Sam Craft, Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications multimedia team lead, earned high honors in the annual photo competition and was recognized at the University Photographers’ Association of America, UPAA, conference in Provo, Utah.

an alligator floats with its eyes and nose just above the water level and a dragonfly with yellow wings sits on it. The image is mirror reflected in the water below
Sam Craft, Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications multimedia team lead, won first place in the University Photographers’ Association of America annual photo contest with this photo of a dragon fly landing on an alligator’s head as it moves through the water on a lake at a private hunting and fishing club in Athens. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)

The UPAA, an international organization of college and university photographers dedicated to applying and practicing photography in higher education, chose three multimedia creations by Craft to honor photographic excellence.

“UPAA’s recognition of Sam’s work is well deserved and a testament to how authentic visuals tell a brand story,” said Katherine Hancock, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communications for Texas A&M AgriLife. “He is a true leader in visual media not only across Texas A&M AgriLife but all the land-grant university systems and higher education.”​​

Since joining Texas A&M AgriLife in 2020, Craft has led a team of photo and video professionals in the planning, creation and distribution of visual media, including photography, videography, audio productions and other multimedia materials to advance the Texas A&M AgriLife brand.

A compilation of photos from a pond setting that include water, people walking above and swimming in the water, crawfish, fish of various sizes, frogs, and an evening campfire.
A photo essay captured when the Biology of Gulf Coastal Fishes week-long class visited various locations along the Guadalupe and San Marcus rivers to study the biological complexity of Gulf Coast river systems while gaining hands-on experience in field and museum ichthyological techniques, collecting and sampling specimens; participation in lectures, museum preparation and archiving specimens. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)

Bringing home the accolades

“It is truly an honor to have my work recognized by my peers in UPAA,” Craft said. “I work with phenomenal people, on and off my team at Texas A&M AgriLife, and we are fortunate to be encouraged to capture and tell visually engaging, dynamic and interesting content.”

Craft brought home:

— First place for his photo of a dragonfly on an alligator head in General Features and Illustrations.

— Second place for his Down River Essay in Photo Essay.

— Fourth place for his Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management Essay in Photo Essay.

 For more examples of Craft and his team’s work, visit https://agrilife.photoshelter.com/index.

a compilation of photos showing a pond from varies views as well as people holding baby alligators at the water level and on tables where they work with them. It also shows various people completing tasks
This photo story of students and faculty from the Texas A&M Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management who spent three days at a hunting and fishing club collecting various reptiles, mammals and fish for tagging and research purposes by Sam Craft placed fourth in the University Photographers’ Association of America annual photo contest. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife)
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