news gathering

day laborers, like these seen above, are legally ferried to the US to work before returning to Mexico by night (shot in Antelope Wells, NM)

 

One of the biggest parts of truly understanding these borders entails trying to gain insight into the lives of the people who cross the border for a better living. I quickly recognized this at the beginning of my travels. Along my journey all over the world, I met immigrants who painstakingly harvest cotton fields, or pull weeds from pesticide-ridden farms, process construction materials with bare hands or toil in the intense desert heat. Many walk for hours each day from Mexico just to get to their place of work in the US—not to mention the long immigration lines they endure every day. 

university students in Aguaprieta (Mexico) painted this mural symbolizing

their bond with their “sister city” across the fence

I’d like for you to meet the young daughter of an immigrant.

One hot, sunny morning at the US-Mexico border in New Mexico, I was planning my route along the border for the day when I encountered a Mexican immigrant who was working as cleaning service for this hotel I had stayed at the night before. What started out as a quick question that I posed to her about points of interest to hit that day, ended up turning into an hour-long exchange of stories and ideas. More than an interview, it was a news-gathering conversation that taught me so much about the reality that some people at the border face.

Then, I remember she kept voicing her bewilderment at the level of discrimination she has felt in the past just because of her ethnicity. It hurts her even more because, unbeknownst to the outside world, her brother died from shrapnel injuries as his tank exploded on a mine during his service in the US army in the middle east. She later shared some pictures of her late brother and of the flag that was over his casket at the funeral. Her story reminds us just how complex news can be and why empathy is so crucial, now more than ever.

 

…people who taught me invaluable and life-changing lessons through the inspiring and heartbreaking stories that they shared with pride, tears, and passion.

 

After traversing the US-Mexico border and as I became more invested in my travels, I began to explore far beyond what I was originally comfortable with, leading me to people who taught me invaluable and life-changing lessons through the inspiring and heartbreaking stories that they shared with pride, tears, and passion. This is my preferred style of news gathering: an exchange of stories. I’ve found that this results in the deepest and most meaningful conversations and the sharing of life-changing perspectives.

To date, I’ve collected stories at and documented (through photojournalism and interviews) the following seven world borders:

U.S.-Mexico

Korean DMZ

Borders of Israel with Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, and Gaza

Spain-Morocco

Remnants of Berlin Wall

Borders of Colombia with Peru and Venezuela

Borders of Iraq with Syria, Turkey, and Iran

Evoking this emotion is the crux of my news gathering process. I aim to create conversation-like interactions with the people I encounter along all of these borders and thus build a connection with them. When I connect with people, I more easily learn about them, their experiences, their lifestyle, their culture, and their beliefs. My project is thus composed of and characterized by hundreds of these encounters with residents, immigrants, border patrol agents, soldiers, and experts.

I add a second dimension to the news gathering process with my photojournalism. I make thousands of images at each border as well, which perfectly capture the essence of the place, often exposing underrepresented perspectives and realities.

In fact, I believe my photography is my most powerful tool to tell stories.

Before each trip to each border, I plan my route on a huge National Geographic map. Beyond that, almost all of the detours and news gathering is impromptu and improvised on the ground. I traverse the lengths of these borders by car, and I stop every few minutes to shoot images and find people to talk to and interview. Then, I spend several hours at particularly significant points of interest that I had mapped out beforehand. By this means, I’ve spoken with every kind of border resident and fully explored and immersed myself in the culture before I leave to return back to Dallas. 

As the Backpage Editor of the ReMarker, I focus on student interest stories, which often involves an interview or two. For instance, I’ve covered school rivalry sports games, important events around campus, and significant student engagements. However, the centerpiece of my Backpage spreads is always stark photography. I’m in love with big visuals and photographic storytelling supplemented with minimal written exposition/captions/descriptions.

 
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