Stories From The Heart

I don’t like to call myself a storyteller; it implies that either I am the author or that I have a heavy hand in how a story is told. Neither of these options is what I was taught my job is as a journalist, combat documenter, or just a photographer and videographer. My photos, videos, multimedia pieces, or written stories are not my stories to tell; they are other humans’ stories that I get to capture and present to an audience. Throughout the vast majority of my work, I have communicated with my subjects about how they wanted their story told, presented, and delivered to ensure that not only are they happy with the end product, but also that it is something they are proud to show off as a piece of their history.

I know that philosophy can come off as overly flowery or even self-aggrandizing, but for me, it’s a standard to hold, a value to live by. I believe in this standard because, as I have grown up and lived through this change in mass media and content production for politics, social issues, and even simple hobbies and interests, it has become clear to me that the larger population making this content is doing so just to grow and get as much money as possible. While I know this idea is not new in the slightest, it has become increasingly dangerous simply because the content produced today has a much larger reach than ever before.

So even though I know I am in no position to “take on the world” in a fight for better, more ethical content creation, I will do my part to ensure the stories I am allowed to present are done with care and attention. I will do this because these stories are not just an interesting idea or something unknown to anyone but the subject; they are human lives and emotions that, no matter who you are, can be related to in some way.