Published on June 16, 2014 by Jimmy Lichtenwalter  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b39LXrRQIsc 

Samford University is hosting the annual meeting of the University Photographers Association of America (UPAA) June 16-20. The event will be attended by 91 participants from all over the world.

"This event will give everyone a better awareness of this campus," said Caroline Summers, Samford's director of photographic services and one of the event's main planners. "A lot of people aren't aware of Samford, and I think they are going to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the campus and the hospitality of the people."

Over the course of the week, participants will take part in workshops and listen to lectures from well-known photographers. Speakers include John H. White, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and former photographer for the Chicago Sun-Times; Jeremy Cowart, a celebrity photographer; and Dave Black, a freelance photographer who is frequently published in Sports Illustrated.

Additionally, participants of the conference will also get a chance to take part in a community service project here in Birmingham, Summers said. On Thursday, UPAA members are sponsoring a Help-Portrait event. Help-Portrait was founded by Cowart, and UPAA members will take family photos and head shots for individuals involved with The Lovelady Center, a program offering transitional services for women and their children. Aveda Institute is donating make-up and hairstyle services. Canon is donating printers. ProCenter Camera is loaning studio equipment. Photographers from UPAA will donate their photography skills and their time.

The organization's annual awards event is scheduled for Friday at Birmingham's Vulcan Park and Museum.

"Samford is thrilled to host such a great event on its campus," Summers said.

Jimmy Lichtenwalter is a journalism and mass communication major and a news and feature writer in Samford's Office of Marketing and Communication.

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Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.