Wake Forest Magazine invited six professional photographers, who are alumni, back to campus last spring for a challenge:

RAISE THE CAMERA AND SHOW US YOUR VIEW OF WAKE FOREST.

Travis Dove (’04)

Location: Charlotte, NC
Instagram: @travisdovephoto

Like most alumni returning to campus, I feel both a warm sense of home and an all-too-accurate gauge of just how old I have become.

For this project I wanted to find images that, above all, capture the feeling of being back more than the prominent beauty of the campus itself and in some cases hint at specific memories of my alma mater. I was that kid at camp before I was ever a student. I trudged through those puddles to class. I bonded with friends at formals, and I “improved” my dorm room décor.

I chose images that are reflective — literally and figuratively — and attempted to capture a sense of looking back. I also hoped to convey the youthful energy I wish I still had when I pick up my own small child today.

John Pickel taught me how a camera works in his Wake Forest art classes, but I would never label myself an “artist.” The more comfortable title is photojournalist. John also taught me how to view pictures analytically and see beyond the obvious. That foundation will always inform my work, as will his saying that I remember, “There is art in the process.”

Travis’ photos: