Photos shed new light on life in Appalachia

Anyone who thinks they know anything about life in Appalachia by way of photos they have seen of the area should think again. Squalor can be found anywhere and politicians knowingly select images to serve purely political ends.

The University of Kentucky sponsored a contest intended to counter the negative stereotype through images showing the other side of Appalachian life. They found a winner.

Quoting The Examiner:

“Photographer Michele Coleman contrasted a rugged Appalachian hillside with the refined skills of a cello-playing teenager, offering a fresh perspective of a region accustomed to being portrayed through gritty images of squalor.

Her photo took top prize in a contest sponsored by the University of Kentucky's Appalachian Center. It shows a high school senior from Marietta, Ohio, with her arms draped around the classical music instrument while perched on the hillside.

‘You could see a talented young individual,’ said Coleman, a professional photographer from Parkersburg, W.Va.

The West Virginia native said she tires of seeing old photos reinforcing stereotypes of Appalachia, and hopes she did her part to show there's a much different side to the 205,000-square-mile region.”

Click the image & read the rest:

Click here for comments from the photographer,
to enlarge the winning photo & see 2nd & 3rd place photos.