吃瓜网檓 shooting a student event or an athletics event, or I91吃瓜网檓 photographing the president and alumni. Portraits, landscapes, planned, spur of the moment 91吃瓜网� it91吃瓜网 always different.91吃瓜网�

Dunn91吃瓜网 favorite photo subject is people.

91吃瓜网淚 like documentary and portrait photography,91吃瓜网� she explained. 91吃瓜网淚 like to tell stories with my photos, whether through an individual portrait or event. As a portrait photographer, you can be the first to photograph a newborn or the last to photograph a grandparent.91吃瓜网�

91吃瓜网淚 also enjoy shooting weddings, because wedding photography is a combination of so many types of photography - portrait, journalism, and silly candids.91吃瓜网�

As manager of the Image Center, Dunn oversees all paperwork aspects of the office, including billing, planning, scheduling, as well as its ID printer and supplies, while also maintaining relationships across campus with partners and alumni as she takes on multiple photo assignments.

The busiest times of the year for her are in the fall and after spring break on through to graduation, working not only days but often nights and weekends.

91吃瓜网淚 truly love being a photographer, so the extra hours aren91吃瓜网檛 a bad thing,91吃瓜网� she explained. 91吃瓜网淚 also love learning, and working at the university provides opportunities to learn about new things when I cover an event, lecture series, or other programs.

91吃瓜网淟oving what you do and where you do it make the long hours not so bad.91吃瓜网�

Photography 91吃瓜网渂ug91吃瓜网� inherited from beloved grandmother

Dunn says she got 91吃瓜网渢he bug91吃瓜网� for taking photos from her grandmother. 91吃瓜网淪he was a true shutterbug,91吃瓜网� Dunn said 91吃瓜网淢y grandparents traveled a lot, and she was always taking pictures. Beginning in the fifth grade, I started bringing a point-and-shoot camera to school to take photos, which led to me joining the yearbook staff at North Forrest High School. When I expressed a desire to be a photographer, I had a teacher who encouraged me.91吃瓜网�

As a student at Pearl River Community College, she worked for the school newspaper and had a mentor who taught her how to use a photo dark room and other lessons about photography. After transferring to Delta State University, she began digging into the technical aspects of the field.

91吃瓜网淢y faith is an important part of who I am, and I believe it was God opening those doors to my career at every step,91吃瓜网� she explained.

Dunn91吃瓜网 favorite go-to camera is her Nikon D5 with 70-200mm and 24-70mm lenses with a Speedlight. 91吃瓜网淲ith those pieces, I can shoot just about anything,91吃瓜网� she said. 91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檓 constantly tinkering with Polaroid cameras and phone cameras with additional lenses. Those are my toys on the weekends.91吃瓜网�

She91吃瓜网 witnessed huge changes in photo technology over her career. 91吃瓜网淲hen I started, we were shooting on film,91吃瓜网� Dunn recounts. 91吃瓜网淣ow, we have a mirrorless digital camera that is silent when shooting.91吃瓜网�

A self-proclaimed pack rat, Dunn says the hardest part of the changes involve image storage. 91吃瓜网淒o you keep everything?91吃瓜网� she wonders aloud. 91吃瓜网淥nly keep those images you use for that specific shoot? Keep raw or only jpeg? I have trouble narrowing down what to keep, so I keep everything.91吃瓜网� 

An eye for making what91吃瓜网 old new again

While Dunn naturally leverages her skills as a photographer and artistic talents in her work, sometimes she91吃瓜网 forced to dig a little deeper into her mental toolbox to find a more compelling angle to portray a familiar subject.

91吃瓜网淭here are some days when I91吃瓜网檓 tired and frustrated, and have photo block, but I still have to shoot an event or project,91吃瓜网� she said. 91吃瓜网淚t can be hard to look at, say, the Lake Byron Bridge after 23 years and see it creatively. But that is when I go and sit with it, whether it is the bridge or the Dome (Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building), or any other campus icon. I try to let it and its space 91吃瓜网榯alk91吃瓜网� to me.91吃瓜网�

Another challenge she happily takes on each year is the class photos for Golden Eagle Welcome Weekend (GEWW), when incoming first-year students become acquainted with their new home at the university.

