JAY KEENAN
Selected Work
The Photographer
About Jay Keenan
A native of Plymouth, MI, Jay Keenan has been taking photographs for a long time. He began shooting actively as one of the photographers for his high school student paper, eventually moving into freelance work for several suburban newspapers in the greater Detroit area.
Keenan later served as photo editor for a community college student newspaper and contributed sports writing to multiple publications in the Western Wayne County area. In May 2000, he relocated to Tempe, AZ, where he continued his work in media and communications while spending four years with an Internet company in the Phoenix area.
Outside of photography, Keenan has worked as a bookstore manager, inventory control specialist, elementary school teacher, Executive Level Recruiter, and currently serves as an HR Employment Verification Coordinator for a large company in the Valley.
Keenan holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Walsh College (Troy, MI), a Master's Degree in Education (MAED), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix.
On the creative side, he has designed flyers for a ministry at a prominent local Catholic Church in the Phoenix area, with his photography occasionally appearing in various projects. Though much of his photographic work was done during his Michigan years, Keenan continues to devote spare time to artistic photography.
Series
Artistic Photos
Published Work
Photojournalism
Anti Draft Rally — The Heated Debate
After then-president Jimmy Carter made a decision to institute registering for the draft, two seniors from Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem High Schools organized an anti-draft rally at Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth, MI in February of 1980. Seven speakers opposed to the draft highlighted the rally, but much of the crowd's attention was drawn to the heated sideline debates between Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) members, who were in favor of the registration, and the demonstrators. In this photo, a social studies teacher (left) argues whether the decision to register for the draft is justified with three VFW members. The picture above appeared in the Plymouth Canton High School student paper called "The New Media" in February of 1980. This photo was one of two photos that Keenan won a first place award in the photography category at the regional Schoolcraft College High School Journalism Contest in 1980.
Anti Draft Rally — The Heated Discussion
One of the VFW members in favor of the draft urges a couple of anti-draft demonstrators to recognize the Russian-Afghanistan situation at that time as a serious threat to America's freedom. The demonstrators emphasized "jobs at home, not war abroad." This photo, which appeared in the February 1980 edition of the Plymouth Canton High School student paper called "The New Media," was also in the set of photos that Keenan won first place for during the Schoolcraft College High School Journalism Contest in 1980.
Anti Draft Rally — The Summer March
This photo depicted a group mostly comprised of members of Plymouth-Canton Committee Against Registration and the Draft (CARD) during the anti-draft rally in the summer of 1980. Many of those CARD members were Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem High School students, alumni, or teachers, who were opposed to the registration of the military draft. The rally took place on July 21, 1980, in and around Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth, MI. Anti-Draft Rallies became a good subject matter for Keenan to photograph during his high school days, as this photo won him a second consecutive first place award at the high school student paper for Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem High Schools, called the "C.E.P. Perspective." The photo appeared in the September 19, 1980 edition. C.E.P. stood for Centennial Educational Park, the campus that the two Plymouth-Canton School District high schools were on. The student papers for the two schools had merged with each other over the summer. The judge of the Schoolcraft journalism contest was a local professional photographer who commented, "I am very impressed with the work that Jay Keenan is turning out. The spontaneity of the shot and the viewpoint of the photographer clearly indicate that this young man is not afraid to step into a situation and grab his picture. One of the hardest jobs of novice photographers is to place oneself into the middle of a situation, confront his subject(s) and return to his publication with a photograph and to do this consistently as Keenan's other entries indicate. Give this man a journalism degree (with emphasis in writing) and he could become a highly desirable photojournalist."
Bike Accident on Main Street
An 11-year-old on Main Street in Plymouth, MI goes down off of his bicycle after he hits a lamppost in mid-September of 1980. According to the Plymouth Fire Department, the boy suffered "a possible fracture of the right leg," and was treated in the hospital and released the same day. The photo appeared in the Community Crier, a suburban newspaper covering the cities of Plymouth and Canton, MI, on September 17, 1980.
Consequences of a Hines Park Flood
This photo appeared in the Schoolcraft College student paper called the Campus Globe on October 1, 1981. The cutline on this front page photo read, "Too bad this driver didn't obey the sign..." The photo was in reference to a downpour of rain that hit the Detroit area on September 30, 1981 with over five inches of rain. The vehicle in this picture got stuck in the flooded streets of Edward Hines Drive Parkway in Plymouth, MI, a road that ran relatively close to Schoolcraft College in Livonia, MI. The photo above also won Keenan a first place award in the News Photo Category during the 1982 Michigan Community College Press Association Contest.
