Snapping to tell the “Ole Miss Story”

Robert Jordan adjust a camera mounted to the backboard at the Ole Miss basketball game verse Auburn.

           On the sidelines of many University of Mississippi sporting events there are always several photographers: The Oxford Eagle, The Daily Mississippian, and several other. One photographer who does not often have his picture printed on the cover of the newspaper the next day is Robert Jordan. Jordan has worked for the Ole Miss for over 25 years and now works as the director of photography for University Communications.

“To be a successful photographer requires both, sort of a left-brain and a right-brain approach, you have to understand the technical side and the fundamentals; photography is both a science and art,” Jordan said. “You have to have the other side, the creativity and the compositioning to be a successful photographer.”

            When Jordan first started at the University, he was a photographer for the public relations department. While working for public relations there was not a charge-back system, which charges for someone to cover the event.

“I covered things that needed to covered certainly; dedication, ground-breakings, events what have you,” Jordan said. “ But we also covered a lot of things minor events that did not need to be cover such as birthdays and other events, because it is easy to get farmed out and make friends and influence people by sending a photographer free of charge.”

            Jordan was then moved to the publications department where he worked more with other designers and graphic artist. Along with that he worked at the campus film-processing center.

            “There use to be a photo lab on campus that was academic support, slide processing, slide duplication that type of thing, joined forces with first sharing facilities, then eventually blurring the line between those two,” Jordan said.  “Which allowed us to get back on a charge back system.”

            Jordan still felt even with charge-back system in place it still had filters on what he could cover.

            “Those departments that have a budget can hire you and you can cover there events, unfortunately some folks don’t have any money in their budget to hire you,” Jordan said. “So money is an effect but an imperfect filter.”

Jordan hopes to change the way people think about the University Communications by attempt to do a better job at “telling the Ole Miss story.” Jordan plans to cover stories that don’t get much reorganization until after the something interesting has already been done. 

“We are just now starting to reach out to the University campus, to professors and student leaders that if got something unique going on, a unique learning experience call, email, let us know about it. If we can work it in to our schedule and we think it is the kind of thing we can use for recruiting and telling the Ole Miss story we will photograph it free of charge,” Jordan said. “So we are still available for hire but are trying to do these other projects to help tell the Ole Miss story a little bit better.

            Jordan is very excited because there is a research team that will be in the Gulf of Mexico this summer and hopes to cover their story.

            “ These are the types of things people can’t afford to hire you for the four days you will be out of the office,” Jordan said. “ But if I can say if you will cover my travel expenses, I’ll tag along and document everything.”