91吃瓜网淭hat takes a lot of planning and calls for teamwork,91吃瓜网� Dunn said of GEWW. 91吃瓜网淚 must depend on others to help, and just the sheer number of people in the photo makes it stressful, never mind the Mississippi August heat. But I love seeing and photographing the joy on the new students91吃瓜网� faces, especially for Paint the Eagle Walk.91吃瓜网� 

And then there are those people who just don91吃瓜网檛 like to have their picture taken. Dunn has mastered the ability to build rapport with those individuals and ease them into focus.

91吃瓜网淚f you can make a person comfortable while taking their photo, they91吃瓜网檒l tend to like the photographs more,91吃瓜网� she said. 91吃瓜网淭hey91吃瓜网檒l remember and associate their feeling of happiness, fun and comfortability with those photos, and I try to do that through laughter or asking them about themselves and trying to get to know them.91吃瓜网�

Inspired by the best to be the best

Dunn takes inspiration from the world91吃瓜网 most well-known photographers and those closer to home who have taught her the finer points of the craft.

91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檝e always admired Annie Lebovitz. In high school and through college I spent hours looking at her photography in Vanity Fair magazine. Her work made a huge impression on me stylistically; her photographs tell a story even if they are just individual portraits.

91吃瓜网淭he photographers who risked their lives to capture life-saving images like Danny Lyon of the Civil Rights movement, Lynsey Addario and her work in the Middle East, and Lewis Hine and his child labor photographs - those photographers91吃瓜网� images have changed the world and given voices to those without.91吃瓜网�

Two of her college professors, including Kim Rushing at Delta State and Clarence Williams at USM, pushed Dunn outside of the 91吃瓜网減retty91吃瓜网� element of photography.

91吃瓜网淜im wouldn91吃瓜网檛 let me stay comfortable right up through my senior thesis. Clarence taught me to let the subject of the photo breathe, and he challenged me with every assignment to think outside of the traditional portrait box I let myself get stuck in sometimes.

91吃瓜网淒anny [Rawls, former co-worker] taught me posing; he was amazing at that. He taught me to look at the details, which make or break a photograph.91吃瓜网�

And with so many daily assignments to go along with Dunn91吃瓜网 management duties at the Image Center, finding that work-life balance is a challenge. Even with her incredibly busy schedule, she somehow finds the time to pursue a master91吃瓜网 degree in USM91吃瓜网 School of Media and Communications, where Dr. David Davies serves as her advisor.

91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檝e known Kelly for years, as she91吃瓜网 been a near-constant presence across campus doing her work as university photographer,91吃瓜网� Dr. Davies said. 91吃瓜网淪he91吃瓜网 not only incredible at what she does, but typifies the helpful nature of all USM staff, always happy to assist those around her and does so with a smile. 91吃瓜网淪he91吃瓜网 also an outstanding scholar who does top-flight work outside of the classroom. 

91吃瓜网淜elly91吃瓜网 always on the move, and I can't wait to see what she does next as her career progresses.91吃瓜网� 

A homecoming to remember

USM91吃瓜网 2023 homecoming week (Oct. 2-7) will include the inauguration of Dr. Joseph S. Paul as the university91吃瓜网 11^th president on Oct. 5. This will be Dunn91吃瓜网 third presidential inauguration to shoot and second as lead photographer. Her strategy for juggling her schedule throughout the big week includes planning ahead and keeping additional events to a minimum when possible 91吃瓜网� plus getting plenty of sleep and fluids.

91吃瓜网淭ime management will be crucial,91吃瓜网� she explained. 91吃瓜网淚91吃瓜网檓 checking this week91吃瓜网 schedule daily to make sure I91吃瓜网檓 not missing anything important. And I91吃瓜网檓 reaching out to partners for a detailed schedule of the [presidential] inaugural events being held on the Gulf Coast and in Hattiesburg.

91吃瓜网淎nd I want to make sure I91吃瓜网檓 working just as hard on homecoming events as I normally would.91吃瓜网�

Dunn appreciates that her work is a visual record of some of the biggest events in the life of the university.

