A LITTLE ABOUT ME
Nice to meet you!
I'm a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, photographer, photo editor, executive producer and chair of the Foothill College Photography Department in Los Altos, California. At Foothill, I teach PHOT 5: Beginning Photography, PHOT 10: History of Photography, PHOT 11: Contemporary Issues in Photography, PHOT 22: Photojournalism, PHOT 72: Lightroom Classic and Photographic Design, PHOT 74 A, B, C: Studio Photography I, II and III, among other courses for the department's well-known degree and certificate programs. We offer honors sections, as well as FREE photography courses for non-degree seekers, as well. Get in touch with me for more information—walgrenjudith@fhda.edu
Before coming to Foothill, I held the position of associate director for the Michigan State University School of Journalism, where I taught courses in beginning and advanced photojournalism, documentary photography, 360-degree video and visual journalism for our School's graduate students. During my professional career, I led the photography team at the San Francisco Chronicle, the editorial team for a media start-up, ViewFind, and was a member of visual teams at The Dallas Morning News, The Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post.
As an educator, I am committed to the success of every one of my students. Nothing brings me greater joy than to see students succeed in realizing their dreams (other than my son doing the same...) My creative research unpacks the semiotics found within visual archives and methods to disrupt bigotry by filling in gaps and expanding narratives. Exposing violent human rights abuses against minoritized communities has been the focus of my work as a photojournalist. I co-authored the upcoming book, Critical Photojournalism: Contemporary Ethics and Practice, for Routledge with Dr. Tara Pixley, an assistant professor at the Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University. The book is available starting in late August 2025.
Get in touch: jwalgren@gmail.com