Photojournalism.
As I discussed in the ‘Design’ section, the way a page is laid out surrounding a center of visual impact is crucial in keeping readers engaged. Photographs — often more than even the best graphics — can hook readers right from the start. That’s why I value photojournalism — it offers insight that words could never and bolsters my writing. Here are few of the most powerful photos I’ve taken or helped create.
José, Lupe and Alicia Muratalla
This is one of the favorite, all-time photos I’ve taken. Using my Spanish skills, I interviewed this family that works together for our maintenance team and took this photo of them in front of one of the many maintenance golf carts seen around campus. The photo gives insight into their humanity, captures their day-to-day lives on campus and allows readers to get to know them a little better.
Drone photograph
Probably the coolest image I’ve seen in our paper, this photo was taken by another staff-member and me using a drone. The massive patch of grass seen in the center is where our gym used to be before it was leveled by an EF-3 tornado. This image was used to supplement an editorial piece I wrote that urged administration to attain Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification for a new athletic complex the school was planning to construct.
Fun fact: We had to get licensing permissions from the city to fly our drone this high!
Daniel Mauch
I was pivotal in this photo’s creation, working with a photographer to stage it and find the perfect setting for it. The story this photo was for, “Working when the lights go out,” is a profile on our school’s nighttime security guard. This photo captures the essence of the story and pairs REALLY well with the headline.
Pandemic
The moments I captured in these photographs represent the sentiments many felt during the COVID-19 era.
Nature and landscape
A huge part of environmental journalism is photography that reminds people what a beautiful planet we live on and photography that shows the duality of man and nature.
