Joe Paterno Memorial at the Bryce Jordan Center

On Thursday, January 26, the memorial of Coach Joe Paterno was held in the Bryce Jordan Center to be witnessed and attending by the public. In the span of 40 seconds, 17,000 tickets for the memorial were sold out by the general public. Fortunately for me, I was guaranteed a press pass to take photographs for Onward State. I dressed respectable for the ceremony in black trousers and a black v-neck t-shirt. I imagined as a photographer, the dress code wouldn't really pertain to me, but as a fan of Joe Paterno, I figured it wouldn't do me harm.  But with the rain and high traffic of students trying to make their way to the BJC, I only wished I left three hours prior.
The press who were not stationary were only granted access to the left and right side of the court floor; not really giving many photo opportunities, especially with the Paterno family sitting dead center up front. Sue Paterno was the first to walk onto the court floor to be greeted with a thunderous applause by the audience. I was on the right side of the floor, squeezing my way through other photographers with their telephoto lens trying to get an image of Sue. I took about ten images of Sue and only one came out in focus. My initial reaction to seeing this photograph of Sue Paterno concealing her tears in a crowd of standing friends was "I got my money shot." It wasn't a second later that I was overcome by sadness to realized that Sue Paterno crying was my money shot. I was conflicted with cheering as any photojournalist would capturing the moment by the Penn State student who wanted to grieve with her. Either way, I knew this emotional image had to be shared with others.
Once uploaded onto the Onward State facebook page, "likes" kept streaming in and the photo flooded everybody's homepage. Never would I have imagined that this photograph would gather over 3,000 "likes" in the span of twelve hours. I have received various comments from fans thanking me for sharing this touching moment with them to people calling me a cold-hearted scumbag and demanded the photo to be taken down. But what those people who had negative feedback don't understand is that the Paterno's allowed the media access to the memorial, therefore, knew that multiple images would be taken of them. I was just the one of many trying to get this one shot. As far as I know, I am the only photographer with this shot. The reason for that is because I was surrounded by tall men; I was short and thin enough to squeeze in between them. One woman commented on this photo saying that the only reason I posted this was to get my name out there and that I was sick for doing it. With over 3,000 "likes," over 280 "shares," and about 40 retweets when I posted this on Twitter, I can only say that this honestly did get my name noticed.      

Guiding Joe Paterno Home

On Wednesday, January 25, people formed a human chain on both sides of Curtin Road to have one last glance at the late Joe Paterno as a blue hearse drove him from the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center passed Beaver Stadium. Even though the departure from the Center was delayed by three hours, people stood where they were as the sun set and the temperature dropped. As the hearse finally made its way passed the stadium, people started chanting "We are because you were!"Family and friends were seen shedding tears in the vehicles behind the hearse once hearing the support of Joe Paterno's fans.

Even  though more people and reporters were standing along East College Ave to capture an image of Joe Paterno's hearse with Old Main in the background, I found Beaver Stadium a better background since that stadium is known as Joe Paterno's "house." For this shot, I decided to use a wide angle 20mm lens with a fisheye lens attached to capture the entire surrounding rather than just the hearse. I'm pleased to how this image came out and thankful that I constantly played around with the f-stop, ISO, and white balance to accommodate with the setting sun. I was getting nervous with my previous shots that I used to experiment lighting with since the sun was directing in front of me as I faced down Curtin Road. Fortunately for me, the sun completely set behind the stadium by the time Joe Paterno came around. You can't really tell from this shot, but this was the moment when the hearse was turing around the corner, down to University Drive, and would drive right into me if I didn't move out of the way. My only regret is that I could've been a little further out into the street to capture more of the front of the hearse.

The Loss of a Hero

With all the distress, hatred, and sorrow that the Penn State community has faced since November 2011, hearing the news that their beloved coach Coach Joe Paterno has been diagnosed with lung cancer shattered all of those who have idolized  him. The morning of January 22, Coach Joe Paterno was confirmed dead to the public. Thousands of fans left flowers and gifts at the feet of the Paterno statue of Beaver Stadium to commemorate the loss of their hero. On January 24, the first day of the services to honor Joe Paterno was a public viewing of Joe Paterno's closed casket in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on campus. The Paterno's  granted the public and the media this access because they believed they had the right to say good bye to a beloved coach.

