Photography fascinates me because it allows many to experience a moment and display multiple perspectives in a single image. Over the past five years, I have continued to learn photography through self-taught tutorials, experimentation and workshops. So when I joined the newspaper The Campanile at Palo Alto High School (Paly) as a junior, I knew I wanted to be a photographer for them. This year as a senior I was the newspaper's first ever photo editor, which entailed managing 6 photographers and taking photos.
As a photojournalist, I learned more about telling stories through photos. Even though my photos have been published in other school publications in the past, such as the arts magazine [Proof], the travel magazine Via Verde and the yearbook Madrono, I realized that those photos showed a still of a moment rather than showing a wider story beyond the scope of the lens, so I made storytelling through photos my focus. Throughout my time as a photographer on The Campanile, I improved on showing deeper meanings in photos than I had before, and this improved in my personal photography as well. Furthermore, I found an unexpected interest in sports photography. I never considered myself an athletic person, but I found that taking photos of school sports changed my perspective. Capturing short moments of stillness in action-packed, emotion-ridden games/ matches/ meets are challenging, and that made the final shot much more satisfying. Through my lens, I found a greater appreciation of the dedication athletes put into their sports. Even though I still don't know much about sports, photographing them gave me a new way to experience them and gave me a better understanding of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
Along with expanding my photography skills, being photo editor grew my leadership skills as well. Through this role, I implemented a system that has increased our amount of photos taken by newspaper staff and Paly students. Since we had a small amount of photographers, I found that my introspective personality helped me as a leader. I used my listening skills to better understand and build individual relationships with the photographers, finding their strengths and weaknesses so I can be a more effective mentor. I also became more assertive in decision making and have strengthened my creative problem-solving skills, especially when it comes to making last-minute decisions. As photo editor, and as a member of The Campanile in general, I've stepped out of my comfort zone more when it comes to talking with others that I don't know very well. I've also gotten better at not being as permissive all the time.; leadership, especially when working with students, involves some persistence when it comes to making sure they stay on task over the course of the cycle, rather than having to scramble during production.
As The Campanile's first photo editor, I have become a photojournalist that looks for the stories and deeper meaning behind images rather than just their aesthetic qualities. I have also become a better leader, using my qualities as a listener to create deeper relationships with photographers while also improving my social skills and decisive, persistent decision making.