SAN MARCOS, TX — As a collegiate volleyball student-athlete, Jillian Slaughter has found herself in front of a camera countless times since arriving at Texas State University from James Madison (TX) High School during the summer of 2018. And for the right reasons, too.
During her time in the school’s maroon and gold colors, Slaughter has appeared in 322 career sets and won three Sun Belt Conference volleyball championships. And in just 13 sets played during a Fall 2021 season mostly spent rehabbing an injury, the 6-foot-0 middle blocker still found a way to finish with 14.0 blocks (1.08 per set).
That determination and attention to detail on the volleyball court helped Slaughter grow in another area: being a sport photographer.
Like former Texas State athletics social media coordinator Kate Connors, who previously spent time as a team photographer for the Bobcats’ football program before officially joining the university’s athletic department, Slaughter elected to travel down a similar path.
Following the conclusion of the Fall 2021 volleyball season, Slaughter joined the athletic department as a creative media intern under Connors. One of her primary responsibilities during her one-semester internship was to attend Bobcat sporting events and serve as a photographer with her being photos being shared across all the sports’ social media accounts as well as being used on the athletics’ website to accompany written articles.
“I think Jill’s photography is really great and I have seen it constantly improve in my time working with her,” said Connors. “She seeks out opportunities to work, try’s out different equipment and gets the moments that are important.
“I can tell she is super passionate about the digital media / photography field and her creativity is able to come through.”
Below are 10 of Slaughter’s favorite photos from her time as a Texas State creative media intern:
