On a road trip to Mount Hood early this year, Andrew Saylor and his best friend Floyd pulled into a parking lot near a forest viewpoint.
They were looking for the Oculus Anubis, a house-sized statue of the Egyptian god Anubis mysteriously constructed in an Oregon forest.
Andrew, a 17-year-old student at Rex Putnam High School, said he used to struggle to make friends in school due to severe anxiety. But adventures like this one led him to feel like he is finally having a true high school experience.
He lights up when talking about his main passions: photojournalism, history and spending time with his best friend.
Their friendship grew when Floyd unexpectedly brought a camera to their speech and debate class.
It looked similar to the one Andrew carried himself and led the two to discover they shared an interest in photography.
Andrew’s father gave him an empty disposable camera when he was 5 years old. He practiced the point-and-click motions until he got a camera that actually worked.
Since then, he has taken photos of everything from firefighters on the job to abandoned buildings around Oregon.
Andrew’s interest in documenting social unrest especially grew after he saw Black Lives Matter protests near his hometown of Milwaukie.
He said photography can be a tool to tell stories that words alone cannot.
“You can read something, but it’s almost like you need a picture to fully experience it,” he said.
It can also be a tool to form friendships.
Someday in the future, Andrew hopes to report on social unrest outside of the United States.
But for now, he is happy exploring and taking pictures beside his best friend.
— Hannah Smith, Metro East Web Academy
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.