From his early calling to photography at age 14 to global journeys through Kuwait, northern Mexico's Copper Canyon and Guatemala's Mayan heartland, Sterling Trantham built a career of fearless storytelling through his lenses. Now, his life's work – spanning decades as an artist, mentor, and friend – will be preserved at New Mexico State University's Archives and Special Collections, returning to the campus where his journey began.

Trantham, an award-winning documentary photographer and longtime college educator passed away Feb. 21. He battled liver cancer and related illness with resilience and grace for nearly a decade, leaving behind a legacy rooted in visual storytelling, mentorship and an enduring creative spirit.

"Sterling had reverence for living and his time on earth," said Amy Thompson West, Trantham's partner. "He had reverence for the camera and his gifts as a photographer. He had reverence for the opportunities, despite the adversities that had beset him, that his talent had brought him. And he had a special reverence for certain moments in time that he beautifully translates into Sterling pixels for us to pour over – clouds rolling in on a storm's wind, his best friend Lucy idling in a sunny meadow, and, especially, the indigenous Mayan peoples."

"We are honored that Sterling's photographic legacy will be housed here in the NMSU Archives, preserved and made available for researchers and serious students of the art of documentary photography," said Dennis Daily, department head of the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections. "Sterling's photography is on par with the best documentary work out there. He was a master craftsman with a broad knowledge of contemporary and historic photographic practice that he brought to bear in his own work. He drew inspiration not only from great photography, but also literature, art, music, and spiritual pursuits."

Trantham began his journey at NMSU where he earned his bachelor's degree in individualized studies in photography and cinematography in 1979. While still in college, he launched his career as a photojournalist.

"He worked his way through undergraduate school, contributing news photos to various local newspapers," Thompson West said. "Then, following completion of his first bachelor's, Sterling headed to Kuwait where he worked as a cinematographer for a firm producing branding shorts for high-end clientele such as Mercedes Benz."

Returning to New Mexico, between 1979 and 1985, Trantham worked as a staff photographer for the Las Cruces Sun-News, Las Cruces Bulletin and Roswell Daily Record. He also freelanced and was a contracted photographer for the Associated Press. His work appeared in major publications including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, London Today and Sports Illustrated.

In 1990, he earned his second bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications, followed by a master's degree in photography in 1998, both from NMSU. He worked as photographer for NMSU's University Communications office from 1986 to 1995 and was well known across campus. Trantham taught photojournalism and documentary photography to hundreds of students at NMSU and El Paso Community College until 2022. A National Geographic Faculty Fellow and recipient of the Willard Van Dyke Memorial Grant in Documentary Photography, he also earned numerous national and international honors and was recognized by the Santa Fe Center for Visual Arts for excellence in photographic teaching.

"Sterling shared stories of students he taught at NMSU and EPCC who went on to live successful lives as photographers, journalists, communicators, teachers, writers and extraordinary individuals in whatever their pursuit," Thompson West said. "He was driven to encourage all his students to achieve their potential and to recognize how special they are, ambitions aside, in simply who they are."

Pamela Porter, a former NMSU journalism professor and close friend of nearly 30 years who worked alongside Trantham in University Communications, reflected on his influence.

"Sterling shared his passion and technique with hundreds of students, inspiring many who went on to careers in photojournalism and commercial photography" Porter said. "His classes were demanding, but he encouraged students to aim high – getting their work published, preparing professional portfolios, and striving for excellence. I'm gratified that his work will be preserved at NMSU's Archives, where it will continue to inspire new generations."

One of Trantham's most treasured projects took him to the highlands of Guatemala, where he immersed himself in local rituals and traditions. His commitment to documenting the popular religious and cultural expressions of modern Mayan people became a defining chapter in his career. 

Many of the photos now preserved at NMSU's Archives and Special Collections include his square-format, black-and-white work produced with his beloved Hasselblad camera.

"At first, I thought some of his photos would read better in color, given that on the surface Mayan culture and ceremony are rich in vibrant color," Thompson West said. "I found that his color work, as he told me it would, distracted from the deep solemnity of indigenous life and beliefs. Sterling rightly intuited that revealing that solemnity, as only black and white can do, is the only way to give proper reverence to the Mayan." 

Thompson West added that Trantham returned to Guatemala 16 times over 20 years, spending days or weeks at a time among the people. "He earned their respect by investing time and effort to truly know their commonplace practices, family circles, and rituals," she said. "He learned that his photographs are an intimate portrayal. When his camera moved into the open, seeking light, villagers – some now friends – opened their faces, homes and temples to him without reservation or pretense." 

While his work remains preserved and untouched, the impact of his artistry lives on in every image. In a letter to those who knew him, Thompson West shared one of Trantham's most personal reflections – a favorite photograph featuring two brown horses in front and center, while a white horse wanders alone in the distance, heading in another direction. 

"Over the past few months, he spent time with that photograph. He studied the white horse. One day, not long before his passing, he said, 'I realize that the white horse is me. I am the white horse.' And he is," Thompson West said. "He left but is not gone. He will never be gone because he is with us in spirit and through his work." 

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/through-lens-and-legacy--nmsu-archives-and-special-collections-acquire-works-of-beloved-alumnus-phot/s/9b70918b-afdb-487b-92eb-57544ff3ae62