Bio
I am a Journalism graduate from RMIT University, currently working at Schwartz Media as an Administrative and Editorial Assistant. I have interned at SBS, The Canberra Times and Amnesty International Indonesia. I was drawn to this program as an amateur photographer wanting to develop my skills in visual storytelling. I went to learn, connect with a new culture and think about where journalism might take me next. I wrote an article about my experience in Mongolia and my reflections on photography‚ which you can read in The Saturday Paper.
Reflections
For me, photography is about storytelling. A photograph can capture a moment or a feeling that words struggle to describe. My interest lies mostly in photojournalism and raw, honest stories that simply capture the moment in all its beauty or anguish. A photograph has the power to communicate experience and emotion in a format that readers and non-readers can digest. They can be shared easily and rapidly, which of course has its dangers and challenges, but that danger demonstrates the impact a photograph can have.
Understanding that power makes it an absolute privilege to gain a person’s trust to photograph them. That exchange of trust and the sharing of stories is what I love most about photography. I love the moment that I get to listen to the subject, even if we are communicating without a verbal common tongue and instead through gestures. Language can take many forms and for me photography is one of them.
I asked myself many questions while on this trip. As a new journalist and photojournalist, I am still working out the kind of storyteller I want to be. Although, I hope that even as I gain more experience, I will continue to ask myself these questions throughout my career.
What purpose does photography serve in preserving culture and documenting history? What role do we play as foreign photojournalists and photographers? How do we interact with our subjects? How do we tell impactful stories and not amplify harmful stereotypes or messages? How can we collaborate with local communities and photographers?
For every photograph I take, I ask myself: why am I here? Why am I taking this photograph? What story am I trying to tell? How will it be received? Who will it benefit?