Introduction
My passion for photography didn’t sprout until the end of my junior year. I tried photography out for my newspaper final, loved it, and ended up deciding to join the photojournalism class and Yearbook photo staff. Being able to carefully capture smiles, tackles, cheers, tears and more when no one thought you were looking is a powerful feeling. Being able to interview people on top of taking pictures is what drew me to photojournalism. Talking to people in the midst of political protests, homecoming parades and tennis tournaments for captions has helped reignite my passion for storytelling. Photos garner the most attention out of any journalistic medium because readers establish connections instantly. Since joining the photojournalism class my senior year, where I’ve had to learn everything about camera basics, lighting, and angles practically from scratch, and from sophomores, my observational skills have strengthened immensely. My perception of journalism has been forever changed because of photography, and I don’t see a future where I’m reporting without it.
SPORTS
I’ve covered high school sporting events from the sidelines, stands, locker rooms, soccer fields, outside of stadiums. We know that peak action shots come from touchdowns and goals, when they stick the landing, or both teams are tied with one minute left — those moments are showstopper photos, or Instagram story reposts. But the quieter moments are just as important. What is the cheer team doing? Who in the stands are emotional and why? Who isn’t playing and what are they doing instead? I’ve learned that good photographers ask these questions and follow through to capture as much variety and meaning possible.
STUDENT LIFE
I like to think about student life as what are moments that most effectively and uniquely display what it’s like being a teenager at this point in time. Most student life shots I get are interactive, and happen in those in-between moments, like girls on the tennis team laughing about an Instagram reel between doubles matches, or a student and his friends exclaiming after spilling syrup on his pants during senior sunrise.
PORTRAIT
My experience in taking portraits are primarily environmentals. I think these are the most fun to take because it’s where your subject is naturally happy or comfortable. I want to get more experience in creating photo illustrations and utilizing different studio lighting techniques and equipment. I take many simple mug shots that are needed for our yearbook. And I’ve taken portraits for newspaper columns. I love looking for inspiration here and having conversations with writers or subjects about what environment, lighting, accessories, and more best represent them. A lot of times people don’t know, so I’ll read there stories to generate ideas.
EVENTS
The first thing I learned about shooting events was how important it is to always get there early and stay late. And also to never set your camera down or check your phone. When I’m not actively present and moving around or seeking different perspectives, my photos aren’t nearly as good. Some of my favorite events have been parades or protests because there’s many opportunities to capture different moments and types of people. It’s also easier to stop people and interview them in those crowds. It’s also been easier for me to go unnoticed at these events and get pictures that hold more raw emotion. That’s also why I’ve learned it’s important to show up early; so that people get used to me in the space.