AP photog Cook nicked by bullet while covering protests
By Erin Quinn

Kathryn Cook

When Kathryn Cook ('01) was grazed by a bullet Oct. 30 while photographing social security fund protests in Panama for The Associated Press, she said she was forced to rethink the risks associated with her job.

"I knew going into my profession that I would be covering events that could be dangerous and pose a risk to my personal safety. What I have learned is that you have to be smart about how you approach it," Cook said.

The incident has left Cook with a small scar but has not deterred her from pursuing a career that is "like your ticket to know all, see all (and) journal the world around you as a professional."

"I am still in love with the career path I have chosen. The only thing that has changed is that I am constantly aware of my surroundings – I am hypersensitive. I take the necessary precautions and calculate the risks differently," Cook said.

Her experience taught her what it means to cover potentially dangerous situations.

"Being a photojournalist isn't just about taking photos. It is about knowing how and when to cover those events and, at the same time, ensuring your own safety."

Still, Cook said that covering events in Central America for AP is exactly the kind of work she aspired to from the time she took her first photojournalism class at CU.

"This is a dream job," she said. "I have been flown to assignments in helicopters, toured the canal from a container ship [and] visited the eastern province of Darien, where the border between Colombia and Panama is lost in the thick of the jungle," Cook said.

Cook's position with the AP has also allowed her to be immersed in another culture.

"The wonderful advantage of being a photographer for the AP is that they want you to investigate stories, explore the country you are covering and bring your vision to the wire."

The protests in which she was injured consumed Cook's time for a month and a half, with marches to the Presidential Palace occurring twice a week.

For World Aids Day, Cook was charged with documenting the epidemic's effects in Panama, which has the second-highest rate of HIV in Central America behind Honduras. As part of her assignment, Cook visited a Catholic orphanage where more than 150 children are cared for, 11 of them with HIV. This project presented a new challenge for Cook. "It was a very difficult task photographing this particular story because I wasn't allowed to show entire faces in order to protect the identity of the children," she said.

Time Magazine recognized Cook's ability to capture Panamanian life. Time featured several of her photographs in its "Pictures of the Week" feature in August.

kathryncook1@yahoo.com