Year in pictures: Deanna Dent

By Deanna Dent |
December 28, 2017

Capturing images for a living is a funny thing. We become experts in watching others, reading their emotions and intentions and being ready to react to that single moment that may represent days, months or years of work for them. We're able to learn alongside them, documenting their research and successes, and to experience those heartfelt emotions of graduation day every year.

The best part of collecting my photos of the year is to be able to look back upon the successes of our institution in 2017 and remember how fortunate I am to work in such a unique job.

Martha McNair (left) gets a demonstration of mannequin "Victoria" by ASU clinical faculty Leann Dykstra during the grand opening of the Simulation and Learning Resource Center.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Lily Krzeminski tries to get the most penne pasta on her spaghetti at the "Minute to Win It" event during the 2017 Night of the Open Door event at ASU's Polytechnic campus Feb. 17. Open Door is an annual event in which each campus opens its doors and welcomes the public into its labs, classrooms and other spaces to explore the opportunities at ASU.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Gila Crossing student Damian Martinez shows off his dance skills at a Zumba session during the RECHARGE conference Jan. 25.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
My office is supportive of all the work we do on campus and in our community. During the spring I volunteered with the nonprofit Kids in Focus, which teaches children how to "see" the world through photography, and though I can't share images of their faces, I got this shot of my mentee during a February field trip to Roosevelt Row in Phoenix.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
"Saturnicus," or junior theatre major Alexander Long, has his beard adjusted as students prepare to rehearse the play "Titus Andronicus" at the Lyceum Theatre on the Tempe campus Feb. 14. It was an exciting evening to document the play's final rehearsal.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Freshmen from the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communcation cheer at the Sun Devil Welcome at Wells Fargo Arena on Aug. 15. Sun Devil Welcome is a high-energy, high-volume event that introduces freshmen to what it means to be a Sun Devil and inspires them for their new college journey.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Elementary education in STEM junior Chris Patterson creates a giant bubble over Liana Hawman during Night of the Open Door at the Polytechnic campus Feb. 17.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Denise Rascon tries on a hijab at the Middle Eastern booth during Night of the Open Door at the Thunderbird School of Global Management campus Feb. 18.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Chiron (right) and Demetrius duel it out during a fight-scene rehearsal for "Titus Andronicus" at the Lyceum Theatre in Tempe on Feb. 14.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Behavioral neuroscience doctoral student Stephanie Koebele holds a human brain to share with third-graders from Creighton Elementary School in Phoenix during the Brain Fair on Feb. 28.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Marely Mesa (center) makes a cringing face as she holds a sheep brain during the Brain Fair at Creighton Elementary School Feb. 28.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
New Assistant Professor Natalie Diaz poses for a portrait in Tempe on Feb. 22. We shoot a lot of portraits around campus, and it's a pleasure to find the quirky architecture that lends itself to portraits.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Alex Brown makes a face as he and other children learn about archaeology in front of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change building on April 17.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Runners show their Sun Devil pride at the starting line of Pat's Run in Tempe on April 22. The annual event draws thousands from both ASU and the greater Phoenix community as people run in honor of Pat Tillman, the Sun Devil and Arizona Cardinals player who left his pro football career to serve as an Army Ranger after 9/11. He died in Afghanistan in 2004.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Graduating high school seniors pose for a photo with Sparky during College Signing Day at ASU Prep in downtown Phoenix on April 27. Each spring, a spirited ASU crew visits local high schools to celebrate the future Sun Devils who have committed to attending ASU the following fall.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Social work graduate Elizabeth Poseyesva of the Gila River, Hopi and Choctaw tribes waits to step onstage during the spring 2017 American Indian Convocation on May 10 in Tempe.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Caitlyn Weber (business development) hugs her friend Gabriel Palmer (business) during the spring 2017 Undergraduate Commencement at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on May 8.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Graduates Jessie Rodriguez and Tatyana Garcia dance in the aisles before the Hispanic Convocation at Wells Fargo Arena on May 13.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
We were lucky enough to document the True Sioux Hope Foundation in South Dakota, and this image was from a powwow during the evening's festivities.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Sometimes our work extends to helping departments make images they can use to showcase their spaces. In this case, we worked with three students to create a drawing of the mkrspace studio in Hayden Library.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Public management cohort fellow Simphiwe Petunia Dube of Swaziland makes her way across a ropes course during a leadership training exercise at the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course in on June 26. It was part of a Mandela Fellows six-week program that brought young African leaders to Arizona to learn how American institutions collaborate to solve problems.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Parents are the best thing about move-in weekend, and I love how parents Brady and Maria Mejia take photos of their daughter Desiree, their first child in college, as they walk up to Casa del Oro during student move-in at West campus on Aug. 12.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
ASU President Michael M. Crow laughs alongside nursing freshman Nikkalaus Cheever before taking the stage during the Sun Devil Welcome at Wells Fargo Arena on Aug. 15.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
A timelapse of the 2017 solar eclipse. I was in the path of totality on vacation and was able to composite the eclipse in this image.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
MFA theatre for youth graduate student Eric Villiers has the Prospero character costume fixed by Katherine Krzys, director of the Child Drama collection, on Sept. 18. The character is from William Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" and is one of the Hayden Library's Irene Corey Collection.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
MFA theatre for youth graduate student Eric Villiers poses for a portrait in the Prospero costume at Hayden Library.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Liberal studies sophomore Jonah Ivy (center) enjoys the Latin dance workshop with fellow students during the first-ever Herberger Institute Day in Tempe campus on Oct. 12.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
The Indian Students Association performs in a flashmob in anticipation for their Jhankaar event in front of the Memorial Union in Tempe on Oct. 12.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Judy Woodruff is honored by a standing ovation after accepting the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism during the 34th annual Cronkite Luncheon at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix hotel on Oct. 19.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Jessica Muhlenkamp and biomedical sciences junior Ann Shikles do some balancing exercises in the mirror during her workout at the ExDS class on Oct. 23. ExDS stands for Exercise Program for Adults with Down Syndrome, a community iniative out of the College of Health Solutions.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Jammilex Reyes (center) shows her delight as others cheer her on during a rock-paper-scissors competition at the Obama Foundation's training day for civic engagement at the Student Pavilion in Tempe on Nov. 11.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Biochemistry graduate Amani Tinkasimile gets a big hug from his younger sister Patricia Ibalo after the fall 2017 Undergraduate Commencement on Dec. 11 at Wells Fargo Arena.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
First-generation graduates and veterans Ashley Pitman and Frank Samora stand with their families for a portrait project we did on first-generation students. It has been one of my favorite projects so far.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now
Professor Hao Yan poses for a portrait in his lab at the Biodesign Institute on the Tempe campus Dec. 12.

Photo by Deanna Dent/ASU Now

I have also started producing videos for our team, but the project I'm most proud of from the past year is our 101 series. In these series we work with ASU student groups and coalitions to share their experiences. It has been eye-opening to work with these students, to hear their life experiences and how they experience ASU. These groups include our student veterans, international students, the Asian/Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition, the Black African Coalition, returned Peace Corps volunteers and El ConcilioEl Concilio seeks to unite Latin@/Chican@/Hispanic student organizations at ASU to represent their interests and needs and promote awareness of culture within the ASU community. students of Latino heritage in the video below: