Introducing MC Photographer Wes Hope

He didn’t get a level in images, however by the lens of his digicam, Wes Hope is working in his area of research regardless.

A 1998 graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Hope – who serves because the Maryville College photographer – earned his diploma in anthropology. His work as an expert photographer is, in some ways, an anthropological endeavor, he instructed The Highland Echo.

“The American Anthropological Association defines anthropology as ‘the study of what makes us human, exploring the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history,” he mentioned. “Every time I take a picture, I’m documenting the human experience, so in a way, it fits in well with what I studied. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself to justify those student loans.”

The identical month he graduated, Hope obtained a job as a photographer for The Daily Times newspaper of Maryville. It was a seminal expertise that allowed him loads of alternatives for development, and by the point he stepped away from the Times in 2007 to dedicate himself full-time to his personal enterprise, Hope Photography, he was already an award-winning photographer with a wholesome clientele of Maryville residents who had been acquainted with his work. 

The Great Recession, which hit in early 2008, was a rocky time for small enterprise homeowners, and after a detour by a number of non-photography jobs, he lastly returned to his calling in August 2024 after Maryville College supplied him a job. Today, he’s a well-known presence at virtually each College-related occasion; simply search for the man with a literal Bat-belt of lenses and different images gear and who towers over virtually everybody else (he’s 6-feet, 5-inches tall.)

And, he added, it’s fairly actually the most effective job he’s ever had … or at the least a detailed second to parenthood: he’s the daddy of two women, together with Maddie Hope (’28).

“If you’ve ever taken a photo that captures the perfect moment, you know how rewarding it is,” he mentioned. “I wouldn’t call my work perfect, because good photographers are always looking for a better shot. But being able to document Maryville College and its history as it unfolds is an honor. Years from now, I hope folks studying the history of Maryville College… or its’ anthropology, if you will… are able to see the stories I tell with photos, and recognize just how special this place is and always has been.”

For this week’s photograph story, we requested Wes to pick a few of these excellent moments to share with you.

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