معرفی
Kim Komenich is an Associate Professor and head of the photojournalism sequence in the Department of Journalism at San Francisco State University. A Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, he brings decades of field experience and curricular innovation to his teaching role.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree, San Jose State University (1979)
- Master of Arts, University of Missouri, specializing in photojournalism and multimedia storytelling (2007)
Research & Teaching Interests
Professor Komenich’s scholarly and creative work centers on documentary photojournalism, multimedia storytelling, and the pedagogy of visual journalism. He integrates conflict-zone experience, historical documentation, and cutting-edge digital techniques into a four-course scaffolded curriculum that moves students from basic camera craft to advanced social-documentary projects and business practices.
Publications & Creative Output
His 2016 book Revolution Revisited revisits the 1986 Philippine People Power Revolution through 100 images and new interviews, extending the impact of his Pulitzer-winning 1987 photo essay.
Awards & Honors
- Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography (1987)
- World Press Photo News Picture Story Award (1983)
- Three National Headliner Awards
- Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Service Award
- Military Reporters and Editors’ Association Photography Award (2006)
- NPPA Clifton C. Edom Education Award (2005)
- NPPA Humanitarian Award (2010)
- John S. Knight Fellow, Stanford University (1993–94)
- Dart Ochberg Fellow, Columbia University (2006)
Teaching, Fellowships & Workshops
Since 1986 Komenich has taught documentary photography and photojournalism throughout the Bay Area, including 20 years of part-time instruction at the Academy of Art University. He served as the first tenure-track multimedia professor at San Jose State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, creating four graduate-level courses that established the school’s multimedia degree. Since 1991 he has been a faculty member (now 24 summers) of the prestigious Missouri Photo Workshop, and he has held teaching fellowships at UC Berkeley’s Center for Documentary Studies and the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Labs & Initiatives
At San Francisco State University he directs the photojournalism sequence, overseeing labs and coursework that emphasize both traditional still photography and emerging multimedia technologies, preparing students for sustainable careers in visual journalism.