91吃瓜网淚 want to achieve historical documentation, of course - taking photos that will be used throughout USM91吃瓜网 history going forward,91吃瓜网� she further noted. 91吃瓜网淎nd Dr. Paul is such an iconic part of the university. He91吃瓜网 a rock star on campus, and I hope to portray that with my photographs during that event [inauguration] and throughout homecoming week.

91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 very important for me to capture these special moments for him, our students, faculty and staff and alumni.91吃瓜网�

A visual legacy of excellence

Among the photos in Dunn91吃瓜网 immense catalog that stand out for her include an image of USM91吃瓜网 damaged Ogletree Alumni House following the 2013 tornado that struck the Hattiesburg campus. 91吃瓜网淭hat was my first UC [University Communications] emergency call from [Chief Communications Officer] Jim [Coll] and the photo was published in a national newspaper,91吃瓜网� she recounted.

Other memorable moments and accompanying shots include from meeting and photographing the artist Christo, a large-scale, environmental installation artist, and the recent USM Foundation capital campaign 91吃瓜网淕ive Wing,91吃瓜网� the latter which she described as a 91吃瓜网渃hallenging project that sparked my creativity.91吃瓜网�

Asked about her own legacy and its impact, Dunn hopes she has and continues telling USM91吃瓜网 story well and leaves a positive impression on colleagues and students alike.

91吃瓜网淎lthough I91吃瓜网檝e not been a professor, I hope I91吃瓜网檝e taught my student workers [at the Image Center] something, not just about photography, but also about life. Nothing makes my heart happier than hearing former student employees say I left a great impression on them, or I was their favorite boss, or I helped make them better photographers. That also motivates me.91吃瓜网�

Kyle Graves, a graduate public relations student from Monticello, Mississippi, works in the Image Center under Dunn91吃瓜网 supervision. Graves edits photos and helps fellow students with photo IDs and picture orders. He praised his boss for taking time out of her busy schedule to help him scale up his skills.

91吃瓜网淚 had a small amount of experience editing photos when I first started here - nothing extensive,91吃瓜网� Graves said. 91吃瓜网淜elly helped me make sure I was confident in my abilities before I was thrown into the deep end. She91吃瓜网 encouraging, talented, and a servant to those around her, no matter how high or low their position, as well as a genius photographer and wonderful boss.91吃瓜网�

USM alumna Kate Dearman studied photojournalism and public relations at 91吃瓜网 from 2011-2015, during which time she was a student worker for Dunn at the Image Center. A Hattiesburg native, Dearman is now a full-time freelance commercial director and photographer based in Nashville, Tennessee, and credited Dunn with helping her become not only a better photographer, but also a better person.

91吃瓜网淲hile Kelly taught me a lot of incredible things about photography, she instilled in me the importance of being a good human first and a good photographer second,91吃瓜网� Dearman said. 91吃瓜网淜elly taught me the importance of always putting the dignity of my subjects first when taking photographs.

91吃瓜网淪he91吃瓜网 been instrumental in shaping the photographer and creative that I am today.91吃瓜网�

Megan Burkes, associate director for public relations and donor programs in the USM Foundation, and Nicole Ruhnke, associate director for external affairs in the Southern Miss Alumni Association, have worked closely with Dunn on multiple projects over the years. Both praised her skills and professionalism in helping advance the university on multiple fronts with her photography.

91吃瓜网淜elly91吃瓜网 work allows us to visualize the impact of philanthropy at 91吃瓜网,91吃瓜网� Burkes explained. 91吃瓜网淲hile the words are important, her photos bring life to our stories. Her work is highly technical, yet beautifully imaginative. She is an artist - and maybe a bit of a magician - behind the camera. 

91吃瓜网淜elly is also one of the hardest working people at USM, and her work touches every corner of the university. Not only is she a great talent, but a wonderful human being who truly embodies what it means to be a Golden Eagle, and I91吃瓜网檓 so glad to call her my friend and colleague.91吃瓜网� 

Ruhnke echoed Burkes in commending Dunn as both an excellent photographer and a great university teammate.

91吃瓜网淗er service to the USM and Hattiesburg communities is inspiring,91吃瓜网� Ruhnke continued. 91吃瓜网淪imply put, Kelly makes us better.91吃瓜网