PORTFOLIO 2021
MIAH T H I R I O N
SENIOR YEAR
SELF ANALYTICAL EVALUATION
This semester challenged me in so many new ways and pushed me to grow. As I reflect on what it held, I feel so incredibly grateful for how I did succeed. When I reflect on how I grew as far as production skills, I would say that I learned that I am capable of a lot more than I thought I was capable of. This semester was one in which I was, again, the only photographer. This meant that I took the majority of the pictures in the paper and being pushed to accomplish and produce a lot more work than ever before. Each issue consisted of way over ten picture assignments, and many of them were assignments that were out of my regular comfort zone and required creativity. With Covid-19 still affecting almost all areas of our lives, it was a continuing challenge to produce an entertaining paper and high-quality photos. Many of the issues and topics we had to present this year were heavy topics, with a lot of weight to them, so it was a continuous challenge to deliver creative and intriguing pictures. In terms of growth in the future, I can continue to pursue the creativity produced by doing photography. This semester I learned the most about deadlines that I think I have learned in my four years of newspaper. In our April issue of the paper, we had the shortest deadline we have ever had, with only a week to complete all of the assignments. For me, this was extremely daunting. I knew that I had almost 30 pictures to take, with minimal time. However, I learned that in the motivation of a shorter deadline, I completed work that was the best of my ability, and within the pressure, I was able to get everything done. Besides recognizing that I was capable of a lot more than I thought I was in producing work in a shorter amount of time, I realized that deadlines carry so much weight in the paper’s success. When deadlines are not met, it affects every other aspect of production, and the paper is not able to be completed to the best of our ability. As I walk into this new chapter of my life, I will walk in boldness and recognition that sometimes having less time to produce work means that I complete it to the best of my ability because I work best under pressure. When I reflect on the aspect of teamwork, I think I worked well with others. A lot of my collaboration this semester was working alongside editors to figure out what pictures they need and helping the occasional staff member figure out how to take a picture. The times when teamwork worked well this year were the times where all of the staff members were consistently communicating with one another. Teamwork is essential for the paper to be completed promptly, as we all have to do bits and pieces that have to come together in the end ideally. The best issues were the ones where we all worked together well, as we could communicate and get everything done before the deadline. This year was one where I learned the most about ethics and recognized more than ever the weight and importance of the role of a journalist. This year was filled with many significant events- a super big election, Covid-19 news, teachers at school leaving and significant school changes, and a lot of national tension and protesting. With so many important things happening, it became more important than ever to report from a truth-based, nonbiased standpoint and report all things with truth. With the media being seen as dishonest, and with most people believing that the media has lost all credibility, it felt essential to redeem this viewpoint in any way possible. Even as student journalists, we carry the responsibility of reporting to our community in truth and objectivity. I hope that the media can be seen as
ONE O N E
REFLECTION ONE
credible in the future and that we as the next generation can carry that responsibility in ways that it has not always been carried in. Furthermore, I think I was an asset to the paper this year in ways I did not expect to be. This year, with no photographers, I stepped into the most responsibility and work I have had to carry in my four years in publications. For every issue, I took almost all of the pictures for the paper- and doing everything I can to fill the gaps. Every single day in class was spent running around actively trying to take as many photographs as possible, helping any staff that happened to be taking pictures, editing pictures on photoshop, and planning any creative pictures that were necessary. The most significant hardship of this semester was completing all of the pictures I had to get done by the deadlines and making sure to plan out all of the people we needed to take photos of and events I had to go to for pictures. However, through all of the chaos of trying to get things completed, I learned how capable I am. Because I was doing so many things and consistently practicing photography, I gained skills. My greatest weakness was most likely the lack of communication I had some weeks with other staff members and editors. Some weeks were so fast-paced that I wouldn’t do a good job communicating with editors about what they needed for their page, leading to a lack of communication. To overcome this weakness, I had to plan things out more ahead of time so that I had more time to communicate and plan alongside other editors. As I graduate in just a few short days, I am in absolute awe of how much I have learned in my four years in graduation, and I have so much gratitude. These four years brought me a community when I didn’t have community elsewhere, taught me how much I genuinely love photography and brought so many incredible memories. Every moment was filled with joy, and I learned so much even through hard work and frustration. I am forever grateful that I was placed into this class by accident my freshman year, and I will remember these four years and their impact for the rest of my life.
REFLECTION TWO
TWO TW
My most significant piece of work this semester was the behind-the-scenes of Cactus Shadows photo essay. This page was one that I put a lot of effort into, and I worked hard to make sure that it was unique. Many photo essays have been repeated throughout the years, and I wanted to do something different.
O WO
SIGNIFICANT PIECE
My heart behind the essay was to bring attention to all of the people that work so hard for the school but often go unnoticed. To recognize all of the people that are humble and serve behind the scenes. When I started the essay, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. With a general idea of who I was trying to feature, I walked into it pretty clueless. The first thing that Mikki and I did was go to the cafeteria and ask if we could take pictures. This ended with us having a long conversation with every one of the women that serve in the kitchen, and I was amazed by their humility and the amount of joy they had in their jobs. I enjoyed seeing the unseen part of the school and illustrating what their jobs consisted of. After this, I went to the office and took pictures of the dean and other people in the office as the secretary. I enjoyed seeing what they do to keep the logistics of the school running smoothly, and I loved being able to make them feel valued and seen. Finally, I took pictures of and interviewed a bus driver and the maintenance guy. I was amazed by how much they did in their daily jobs. There were so many things that I did not know needed to get done daily on campus. Overall, this essay was a joy to complete, and I enjoyed the result and how it called attention to hard workers on campus that so often remain behind the scenes and unnoticed.
SIGNIFICANT PIECE
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EFLECTION THREE
I love this picture. We needed a more creative picture that was aesthetically pleasing, and I loved the end result. The picture required a lot of behind the scenes work, and It added a fun element to the food page.
This picture was one of my favorite ones I took this year. I took it from my little brother, and I think it added a fun element to the page. We needed a picture of a new dessert place, and I wanted a more creative picture instead of just a picture of the interior of the place.
THREE BEST WORKS
This article and page about art was an unexpected result. With the photo essay not coming together, I ended up writing an article and putting together a different page. I love that it was a spotlight on a non-recognized student.
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