Former Penn State football player Kevin Blanchard stands next to
Coach Joe Paterno's portrait as he guards the left side of  the casket.

At #69 on the media list, 10 reporters were allowed in the room with the casket at a time for 10 minutes each. It only took about an hour before it was my time to walk into the same room as Joe. At first, I was hesitant to take these photographs for Onward State since I wasn't sure to how I would react to the situation. Would I cry? Would I feel uncomfortable photographing the same setting as a funeral? It was a first for me, but I knew that I should take advantage of this opportunity; to be in the same room with a great man for the last time. I remained focused to my job once I entered and starting taking pictures, avoiding other reporters as I tried to remained silent with my 30 pounds of camera equipment and backpack  filled with notebooks and my laptop. Once I knew I got my "money shot," I ventured around the limited amount of room I had to experiment with different angles. That's when I turned around and noticed that Joe Paterno's son, Jay Paterno, was standing right behind me, looking on to the line of people paying their respects to his father. If I was a regular pedestrian, I would have approached him and give him my condolences for his loss. Instead, I stepped onto the elevated pews behind him to gain more variety and to possibly get Jay Paterno's head in the shot. I did not know if I was allowed in that area or not, but I rarely ask for permission for something as minor as wanting to be a little more elevated to get a more interesting shot. I tried to get a shot of Jay Paterno watching people walk past his father's casket, but our instructor, who was in charge of keeping time of our 10 minute slot, approached me pointing at the steps I was on top of. I asked her if I was allowed up her but she assured me that I was fine where I was but asked to be cautious about making noise while moving between the seats. Jay Paterno noticed that I was behind him when the instructor approached me and said with a subtle smile "There aren't enough chairs here." I smiled trying not to be too loud with my chuckle as he then told me that his children were having issues keeping the noise of their motions under control as they ran through the pews. Even in a time of sorrow, Jay Paterno remained humble like his father as he shook hands with everyone who came, thanking them for paying their respects. It was my first time meeting Jay Paterno and I know I'll never forget that moment.

Throughout the day, previous and present Penn State football players alternated guarding Joe Paterno's casket. By the time I was scheduled to take photographs, Kevin Blanchard (left) and Daryll Clark (right) took their positions guarding the casket of their beloved coach, remaining strong as they held back their tears. When my 10 minutes were up, I was the first to exist the room. I paid no attention to the other reporters waiting their turn as they watched me leave in a rush. As I packed my camera equipment, I felt a sense of shock and disbelief of what I have seen. If I attended the viewing as a regular student, I would be allowed to express my feeling of sorrow and allow myself to crumble from all that has happened in my senior year at Penn State.  But as a journalist I kept myself composed and carried my belongings to my last class of the day. 

Portraits: Dr. Josh Wede

Dr. Josh Wede is a psychology professor at Penn State University, teaching PSYCH 100. In order to gain a perspective, or an idea of  what I was going to shoot, I sat in one of his PSYCH 100 classes and  observed the way he communicated to his students. Of course I stuck out like a sore thumb sitting up front with a large Nikon D7000 in my lap snapping the occasional shot. In a grand lecture hall in Forum, students occupied all the seats with some sitting on the steps just infront of the entrance. He brought humor to his lectures but kept focus to the subject he was presenting. His personality made it easy to portray himself as a laid back professor as we even cracked jokes between each other. With his office in Moore currently under renovations, I shot some my portraits in his temporary office in Thomas to fully describe what profession he had. He had a book self full of textbooks all with "Psychology" in the title, with a number more of textbooks lying around the office. He was a pleasant subject to work with; very easy-going and flexible with my needs for this assignment.

What I Like Best About Penn State

Safety is a key importance in any environment, especially for college students living on their own for the first time. With emergency service stations, like these on Pollock Road, located throughout campus, students, faculty, and visitors have the ability to call out for help from a patrolling police officer within the area. Many of these stations are located on main streets, as well as in alleys between buildings.
With campus life ending around 10 or even 2 o'clock at night, it is comforting to know that there are more than just street lights to be there when venturing back home in the dark.