When stepping into the Orange Media Network newsroom for the first time last week, my face lit up instantaneously with a smile.
In eighth grade, when I first tested the waters of journalism, I shunned the idea of photojournalism. It was not until after picking up my first DSLR camera, a Nikon D7000, and learning the basics of photography, I found that I’d never put a camera back down.
After growing emotionally attached to my camera, and showing an interest in design, I became the editor-in-chief for my yearbook class. When picking classes for my freshman year in high school, I forecasted to join the yearbook. To my surprise with all of the knowledge I gained about my camera, I was able to skip all of the prerequisites.
I started playing with manual mode, shooting in RAW file format, and learned four Adobe programs. And then, BAM! I became copy editor for The Tiger 2023. This made me the first ever freshman and youngest yearbook editor in Tigard High history.
As a photographer, I observe everything and sometimes that can bleed into other aspects of my life. During the course of the past week at HSJI, I have been observing others, editing photos or making edits on a profile piece.
It may be a surprise to some, but while it may seem as though I’m an introverted person, I am actually a very extroverted person who likes to connect with people.
When looking through my camera lens at events, it gives me a brand-new angle on others which makes me reflect on my work. It’s my job to make sure I am presenting everyone in a respectful way. When taking photos of fellow mentees, it felt natural, even if it sounds like I’m a stalker.
When taking photos, I take them with my heart, and will portray all the photos that I take in an emotional way. Giggles, smiles, and stressed-out faces was what I saw through my lens this week at the 2023 High School Journalism Institute.
Whether that was during lunch, bowling, interviewing, or at a workshop, everyone was close knit, and it felt like a huge, big family of passionate journalists.
Walking out of the OMN newsroom tonight, my eyes were swelling up with tears of joy. Meeting teenagers who are passionate about journalism while also meeting professional journalists was such an amazing opportunity. On July 21, 2023, at 8:31 p.m., I can officially say that I have found my career path!
— Moss Weigel, Tigard High School
This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregonlive.com/hsji.
