do not follow where the path may lead. go instead where there is no path and leave a trail

— Harold McAlindon

Building a team and effectively leading them to maximize productivity and quality of product is the crux of creating impact. As I rose through the ranks of staff photography over the last four years, I picked up tips from previous Head Photographers and noted ideas for when I would be in a position to lead my own team.

Now, as the Photography Editor of St. Mark’s Publications, I play a large part in the visuals that end up in the Marksmen yearbook and ReMarker newspaper. Additionally, I recruited a number of new photographers to the staff and showed them the ropes. I work closely with the Head Photographers of both publications to obtain photo requests from staff writers and decide which images will be featured while doling out photo assignments to our staff photographers. Often, I edit images and visuals within spreads as well.

As the Backpage Editor, the back page of the ReMarker is my brainchild from start to finish—a blank canvas on which I can paint a picture of whatever story I’d like to tell. Once I establish the topic of the story or feature, I begin the news gathering process, which often entails photographic exploration given that developing a photo-story (in the form of captioned photo collages) is my strength and the foundation of my background in journalism. At this point, I reach out to my team of staff photographers to see who can assist me in gathering visuals for the page. 

Once my team and I shoot the appropriate events for the story, I put together my first draft of the backpage spread. Then, I sketch out improvements to the spread’s design and style of storytelling and create a second draft. At that point, I bring over the Editor-in-Chief of the ReMarker to review the spread (occasionally in print, other times within InDesign) and incorporate pieces of his feedback into my work before finalizing it and sending it off to my journalism advisor, Mr. Ray Westbrook, for a final look-through before it’s printed in the newspaper. 

As the first ever Backpage Editor to specialize in photography as opposed to traditional written journalism, I feel that I have a unique and fresh perspective that the ReMarker has never witnessed before. My background in photography lends itself well to the photographic approach that I love to take when putting the backpage together. In a sense, I’ve just broken another border and trail-blazed the way for future photographers to take up roles traditionally occupied by written journalists on the newspaper staff. 

As a co-editor-in-chief of the Marque—the school’s annual literary arts magazine—I hold innumerable responsibilities. I lead a team of about fifteen students and oversee the design and publication of nearly 150 pages. In my role as editor, I maintain relations with members of the humanities and arts departments and facilitate the influx of submissions from upper school students. I assign visuals and works of literature to designers on my team and assist them as necessary, as they bring their spreads to life. For the first-time designers on my staff, I tutored them in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, showing them how to piece together powerful narratives. Once a staff member finishes a spread, I edit and review it before we upload it to the server and call it finished. Additionally, I put together an editorial staff consisting of creative directors, an editor of literature, and a graphics editor. I work with them daily to establish timelines and deadlines for staff and craft future plans.