We talk a lot about “the moment” in photojournalism.
“Time stands still and all you do is hold your breath and hope it will wait for you,” said Dorothea Lange, one of the most famous photographers of the 20th century.
We will stand in the pouring rain for it, spend hours on an assignment for it, skip meals for it, get up early and stay up late for it, as well as plan weeks ahead to give ourselves the best chance of capturing it.
The moment that tells the story is important because that is what sets us apart from any person with a smartphone. We want readers to feel the emotion and experiences described in the story. We care deeply about the people we photograph and we hope our images can bring about more understanding within the community.
2019 was a busy but productive year for the photo staff of The Columbian. Here’s a selection of moments that stood out to us this year.
Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop heard about the shooting at Smith Tower over our newsroom scanner on Oct. 3. Our office is only about five blocks away so we dropped everything and arrived as first-responders were still bringing people out of the building. One person was killed and two were injured. We had no idea where the shooter was or what he looked like, so that created some uneasy moments for us at the scene. We ended up going with this photo for the front page because it captured the sense of urgency while still respecting the dignity of the survivor.
I’ve covered a lot of 9/11 memorials in my time as a news photographer. They’re never easy. At this year’s Patriot Day Salute in front of Vancouver City Hall, I found myself pulled to the small group of volunteers waiting to release peace doves at the end of the ceremony. The handler’s red coat was striking. The piece of white paper in her pocket matched the bird’s feathers perfectly. It was an image just waiting to be made.
One of the key tenants of photojournalism is that we never want to have someone pretend to do something for a photo. We always want to be there when people are doing the things that we hope to capture in their story. The monks at the Pacific Hermitage in White Salmon wake up between 3 and 4 a.m. and gather together at 5:30 a.m. for their morning meditation and chanting. Then they make their way into town for alms. I set out from home before dawn April 12 to arrive at the hermitage as the monks were finishing their morning meditation. I captured this photo on our walk back from town, after the monks received their daily meal. As we walked, I ran ahead of them to look for good places to stop and capture the light shining through the trees and illuminating their robes.
When Austin Justin was born, doctors thought he had no chance of walking. Austin has an unknown muscle myopathy, meaning he navigates the world without hip or calf muscles. His leg tendons were so tight that his legs bent at a 70-degree angle when he was born. One of my favorite aspects of being a photojournalist is following a story over a period of time, documenting as the story grows and changes. I’ve been photographing Austin’s story and his progress since the beginning of 2018, when he was still learning to stand up straight and balance. This photo of Austin, then 5, ice-skating with his stepfather Nate Streitt, left, at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink in Portland, stands out because it demonstrates his tenacity. Now he can take multiple steps without help.
This is probably my most shared photo of 2019. I made this quick celebration shot while running backward trying to keep up with the Prairie athletes following their 73-35 win over the Capital Cougars on Nov. 8 at Battle Ground District Stadium. This image of Christian Lowry, left, and Zack Brown made its way around the Clark County internet circles, and even into a few unauthorized places. For me this image gives us a glimpse into the fun these high school athletes have playing a game they love.
Without the giving spirit of so many generous people in our community, many school programs, non-profits, and events would cease to exist. Mollie Hands is one of those people who dedicates countless hours of volunteering. Hands’ positivity and spry nature shone bright the first evening I met her during open swim at Washington State School for the Blind. She joked that this was a good excuse for her to exercise, but I could tell it was so much more than that. I am drawn to this photo because it shows the friendship between Mollie and student Gabe Pizzo, 14. They are of different generations, but at this moment, they shared a playful, childlike spirit.
This image is an outtake from our recent series, Bridging the Border. Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop and I received a grant from the Pulitzer Center to follow up on Ramon Flores, who formerly lived in Hazel Dell with his family but was deported in 2017. His family now lives in Chula Vista, Calif., and crosses the border often to visit him in Tijuana. This image of the border wall at Friendship Park on Nov. 29 did not make the print version of the story but I felt it was symbolic of finding something beautiful out of difficult circumstances.
Throughout the year, I worked on many stories with reporter Patty Hastings about how rising rent costs are affecting Clark County residents. We talked with residents at Sam’s Good RV Park on Highway 99 in Vancouver on Nov. 20 about rent increases there. I found this photo of Sharon Myers striking because her strength is apparent, as are her deep worries about the future.
All newspaper photographers take at least a few photos of Santa each year. I arrived early to meet Brian Trembley, a former mall Santa who runs his own operation outside of Woodland every December. He wasn’t yet in full costume. As Trembley finished his routine and began blow drying his hair I was struck by the absurd image of Santa Claus going through a beauty routine. For me, showing the work that goes into playing the role of St. Nick helps us give our readers a different look at the holiday tradition.