Drummers Seminar
Professional Jazz Drummer J.C. Heard conducts a drummer's seminar at Schoolcraft College in the Autumn of 1982. Several photos from this assignment appeared in the Campus Globe. Unfortunately, this particular photo did not, though in the opinion of the photographer, this was the best shot from the series taken — a lot had to do with the interest of expressions from J.C. Heard and the students in the picture. The editor of the Globe chose not to publish it because J.C. Heard was sitting in another photo the editor wanted to use, and he wanted another photo where he was standing.
Graduation
Two girls from Plymouth Salem High School look toward the stands for family and friends prior to their graduation ceremonies. The photo appeared in the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier Newspapers in one of the June 1984 editions.
Ice Birds
An "artsy" photojournalism shot that Keenan took during the winter of 1983. This photo appeared in the Schoolcraft College (SC) Campus Globe on January 18, 1983. The design was made by one of the SC Culinary Arts students, who participated in the annual Plymouth Ice Sculpture Contest in Plymouth, MI's Kellogg Park. Though the light between the "ice birds" was mistaken for the moon — even by one of the SC astronomy instructors — the light that appeared was actually a spotlight in the park.
Talent Show Rehearsal
One of the talent show participants from the Plymouth Centennial Educational Park schools (Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem) rehearses for the CEP Talent Show in 1984. The performance is entitled "Nothing" from the play called "A Chorus Line." Photo appeared in the Community Crier on January 11, 1984.
VFW Plants Flag at Cemetery
A member of the VFW plants American flags at the gravesites at Riverside Cemetery in Plymouth, MI of prior servicemen who died in previous wars just before Memorial Day. This photo appeared in one of the May 1980 editions of the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier, and was Keenan's first front page photo to appear in a professional publication.
Wedding Snowshower Celebration
Though Keenan has never formally done wedding photos — he considers himself more of a photojournalist and avant-garde/artistic type of photographer — he did agree to take some "sidebar" wedding photos for the bride and groom at their request. Keenan caught the bride and groom coming out of the church in this candid photo, just as a snow shower started to fall outside of a church in Ferndale, MI. Though this photo was not part of a photojournalism assignment, this picture did get published in Picture.com's book called "Hidden Silhouettes" in 2001. The publication was a hardbound photography anthology published by The International Library of Photography (ISBN # 07951-5089X).
Ballerina Style Volleyball
A member of the Schoolcraft College women's volleyball team knocks a teammate's errant bump back into the court in a ballerina-style fashion. The photo was printed in the SC Campus Globe on November 22, 1982. Some forms of bitter memories can be triggered by this photo. At the time, Keenan's editor of the Campus Globe deemed this a top quality sports photo, especially based on the degree of difficulty to take it, which included a poorly lit gym. When the photo failed to place in the 1983 Michigan Community College Press Association Contest (MCCPA), Keenan's editor called it "one of the greatest robberies in MCCPA history."
Basketball — The Most Desired Object
Several girls from the Plymouth Canton and Livonia Churchill girls' basketball teams vie for a loose ball. This particular photo did not appear in any publication, but another photo from that assignment did appear in the Community Crier on October 22, 1980.
Basketball Collision
One of the players on the Schoolcraft College men's basketball team collides with two players as he tries to hurdle his opponents. Photo appeared in the SC Campus Globe on December 14, 1981.
Volleyball — Coach's Advice
The coach of the Schoolcraft College women's volleyball team gives advice to his team in the waning moments of the National Finals, as the team was about to get beat in the final championship round. The photo was published in the SC Campus Globe around early December of 1982.
Volleyball — The Beautiful Spike
One of the players from the Schoolcraft College women's volleyball team slams a spike past her opponents in the NJCAA Regional Tournament at the SC gym in 1981. Though Keenan normally used available light to take his indoor sports photos, he felt compelled to use a flash for this particular series — not to mention the fact that the SC gym was often poorly lit for photography. This photo appeared in the SC Campus Globe on November 23, 1981. The picture was also picked up and published by the Observer and Eccentric Newspapers, a regional chain of Michigan suburban publications covering much of Western Wayne County (two other photos from that series also appeared in various O&E city publications). The photos were published in the O&E on November 19, 1981. This photo received an Honorable Mention Award at the 1982 Michigan Community College Press Association Contest in the sports category. In most cases, flash photos for sports do not receive the highest consideration by judges — flash allows a larger aperture and greater focal depth, but often lacks the realistic appearance of existing-light photography. Many sports photographers are advised to take a few flash photos for poorly lit situations as a "safety shot," almost guaranteeing at least one usable image. A common remark among colleagues about flash sports photos was simply, "blah, flash photos." But in this situation, that wasn't the case.
