John Russell

Like the rest of Nashville, Vanderbilt was bitten by the hockey bug as the city’s 20-year-old NHL expansion team, the Predators, battled the Pittsburgh Penguins in June for this year’s Stanley Cup. University photographer John Russell, who shot much of the action for the Nashville team (including the photo seen here), even helped enlist Vanderbilt’s mascot, Mr. C., to rally Preds fans in the final days of the championship series. Read More

"I’ve never taken a direct shot, but sometimes a puck comes over the top of the glass and hits me," says Vanderbilt photographer John Russell, who also serves as the official photographer for the Nashville Predators. "It still hurts." Read More

Since 2009 the university’s photographers have organized a photo shoot of the entire freshman class on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons at Vanderbilt. In all, about 1,600 students—along with the faculty heads of house and their families—gather for the photo, posing in the shape of the class’ graduation year. Read More