My name is Emily Donahue, and I am currently in my fifth semester of the wildlife and fisheries
science degree. I grew up in the forests of northeastern Pennsylvania, where my passion for
nature developed. Besides nature, reading books, playing violin, and running are some of my
other main hobbies. I am thrilled with my decision to attend Penn State and am actively involved
with THON, Outdoor School, Outing Club, and the State College Bird Club. Most of my life
revolves around animals and the outdoors. Though I am not yet sure quite what I want to do with
my life, I know I am on the right track.
This portrait portrays how I typically express myself. I decided on a drastic change when I
donated all of my hair about a year ago and have loved the ease of short hair ever since. I often
wear my ORION necklace, which portrays the constellation the program was named after.
ORION is an outdoor orientation program for freshmen that I worked for this summer.
Having grown up with me, my cat is a member of the family. Patches has always been there for
me throughout my public schooling, whether staying up late with me while I studied or playing
with me when I needed a distraction. I really miss his calming presence now that I am away at
school, so I make sure to get as much bonding time as I can whenever I visit home.
The frame in this picture is completely filled to focus in on the face of my cat, omitting the rest
of his body. This plays on human interest by highlighting detail within his eyes. This, as well as
the slanted eyelid and curled paw give him emotion and an adorable look.
The Forest Resources Building serves as my second home, being that I have all but one of my
classes here. Since I have to spend majority of my time here, I appreciate the architectural
aspects and comfortable chairs in the atrium. I prefer studying in this spacious, welcoming
building than more crowded areas such as the library. The main atrium and benches outside also
have a nice view of the arboretum and distant mountains, making for beautiful sunsets.
I took advantage of the cloudy sky to capture this capture this vivid reflection of the Forest
Resource Building off the main windows in the front. I chose to follow to create symmetry and
focus on the lines and shapes of the curved building. The curves as well as the repeated windows
draw the eye back along the wall, giving the photo depth.
I grew up in the game lands, playing in streams and searching for salamanders, so I escape to the
woods every chance I get. This was taken in the woods behind the arboretum, which has nice
bike and foot trails. When I wish to do some more serious hiking, I go on trips with my friends in
the Outing Club, in which I hold a THON chair position. I have met some of the best people and
my closest friends in this club.
Light from the setting sun refracts through the forest in this picture, creating some rays and lens
flare. The focus on the foreground with the light behind reveals the patterns of veins within the
maple leaves and creates a slight silhouette.
People in the hiking community get emotionally attached to their Nalgene bottles, and I am no
exception. I received this Nalgene when I set out to live in the woods with other fellow freshmen
for six days as an ORION participant. Everywhere I go on campus, I find others with AURORA
program Nalgenes, and we feel like we already know each other. I am also a big advocator of
using refillable bottles to reduce waste.
There is a rough rule of thirds division in this picture, with the concrete foreground, a building in
the background, and sky in the top third. The fountain, my favorite one on campus, portrays a
sense of motion with the water drops frozen in midair.
I ride my bike for as long as I can until the weather gets cold because I avoid buses at all cost.
This was my first full-sized bike and has just the basics, no hand break or gears, but it gets me
where I need to go. It has also gotten quite rusty from being chained up around campus and
exposed to the hard winter. One of my favorite things to do is ride my bike around campus really
early when it is completely deserted.
The colors of my bike, rusty handlebars, blue body, and black tire, contrast with the greenery in
the background to bring out the object. A shallow depth of field was used to focus only on the
repeated pattern of the tire treads, blurring all of the background.
These hiking boots have put on a lot of miles and have traveled a lot with me. They have gone on
many Outing Club trips and ORION programs. My Merrells even traveled all the way to
Colorado for a field course and carried my up to the 13,000-foot peak of Mt. Audubon. The right
pair of boots is a crucial for any backpacker.
The low sun in this photo projects a shadow along the right side of the photo, causing the eye to
focus on the highlighted boot and then follow the long shadow off photo. Rule of two thirds is
followed by keeping the main object off-centered and along the right third of the photo.
Music has always been an important release in my life since I picked up my first violin in fifth
grade. I played in the campus orchestra my first two semesters and am now taking the
opportunity to branch out by taking a guitar class. I love taking some time every night to practice
before bed and clear my mind.
The lack of color in this picture makes the repeated inlayed designs pop by accentuating the
naturally high contrast. By filling the frame, fine details of the guitar become apparent while still
included enough surface of the object to easily distinguish the object.
My new apartment is located on this block of State College, and I cross here every morning on
my route to class. My old apartment was located far north of campus in a quiet neighborhood
next to a dog park, so living downtown is a big adjustment. Despite the major construction across
the street and high amounts of noisy emergency response vehicles, the location is closer to
campus and various establishments downtown. This intersection of West Beaver and Fraser is
now the corner I call home.
The low angle of this photo reveals a nonstandard view of a traffic light and provides a cloudy
sky as a uniform backdrop. The use of written word on the street sign also adds interest,
displaying exactly where the photo was taken. Lines are also used to guide the eye along the bar
to the two repeated lights on the end.
Birds are my true passion in the wildlife field; I could sit and watch them flitting around at the
bird feeder forever. I spend my free mornings at the air quality sit behind the arboretum banding
birds with the State College Bird Club. We collect them in mist nets and band and measure the
birds before release. Birding is one of the few things that motivate me to get up before the sun
rises.
The stark contrast between the white speckling and black wings as well as the black and white
against the rich greens in the background allow the subject to stand out. The reflection in this
downy woodpecker’s eye and the slight parting of her beak adds human interest as well.
I ended on this photo because ornithology is my main academic focus. Looking forward, I hope
to work to protect and monitor songbirds and woodpeckers to ensure they continue living
harmoniously with humans. I am particularly interested in how human activities affect their
seasonal migration patterns. Though birds are my favorites, I also enjoy amphibians, which are
often neglected in management practices. I have yet to decide whether research or conservation
work interests me more, but I would be happy doing either. In order to reach these career goals, I
must first focus on graduating while still making plenty of time for enjoying nature with friends.