On Tuesday, October 17th, RMU welcomed local documentarian Stephanie Strasburg for a public lecture in the Wheatley Atrium.

Based in Pittsburgh, Strasburg has spent the majority of her professional career producing photos and videos for various news outlets. She currently creates for PublicSource, a non-profit digital-first media organization that inspires critical thinking and bold ideas through journalism, rooted in facts, diverse voices, and the pursuit of transparency.

She opened by discussing her inspiration and love for the craft, which came from her time working in a small family-owned camera shop in her hometown. Strasburg included some of her early photojournalism work and shared the impressive and moving messages behind many of the pieces.

After being assigned to cover the crime and drug problem in Carrick, a suburb of Pittsburgh, she began to ponder creative ways to tell her story. Strasburg found a family who was recently affected by a drug overdose and chose to report on their emotional struggle. Instead of simply sharing facts and statistics about the crime in Carrick, Strasburg’s genius philosophy was to create an emotional connection between the viewer and the story.

Strasburg also shared about one of her recent projects at PublicSource. To raise awareness for Sexual Assault victims during the RedZone, which is a period from the beginning of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break when a high level of assaults occur on college campuses. She created a series of images in which the subject holds a mirror to reflect internal feelings and create the illusion of a “hole” that the experience left in their mind.

Strasburg engaged with students, providing advice and inspiration for all types of photographers. Each person in attendance was emotionally moved by Strasburg’s creative storytelling and engaging content. RMU students were lucky to hear from and connect with an acclaimed photographer from the local Pittsburgh area.