Listening to Nick Oza, a photographer of the AZ Republic, was fascinating. Repeatedly, he emphasized the need for passion and creativity in the field of photojournalism and journalism. Nick does not just go for the obvious story, but instead realizes that "every story has stories within itself." So often high school students give the same boring story about the star football player making that wining pass, but if teachers encourage them to really look at the various story opportunities than the news will become more interesting. I also liked when he said, "you gotta do your homework." I can not count how many times a student has failed to go into an interview prepared and then comes back to me with little to nothing. Hearing Nick made me think that maybe I can get more professional journalists in the classroom saying these kinds of things and maybe the students will actually take those important basics seriously.
He was really fascinating! He reaffirmed for me that photos are not just about capturing a moment, but also capturing a story.
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