Fine art photographer Keith Dotson gives presentation to MTSU Alumni Group
June 25, 2025 -- Photographer Keith Dotson had the honor of speaking to an engaged and curious audience of about 50 people as part of Middle Tennessee State University's Summer Alumni College. He had been invited to present a photography-based topic as "edutainment" for the group, which was a general interest audience rather than a group of keen enthusiast photographers.
The title of the presentation was "Shooting History: Abandoned Places Photography in Tennessee." It focused not only on various aspects of photography and how he likes to work, but also on the histories of endangered places he considers to be important or interesting historically.
Some of the sites discussed include:
- Wheland Foundry & U.S. Pipe in Chattanooga
- Old Jefferson
- Adams, Tennessee
- Reliance, Tennessee
- Hamilton-Lay General Store in Union County
- HollowRock, Tennessee
- W. Eli Tillman House
- Old Farmhouse and Barn at Henry Horton State Park
- Water Valley, Tennessee
- Old Country Store and Civil War Muster Point near Lynchburg
- Abandoned Car at Tims Ford State Park
- M.E. Trew General Merchandise Store
Keith Dotson rarely speaks in public, but he prepared this presentation for three months, crafting the slide show and making hundreds of speaker notes.
The audience members, all alumni of MTSU, were kind, engaged, and responsive, making it a fun experience for Keith -- a shy and reluctant public speaker. As he says in the opening of the speech, he is typically much more comfortable on a back road or in the woods than in front of an audience.
He previously gave a talk to the Professional Photographers of Middle Tennessee in 2024. A recording of that presentation can be seen on YouTube here.
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