SMC He’s come a long way in a short period of time.
By Daily Press Staff
Brandon Wise,Daily Press photographer and managing editor of the Santa Monica College Corsair,was named the College Photographer of the Year by the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles.
Wise, 24, of Santa Monica, started taking photography classes at SMC in 2006 after a friend of his died and left him his Nikon FG, a film camera. He enjoyed portrait and landscape photography his first year, but in spring 2007 took his first photojournalism class. That’s when he realized his calling.
“It is photography for a reason,”Wise said of photojournalism.“Just taking pictures of landscapes was like doing photography because it made me feel good. With photojournalism, I can work for other people,show them the truth and serve as a story teller. It has a just cause.”
Wise,who joined the Daily Press as a contributor in September of 2007,beat out competitors from four-and two-year schools throughout the L.A. area. It was the first time an SMC student has won the contest,though SMC students have been named as runners up in the past.
The honor came with a $1,000 award and a brand new Nikon digital camera.
Entry into the competition required Wise to submit a wide range of photos in such categories as sports, spot news, feature photo and photo essay.
“Brandon exhibits a lot of talent and the kind of drive that makes a photographer succeed,” said Gerard Burkhart, Wise’s pho-tojournalism professor.
While at SMC, Wise has also discovered another passion: Anthropology. And he hopes to wed the two passions with his ultimate goal of shooting pictures for National Geographic or covering war zones for major publications.
In the meantime, he plans to transfer in 2009 to a four-year university, eventually earning a doctorate in anthropology while continuing to be a photojournalist.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 2, 2008. Read the original PDF.