Brian Bohannon

I'm Brian Bohannon, freelance photographer at Brian Bohannon Photography in Louisville, Ky., available for documentary, editorial, corporate and event photography assignments. See my work at: www.brianbohannon.com

For Brian Bohannon, photojournalism is about being present to capture life's extraordinary moments.   After hearing that Eight Belles had gone down after the 134th Kentucky Derby race, Brian turned to see the filly on the track with two broken front ankles. After shooting Derby for 16 years his training and experience as a photojournalist took over, and he captured several poignant images from an exclusive angle of Eight Belles held by track officials before they had to euthanize her. The moment his photos hit the wire, they were shown by the TV networks and online media and the next day appeared on the cover of the New York Times, the sports front of the Los Angeles Times and later in Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated. As a consequence, AP awarded Brian with Beat of the Week #243, an honor usually reserved for staffers for exemplary service.   Brian joined the herd of photographers that shoot Derby while studying photojournalism at Western Kentucky University. One summer he traveled to Alaska and photographed the towing of the wreck of the Exxon Valdez and efforts to clean up the oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound for the Valdez Vanguard. His photo story "A Simpler Way of Life" about an off-the-grid family in Tennessee won an Award of Excellence for Documentary in the 1992 College Photographer of the Year Contest and awards followed for feature photography from the Society for Professional Journalists (1992) and Kentucky News Photographers Association (1994, 1996). After completing newspaper internships in Illinois and Michigan, Brian graduated in 1994 and returned to Louisville.   With newspapers downsizing, Brian began freelancing for the Louisville Courier-Journal, where his first assignment was to cover a story on the National Forest Service's bolting ban in the Red River Gorge. A climber who had left his job as an optician for photojournalism, Brian was the perfect freelancer for the job and made the cover. He began stringing for the AP, USA Today and local news and alternative media, and now shoots for commercial and public relations clients, along with events, portraits and weddings. Variety is the spice of a freelancer's life. 

Photographer at Yum! Brands

2003 - 2010

Creator of iconic photos for use in public relations.

Photographer at The Highlander Neighborhood Monthly Newspaper

2007 - 2010

Hyperlocal photojournalism for Louisville's must-read publication.

Freelance photographer at The Associated Press

1996 - 2010

Available for last-minute breaking news, editorial and commercial assignments. Google "AP Photo/Brian Bohannon" to see my latest work for the wire.

Photographer at The Highlander Neighborhood Monthly Newspaper

2007 - 2010

Hyperlocal photojournalism for Louisville's must-read publication.

Photographer at Yum! Brands

2003 - 2010

Creator of iconic photos for use in public relations.

Freelance photographer at The Associated Press

1996 - 2010

Available for last-minute breaking news, editorial and commercial assignments. Google "AP Photo/Brian Bohannon" to see my latest work for the wire.

Photo Wrangler at Forecastle Fest

2005 - 2009

Managing freelance photographers documenting the Forecastle Festival to obtain promotional photos for the festival's website.

Photo Wrangler at Forecastle Fest

2005 - 2009

Managing freelance photographers documenting the Forecastle Festival to obtain promotional photos for the festival's website.

Photographer at Prep magazine

2003 - 2007

Covered Kentucky's vibrant food service industry, photographing events, restaurants and the chefs that create culinary art and the culture of food.

Photographer at Prep magazine

2003 - 2007

Covered Kentucky's vibrant food service industry, photographing events, restaurants and the chefs that create culinary art and the culture of food.

Freelance Photographer at Brian Bohannon Photography

July 1994

Freelance photographer covering editorial, photojournalistic, commercial, public relations and event assignments.

Freelance Photographer at Brian Bohannon Photography

July 1994

Freelance photographer covering editorial, photojournalistic, commercial, public relations and event assignments.

Western Kentucky University

1988 – 1994

Bachelor of Arts

Concentration: Photojournalism/Folk Studies

Activities: College Heights Herald

Western Kentucky University

1988 – 1994

Bachelor of Arts

Iroquois High School

Disc golf and the ongoing drama of life.