Austin Peay State University Student Cody Hegler Earns Regional Photography Honor – Clarksville On-line

Clarksville, TN – When Cody Hegler first began working as a photographer for The All State, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) pupil newspaper, he was his personal fiercest critic – choosing aside the main points of each shot and discovering causes to eliminate them.

However, after studying new abilities on the job, he turned a regionally award-winning photographer by inserting fifth within the Best Photographer class on the 2026 Southeast Journalism Conference. Hegler was initially chosen as one in all 95 pupil finalists throughout all awards, and he represented The All State together with his rating at SEJC.

“It was definitely a confidence booster, and it’s been slowly setting in over time that I was able to compete with photographers from Division I schools,” stated Hegler, a junior enterprise administration main and Army veteran. “That makes me want to focus more on presenting my craft so I can place better next year, or even become a finalist.”

Hegler started his journey in early 2022, chopping his tooth on live performance pictures due to his ardour for the music trade. He hopes to make use of his diploma to ascertain a music venue, construct a touring community, and create behind-the-scenes content material to advertise rising native artists.

“I started going to Austin Peay as a reenlistment incentive, but between the Army and school, I just couldn’t keep up with it,” he stated, noting that he briefly labored for The All State throughout that point. “At the end of my first semester, I felt it was best that I just didn’t come back. I had to take a break because I was getting out of the Army, and I didn’t know what my life was going to look like.”

After serving for 10 years as a mechanic, Hegler was medically separated from the Army in 2023 and determined to come back again to Austin Peay State University that fall.

“There were times, especially in the beginning when I first came back to The All State [in Spring 2024], that I wanted to do something that would force me to pick my camera up,” he stated. “At the time, I didn’t realize I was depressed, and I was going through a whole separation from the Army that caught up to me.”

Hegler was additionally managing the duty of being a long-distance father or mother to his daughter in Kansas, having moved away from his household on account of navy commitments.

“Living away from my kid is rough because you always want to be there, and they’re only a kid one time,” he stated. “But being at Austin Peay has helped me figure out things we can do together … one semester I was in Chemistry for Everyone, and we did a lot of very easy experiments I realized she would love. So when I had her that year for Christmas, we did elephant toothpaste and this, that, and the other. We got to go stargazing one summer after my astronomy class because I learned a bit about that, and I’ve even shown her how to use a camera so she can see what I do.”

Making connections with different pupil veterans and staffers at The All State helped Hegler discover additional stability, and earlier than lengthy, he started to see indicators of progress.

“My turnaround time has improved a lot,” he stated. “I think a lot of people who are new at photography go out there and snap, snap, snap photos. That’s essentially what I was doing – I would just hit a burst and find the best one. The All State helped me get better at being decisive when taking photos and figuring out better shot compositions, and that impacts how quickly I can get them to clients.”

Hegler’s story assignments have additionally helped him develop his abilities as a videographer, from capturing footage throughout Austin Peay State University’s GO Weekend to filming from the again of a go-kart throughout an occasion at The City Forum.

“Another thing I’ve really enjoyed about being part of The All State is that it’s allowed me to expand my portfolio outside of just shooting concerts,” he stated. “To be honest, I don’t know that I would have branched far outside of that otherwise … when I started, I just looked at it as a hobby, and being here helped me realize the value in having a skill in photography.”

The administration abilities Hegler is studying by way of the APSU College of Business and the help companies provided by the Military and Veterans Affairs Division have additional enriched his campus expertise, and as he prepares to graduate subsequent 12 months, he feels extra ready than ever for his subsequent chapter.

“Austin Peay State University has definitely helped me step out of approaching things in life as Army problems,” he stated. “To think about where I am now and the skills that I’ve gained, it’s pretty cool. I have a lot of friends who will say, ‘Oh, you’re doing too much for college,’ but I know I’m not. I’ve paid my life to be here, and I’m going to make sure to get every benefit I can from it.”