August 18, 2026
Photos by Abbie Lankitus, Gretta Cohoon, and Nicholas Andrusisian
Summer looked good at the University of Missouri. With campus in full bloom and a season of memorable moments unfolding across the university, there was no shortage of scenes worth capturing. Mizzou photographer Abbie Lankitus shares some of her favorite photos from the summer.
At the end of the spring semester, our team got some new equipment, including a lens filter I was excited to try. Basically, it’s a piece of glass with a distorted effect that screws onto the front of the lens.
Campus has been stunning this summer and on a beautifully clear day, I decided to test out the filter. This shot of Jesse and the Columns was my favorite, perfectly encapsulating and centering our most famous landmarks.
Not long after the grand opening of the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment’s new building, we held a photoshoot of patient Audra O’Shea-Bailey as she spent time with TJ on the playground. Photos from the shoot will be featured in the upcoming fall issue of MIZZOU Magazine.
Audra was full of joy and curiosity, but I didn’t see it expressed quite so clearly until TJ started pushing her on this swing. It’s a beautiful moment and one I’m sure many children who visit the Thompson Center will experience. The whole space, including the playground, is so inviting and encourages people of all ages to engage with that same joy and curiosity.
During a drone shoot focused on Memorial Stadium, I happened to turn the other way and noticed this beautiful pattern of colors surrounding the Jesse Hall Dome. It made me think of stained glass at night. Seems that no matter night or day, on the ground or in the air, we are in a gorgeous town and campus.
As part of the 250th anniversary of America, our team learned about a project Mizzou researchers are working on in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. We set out with Christine Brodsky, an assistant professor of urban ecology, and her team of undergraduate and graduate students. They’re using trail cameras to document mammal communities along the historic Lewis and Clark route to compare with records from the original expedition.
It was a trek to get out to the trail cameras, but I loved this moment where the tree canopy parted enough to create a path of light that Brodsky and one of her students stepped into. Not seen (or smelled): the amount of tick spray covering us all.
Back in May, I brought star student (now alumnus) Josh Donaldson into the studio to capitalize on his story for MIZZOU Magazine. I couldn’t share it then because the magazine team was still deciding how they would use the images for this fall issue, which hits mailboxes the first week of September. It’s a beautiful feature story with images that I’m incredibly proud of. I hope you pick up a copy of the magazine when it’s out and read about Josh and his pursuit of clean water access.
This photo was my favorite of the entire shoot. The night before, I was in the studio with two others testing things out, and I was getting so frustrated that nothing was coming together. Playing with water is tricky. Add strobe lighting and gels, and it gets complicated fast. One of the last things we looked at was pulling a mirror that sits in the studio for our portrait sessions. That mirror didn’t work, but it sparked an idea.
The next day, armed with a frameless mirror from Home Depot and a lot of water, I sat across from Donaldson and photographed his reflection. In editing, I flipped the image upside down and got this lovely portrait. I’m so happy with how it turned out and the many learning experiences I had along the way.
Every summer, the Mizzou Wheelchair Basketball team hosts a camp where athletes of all ages and abilities learn from our players and coaches. I particularly loved this image that University Photographer Gretta Cohoon captured for marketing purposes. It very clearly tells you what’s happening: wheelchair basketball. The color from the wheelchairs pops, and there’s a ton of white space to put text. And without showing anyone’s face, it’s an evergreen image that can be used in perpetuity. Hopefully, it can and will be used to bring more participants to the summer camp!
Our facilities and landscaping teams do so much across campus — much of it unseen. We see the banners or the flags on the Columns but not really when they go up or down. Video producer Nicholas Andrusisian documented their work this summer as they were taking the flags down after the July 4th holiday.
I love the balance of seeing the other two flags already wrapped up and the team working together to bring the third down. It’s a lot of effort to keep our campus beautiful and functioning, and they deserve recognition for their contributions to the university.
I regularly take portraits of people at locations across campus. However, this one of incoming Mizzou Alumni Association President Morgan Corder stood out to me. Again, campus has been stunning this summer and standing in front of the garden at Circle Drive was a natural choice. What I didn’t anticipate was Corder’s gold tie matching beautifully with the gold flowers. Centering him with Jesse Hall and the Columns and lighting him with a strobe light just made this portrait stand out.
I am ending our photos of the summer with what so many of us are looking forward to this fall: the return of Mizzou football! This season brings the added excitement of home games at Memorial Stadium with the newly renovated north end zone.
It’s gorgeous by day. At night, it’s magical.
Summer went fast, but we can’t wait to welcome students to campus next week with move-in and Welcome Week! If you see any of us with a camera out and about, don’t worry — we’re just documenting the people, places and moments that make Mizzou so special.
