Photojournalism

Images are powerful tools to relay information quickly to the viewer. Photos capture a moment in time and convey perspective, a visual record, and even emotion. Photos allow viewers to witness events they did not attend or to see a familiar subject in a different way to help readers connect with the story’s content. In written content, the inclusion of photos allows me to create stories in a way that resonates visually and emotionally with the viewer, which helps to make the message more memorable and compelling. The bulk of my published photography is through photo galleries, which allow viewers to capture the experience of an event.

While I explored photography as a hobby in the past, this was my first experience taking photographs for the school newspaper, The Saber. The photos were all taken by me, and the article was written with two other staff members as part of an on-site competition at the NSPA Boston conference, where my advisor decided to enter students so that we could develop our coverage skills. I used this opportunity to grow as a staff member of The Saber. 

Jordan Anderson owns an Xfinity team, Jordan Anderson Racing, that races two cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Anderson is a Columbia, SC native, and the feature story explores both his background and career. The Jordan Anderson Racing team provided me with a pit road pass that allowed me to have access to the garage, hauler, and pit area for his team during the Xfinity race. The photos provide a wide scope of race day preparation for Anderson and his drivers including inspections, fan engagement, qualifying, and team check ins. The photos during the race highlight the owner, Anderson, his pit crew, and his cars racing on the track at Darlington Raceway. This photo gallery placed third in SIPA’s Best Media Online Photo Gallery in 2025.

While I was working on the feature article on Jordan Anderson, I used this opportunity to capture the photos in this gallery from a behind the scenes perspective on August 31, 2024 at Darlington Raceway. For the Xfinity Race at Darlington Raceway, I reached out to Jordan Anderson team for an interview and was provided a press pass for the event. With the press pass, I had a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective of race day preparations and activities. These photos cover both of the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series and show on-track and pre-race action for a six-hour time period.

The photos in this gallery were taken on September 1, 2024 at Darlington Raceway. This was my first attempt at taking photos of moving cars, and I was able to develop my photography skills through this experience. These photos capture different aspects from the perspective of a fan’s racing experience from the stands.

Fellow writer Gurjevan Bansal and I covered Richland Northeast’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Annual Military Inspection on March 6, 2024. We explored the AMI from the perspective of the Operations Officer, Executive Officer, and Cadet Commanding Officer.

I stepped in and took this photo for The Saber’s Female Athlete of the Year article for a staff member who had a last-minute scheduling conflict. My goal with this photo was to showcase the personality of the athlete and sport through the photo.

On the day of the event, the scheduled race photographer did not show up. I was hired on the spot by the foundation’s leadership to take pictures of the race because of my previous experience working with them on the promotional videos. This is definitely one of those stories of flexibility as I “raced” to get a camera to take pictures. Because this was unplanned, the camera was not charged. I found myself trying to charge the camera in between the races, while still capturing the excitement of the day. Though I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, I am proud of the photos that I took.

My junior year, our high school band won many awards at band competitions, and I accompanied them to the Lowcountry Battle of the Bands to capture photos of the band performing for the band director to use. The photos highlight the different segments of Richland Northeast High School’s high-stepping marching band such as color guard, dance line, and percussion.