This image ran as the lead photo on the second day of our recent series, Bridging the Border, which was made in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop and I received a grant from the Pulitzer Center to follow Ramon Flores, who currently lives in Tijuana, Mexico. Flores, a former Vancouver man, is originally from Mexico but was deported in 2017 after federal agents found him after being tipped off following a stay at a Motel 6 in Everett. His family, who now lives in Chula Vista, Calif., crosses the border often to see him. I liked this image because it had a number of things going for it from a storytelling point of view. I liked the aspect of his sons sleeping on the floor because there isn't enough room for them in the two bedrooms of their father's apartment. I liked that his wife had gotten up early to make him coffee before work, a scene I felt many of our readers would relate to. I liked the color and the light in the room, and I also liked that Ramon was looking out the window. There was an uncertainty and a moodiness to the image that I felt represented where the family was in their lives at that moment. I also thought it was symbolic of Ramon's life in general, always having to look over his shoulder — not knowing what the future might hold.
I brought a new lighting kit to this assignment and did a number of tests ahead of time. Everything seemed to be working fine until I started to photograph Judge James Rulli, who was retiring after decades of service, April 24 at the Clark County Courthouse. On the spot and out of time, I tried everything I could to troubleshoot the problem but nothing worked. I’m sure every photographer can relate to that feeling of dread. I eventually gave up on the lighting kit and decided to do my best with the ambient light in the room. As soon as I turned around, I noticed this beautiful triangle of light in the dark courtroom. Thankfully the judge was understanding as I tried a number of different compositions until I settled on this image.
When I arrived at Ted and MaryAnn St. Mars’ home, I sat down to speak with each of them. I began taking some images inside their home but knew all along that the better frame would in their beautiful backyard on a sunny day. MaryAnn smelled the flowers behind her trailer and sat at the picnic table. As MaryAnn clutched the baby doll she received from HOPE Dementia Support Group program, I positioned her in the frame so that the natural light would highlight her interlocked hands.
Coverage of the Clark County Fair is something I enjoy every August. I look forward to the challenge of coming up with different images than I have in past years. The new BugOlogy exhibit this year featured some interesting displays and dramatic light. I worked the assignment for about an hour and I was about to wrap up when this ethereal scene caught my eye: Jazmine Reardon, 9, of La Center, left, and her mom, Rachelle, exploring the exhibit’s Butterfly House.
When setting up a portrait, we’re often tasked with finding ways to tell a story that’s months, years, or in this case, decades old. On Aug. 26, Phyllis Burrows told us about the loss of her husband, Eugene Shauvin, who had served in WWII as a pilot during Operation Market Garden. Shauvin’s plane was shot down during the mission, but despite decades of searching, his body has never been recovered. Often the people in these stories have an old folder of photographs kept in storage, maybe a letter, but Burrows had maintained a shrine of sorts throughout the many years following Shauvin’s presumed death. As our reporter interviewed Burrows, I poked around her home, discovering the pictures of Shauvin and his plane above a computer in Burrow’s bedroom. The display was intimate and more honest than anything I could have hoped to set up.
In a chaotic event like the Washougal Motocross Championship, you can be overwhelmed at all the possible frames around you. In this case, I was fortunate enough to run into Trey Roberts, 3, and his father from Idaho. The green earmuffs immediately caught my attention. I spoke with the father and asked if I could hang out with them as they wandered the venue pre-race. They stepped in line to meet a racer so I asked who they were so excited to see, which is when Trey began talking about his favorite athlete, Eli Tomac. With the help of his parents, he excitedly opened his poster that he wanted Tomac to autograph. I decided to keep the parents out of the frame to emphasize the facial expression of Trey when speaking about Tomac, as well as highlight the youthful fan by comparing the difference in hand sizes with him and his parents.
Following the death of Cowlitz County Sheriff's Deputy Justin DeRosier, who was shot after stopping to help what he thought was a stranded motorist, I was sent out to photograph the hundreds of Clark County residents who lined up on freeway overpasses to watch his funeral procession. There were a lot of emotions that day, I ended up talking to a friend of the deputy's wife, police officers that knew him, and community members that felt compelled to come out in support of the family. Mark Hawoth (pictured here) began crying as the procession approached, he turned his back to me and watched the police motorcycles drive past. I asked him later what had been going there his mind and he gave me a quote I often think about when I'm sent to cover gun violence. 'I'm crying,' Haworth said. 'It happens so often now, the guy was doing nothing but helping a motorist. It's senseless violence, I don't know how we stop it.'
Reporter Calley Hair and I reached out to the community early in 2019 to find a family who would let us follow their child for a year after they turned 3. This age is crucial in a person's emotional, physical and mental development. Tobias and his family graciously allowed us to tag along with them for the year and this was one of the first images I made for the project. I liked the photo because I thought it captured his playful, joyous spirit and the innocence of childhood. Every time I photograph Tobias and his family, it fills my heart with happiness. We have published three stories already and have begun to work on the fourth and final story, which will run in early April 2020.
Clayton Jones, 4, didn't stop smiling throughout an entire evening of activities at the Vancouver Police Department East Precinct. For a few hours, Clayton, who has cancer, was able to forget his illness and spend time with the police, whom he considers to be family. Through the heartbreaking circumstances of this event, it was touching to see how many people came together to bring joy and magic to Clayton's day. I could see him looking around, making eye contact, and smiling at each person there.