Baseball Rundown
Two players on the Plymouth Canton High School baseball team attempt to catch a player from Wayne Memorial High School in a rundown. This picture was the first photo that Keenan had published at a professional level. The photo appeared in the Community Crier on April 30, 1980.
Football — Cutting Through the Defense
This high school football photo appeared in the Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem High School newspaper, the CEP Perspective, on September 19, 1980. Several photos from this particular assignment also appeared in the Community Crier Newspapers on August 27, 1980.
Softball — Laying One Down
A member of the Plymouth Canton Softball Team bunts for a base hit.
Swimming — Breast Stroke Swimmer
A member of the Plymouth Salem girls' swim team cuts through the water in the breast stroke event. The photo appeared in the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier in a late October edition.
Swimming — Slicing Through the Water
A member of the Plymouth Salem girls' swim team slices through the water in the freestyle event. The photo appeared in the Plymouth Canton and Plymouth Salem student paper, the CEP Perspective, in a November edition.
Baseball — The Perfect Bunt
One of the players from the Plymouth Canton High School baseball team lays down a perfect bunt during the regional finals. The player, who was also the photographer's next-door neighbor at the time, became the hero of the series when he hit a bases-loaded triple later in the game. Photo appeared in the Community Crier on June 10, 1981.
Basketball — Fighting for the Rebound
A member of the Livonia Bentley girls' basketball team vies for a rebound in a game against Plymouth Salem. This photo did not appear in any publication, but another photo from the assignment did appear in the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier in the fall of 1980.
Girls' Track — The Hurdles
A member of the Plymouth Salem girls' track team vies for victory.
Gymnastics — Fingertips of Time
One of the members of the Schoolcraft College men's gymnastics team does his routine on the high bar. Photo was published in the SC Campus Globe on February 14, 1983.
Gymnastics — Balance Beam Event
A member of the Plymouth Salem girls' gymnastics team displays her form in the balance beam event. Photo was published in the Community Crier on February 8, 1984.
Gymnastics — Floor Exercise Routine
A member from the Plymouth Salem High School girls' gymnastics team displays her floor exercise routine before the judges. The Community Crier published this photo on February 8, 1984.
Track — The Impasse
A member of the Plymouth Salem track team suddenly "hits the wall" and gives up the lead in the race, and is surpassed by two members of the Plymouth Canton track team in the Mangan Relays. The photo did not appear in any publications, but other photos from the assignment did appear in the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier in the Spring of 1981.
Wrestling — The Pin
Under the watchful eye of the referee, a member of the Birmingham Brother Rice High School wrestling squad has his opponent in a deadly trap during the Westland John Glenn Invitational Tournament in December of 1981. This particular photo was not published, but several other photos from this series did appear in the Observer and Eccentric Newspapers in Michigan on December 17, 1981.
Girls' Track — The Relay
A member of the Plymouth Salem girls' track team hauls down the track past one of her Plymouth Canton opponents in a relay event. The photo appeared in the Community Crier in one of the Spring 1981 editions. Unfortunately, due to a flippant job — or perhaps in kinder terms, a "rushed job" — by the person doing the half-toning process, the photo did not appear as clear in the publication as it should have.
Tennis — The Freshman Phenom
This photo was taken in the Summer of 1980, at the Plymouth-Canton Community Crier Annual Tennis Tournament. The girl in the photo was actually entering her freshman year in high school, and would become a top quality tennis player for Plymouth Salem. Photo appeared in the Community Crier in August of 1980.
Tennis — Unorthodox Style
A member of the Plymouth Canton High School tennis team displays a rather unorthodox style in a winning effort over his counterpart. Photo appeared in the Community Crier on May 21, 1980.
Track — Shot Put Event
A member of the Redford Union High School Track & Field Team competes in the shot put at the Observerland Area Relays in the Spring of 1982.
"Capturing the world between moments."
Jay Keenan
Portfolio
Landscape
Arizona
Sedona
Arizona
Colorado River
Arizona
Falls at Havasupai
Bolivia
Moon Valley
Phoenix
Camelback Mountain
Lake Havasu
London Bridge