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Photojournalism
1. My favorite photographs
2. Scene examples
3. Photography notes
4. Leading photographers
5. Photography presentation
6. Caption writing
Table of contents
MY photoshoots
Photo page
Left: This button will direct you to a page that showcases the best photos I have taken, and a few favorites. I truly believe that to be a good photographer, I must practice, which is exactly what I have done. When I commit to taking photos, my camera does not leave my neck, which I think is key to capturing true moments. Scrolling through these images, I note the diversity in shots and moments that I attempted to convey through my photography. Whether I have to crouch down, stand on a chair, or shoot right around someone's head, I will always get my shot.
Photography page
New Teacher Scene pt1
Above: Here is the text box is a scene I wrote on a new teacher at Clarke Central for the 2024-25 school year. The visual took a couple of tries to perfect due to most of the blinds in her room being closed, so I had to wait for the right time to line up. After a few shots that were too dark, I got this photo, which I like a lot. It shows nice lighting and the action of the lesson they were in at the time. For the accompanying caption, I had to rewrite it on the first try due to the quote not giving enough context. After asking another question at a later date, I tracked down her previous position and was able to give the scene more background information. This scene shows off my dedication to getting it right, whether it takes me several tries.
New Teacher Scene pt2
Above: This text box is an image that shows a dominant picture I took and a scene I wrote for Clarke Central's new teachers for 2024-25. I like this picture because both people in focus are shown in nice light, and neither is cut off at a weird angle. I think the board behind them is sort of distracting, but I am very proud, especially thinking of the photos I took in 9th grade. The scene itself is also very strong; it complements the visual and highlights Heard's goal for her first year at CCHS. All in all, I think this scene shows strong caption writing and knowledge of basic photography concepts.
Related experience
Photography notes pt1
Left: Here is a PDF of notes I took on a photography session that two of my peers presented. I am working hard to improve my photography skills so I can help my staffers more with their work. My staffers are both photographers, and while I don't have much experience, I am working to understand cameras and basic concepts like ISO. This session helped me master concepts like white balance and aperture, along with ways I can use my iPhone to take appealing pictures. I also learned about using gridlines to set up the rule of thirds more easily and how to tell a story using action and reaction.
Photography notes pt2
Left: Here is a PDF of notes I took from two different photography-based sessions I attended at the 2025 fall National Scholastic Press Association conference. During this conference, I experimented a lot with photography, which made me hungrier to learn even more from these sessions. The first one was focused on the basics of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, which was very helpful to me. I the moment I even brought out my camera and started messing with it. The second session was really eye-opening to me in the way it walked through photography. It focused on this 12-point rubric that touches on everything from sharpness to ethics. That session was so influential to me that the ODYSSEY Photography Editor and I made a presentation remaking it. The presentation is here in this section.
Leading photographers
Left: Here is a PDF of the checklist every photographer must use to complete a gallery. As the table leader at the photography table, I have had to walk through this checklist with my staff many times. This has helped me understand what makes a good gallery or photo shoot and the technical skills required to complete it. My staffers struggled a lot with finishing their gallery checklists in the fall semester, so in the spring semester, I've had to step it up. Several times, I have also had to help my staffers revise their galleries to better fit the checklist. An example would be on the first day back to school, when one of my staffers had a lot of blurry and dark photos uploaded, which I had to help him cut out of his gallery. Moments like this have helped me improve my eye for stronger photos, which in turn has helped me improve my own photography skills.
Gallery examples
Left: Here are two images that show how our gallery folders look. Except for Wyatt's (Wy Dog) galleries, I have had a hand in all of these photographers' work. With a table that varies in photography skill level, I have had to work hard to aid them the best I can. I have created a spreadsheet to record all of their new galleries so I can edit them and organize them better. This is one way I have tried to innovate for photographers to create stronger efficiency. Given that I am the photographer's direct supervisor, I have had a big hand in editing their captions as well to create better storytelling.
Teaching photography
Left: Here is a PDF of the presentation I made with Iliana Tejada about photography and how to understand it better. It was inspired by a similar session from the 2025 fall National Scholastic Press Association conference about the 12-point photography rubric. This presentation dives deep into the 12 basic things every journalist should understand, and provides examples of each step. Using only photos ODYSSEY photographers have taken as examples, we wanted this presentation to be accessible and tangible. Overall, I am really proud of how this presentation turned out, and I look forward to presenting it to the class in February.
Caption practice
Left: Here is a PDF of a presentation assignment I completed as a freshman on caption writing. This assignment, while basic, provided me with a strong baseline of caption writing. I really appreciate that in my program, we have such an emphasis on the basics. Joining ODYSSEY in my freshman year, I had no real experience, so I always went in 110% on every assignment so I could expand my skill set. Overall, as much as I have practiced and executed captions, I want to highlight my dedication to learning journalism early on.
Final Thoughts
Before this year, I had no intention of experimenting with photography; I had very little confidence in this area and thought it just wasn’t for me. Last year, as I spent time leading the photographers in my program, I learned even more about the process, and it definitely piqued my interest. Leading to recently, I have fallen in love with it as a journalistic and artistic form and have been playing around with it a lot.
The photos I included here, I am very proud of. Some are from earlier in my high school career but still show good framing, lighting, and storytelling. The more recent ones were of me just trying to capture moments in the world around me.
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