With a decades-long career of capturing transformative moments in the lives of everyday Americans, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker Andre Lambertson had quite the story to tell himself as he joined the illustrious list of SUNY New Paltz’s James H. Ottaway Senior Visiting Professors.
For nearly 25 years, the program supported by James H. Ottaway Jr. ’18 HON, son of late founder of Ottaway Newspapers Inc., and his wife, Mary Ottaway ’70g (Elementary Education), invites seasoned journalists for the fall semester to teach a class imparting what they’ve learned through covering critical, timely stories on the ground. The Ottaway Professor delivers a lecture and participates in a Q&A, further unpacking the lessons learned from decades of reporting.
“The Ottaway Professorship has a track record of bringing in journalists of excellence from the field to teach our students for a semester,” said Lisa Phillips, Digital Media & Journalism chair. “Our guest professors open doors for students and give insight into the expectations of the profession.”
This semester, Lambertson mentored younger journalists with his course titled “The Documentarian: Navigating Sensitive Storytelling with Empathy and Compassion,” which explored the power a visual journalist can have in showcasing the humanity behind social and political crises.
He brought some of the lessons he taught students to his first public experience as the fall 2024 Ottaway Professor during a Q&A with Phillips on Oct. 8, which drew in a large crowd of students, staff and faculty at the University’s Honors Center.
“I’ve always been about capturing the nuances of the human journey,” he said during the Q&A.
Much of Lambertson’s work is founded upon a profound understanding of social and political issues from housing to the U.S. law enforcement and prison systems.
He has produced and filmed documentaries for networks including CBS, PBS and Netflix, and published photo essays for magazines, newspapers, foundations and museums such as Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the Ford Foundation, and the Smithsonian Museum. Click here for a selection of Andre Lambertson’s best work.
“I try to do work that is part of social change. Some days you meet people that are also a part of that commitment,” he said. “You try to see that same person behind the camera. I’m treating all people the way I want to be treated.”
Lambertson delved further into his humane approach to telling stories behind social and political issues with a documentary screening of his film “Charm City” on Nov. 13, as part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ Without Limits series.
With each of his appearances on campus, Lambertson stressed the importance of telling effective, human stories in an ever-changing media climate, where biases and one-sided accounts through the medium of social media often get in the way of capturing the truth.
“Stories always have to be told. It’s challenging, there’s a lot of misinformation,” he said. “I hope that the truth finds its way, but as I tell all my students, you have to believe in what you’re doing.”
His teaching and approach to storytelling have left a lasting impact on the Digital Media & Journalism department, especially in an age where the media landscape is dominated by dissenting perspectives often disconnected from real human experiences.
“Andre’s photographs are moving visual evidence of real problems and the real people whose lives are bound up in them,” said Phillips. “In this era of misinformation, it’s increasingly important that we face what’s around us. Andre’s photographs help us do that with vivid compassion and an empathetic eye.”
Most importantly, the students walked away inspired and empowered to use storytelling as a tool for understanding and connecting with human experiences.
“Andre Lambertson's class has been an incredible learning experience, not only in photography and film, but in being human,” said Devon Jane Schweizer ‘26 (Journalism). “His personal and emotional approach to his work comes through in his teaching, as he encourages us to be honest with ourselves and our subjects in the independent projects we're working on this semester.”
Click here to learn more about the Department of Digital Media & Journalism at SUNY New Paltz.
