Cody Schmelter
West, TN 38358, USA
I am an award-winning photojournalist based in the Southeast. I attended The University of Georgia where he graduated from the renowned Grady College of Journalism in May 2013.
During my time at Grady, I focused my studies on photojournalism, completing the University of Georgia Visual Journalism program. While in UGAVJ, I participated in weekend workshops covering the Petit Le Mans race and community journalism. I also served as president for the UGA student chapter of the National Press Photographers Association. I got my first taste of the newsroom while working for the independent student newspaper, The Red & Black, as both a staff photographer and the photo editor. During my time with The Red & Black, I extensively covered UGA’s athletics, including the 2012 SEC Championship football game. I also participated in the Poynter Institute and Cox Institute's inaugural Media Leadership Certificate Program. After completing the program in March 2013, I contributed to the book “Managing News @ The Digital Edge,” which was published a few months later.
After graduation, I immediately began an extended internship at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. I worked as a full member of the photo staff. In addition to my daily work in the Chattanooga area, I travelled eastern Tennessee on assignment and contributed to the weekly photo column "Moment." During the winter of 2014, I gained national attention for my coverage of the southern snowstorms. My work was highlighted by The Boston Globe’s The Big Picture blog and was included in the Washington Post’s and USA Today’s ‘News Photos of the Week.’
In March 2014, I began my first full time job as a photojournalist back in Georgia. I was hired as one of three staff photographers rotated between the Cherokee Tribune and the Marietta Daily Journal. After serving 10 months as the main photographer for the Tribune, I was promoted to the Marietta Daily Journal’s photo desk to begin 2015.
I now work on a freelance basis.
2012 - 2nd Place, Sports - SPJ, 2013 - 3rd Place, Sports - NPPA Monthly, 2014 - 2nd Place, Local Features - TPA, 2015 - 2nd Place, Sports Action - Georgia APME, 2015 - 3rd Place, Portfolio - Georgia APME, 2015 - 2nd Place, Sports Feature - GPA, 2015 - 3rd Place, Sports Feature - GPA, 2015 - 3rd Place, Final Ranking - GPA Monthly, 2015 - 3rd Place, Sports - NPPA Monthly, 2015 - Finalist, Platform-tailored Programming - Gannett, 2016 - 1st Place, Multimedia - Tennessee AP, 2016 - 2nd Place, Spot News - Tennessee AP, 2016 - 3rd Place, Spot News - NPPA Monthly, 2016 - 3rd Place, Photo Story/Essay - NPPA Monthly
- Audio capture
- Audio editing
- Breaking news
- Editorial
- Reporting
- Sports
- Video capture
- Video editing