Interview with a Journalist
~Shyann Montgomery
“There’s a lot that you may see with your own eyes, but there’s a lot more you can see with a lens,” says Shyann Montgomery, an upcoming photojournalist.
As someone who has practiced taking pictures for years as a young teenager, Montgomery was determined to make it a skill and a career as she continued her studies in journalism at the University of Oregon.
Montgomery is a third-year student who has been involved in many school organizations around campus such as the National Association of Black Journalists and a photographer for Flux Magazine.
Montgomery received her first camera from a church member, who graciously brought it to a service one day and told her to keep it. From there, her interest grew.
As she practiced taking pictures of her family, friends, places, and objects, her love for photography and her craft improved. As she got accepted into UO, it was evident that she would study journalism to learn more about her hobby.
“When I got to college, I wanted to focus more on people and the interviewing process,” says Montgomery.
Exploring journalism through visual storytelling allowed Montgomery to know what she found interesting and wanted to write and take photos about.
“I kinda focus my ideas around culture, and just the experience of culture and what that looks like.”
Culture can expand on a lot of things, yet a focus within culture is representation. “There’s not a lot of positive things about black and minority groups.”
As a black female, it is important to Montgomery that representations concerning black culture and women are expressed correctly and authentically. This is why creating content for viewers in fields such as beauty and culture is something she wants to create in her work.
When asked about how she gets inspiration for the content she produces, Montgomery mentioned personal situations she has encountered in her life.
“A lot of it comes from my own experiences of the lack of representation and the lack of what I see,” says Montgomery.
It is clear that journalism is a male and white-dominated field. Yet, today, that is evolving as more black people, people of color and women are becoming more interested in the field. By having more representation, more stories from different experiences will get told.
For people interested in photojournalism, Montgomery has one piece of advice.
“Start shooting, if you have your phone, if you have an actual camera, an industrial light camera, just start taking pictures of things,” says Montgomery, “Truth is, everybody has a different perspective, so no one sees what you see all the time.
By becoming familiar and comfortable with the camera, it will gear someone towards creating a story within their photos. Montgomery suggests taking as many photos as possible in order to capture really good ones and really bad ones.
For the future, Montgomery hopes to expand her use of the camera for other projects.
“I really want to lead myself in the direction for more editorial things, says Montgomery.
She also has a podcast, Unmuted Youth, which she wants to pick back up on and produce more content.
Overall, Montgomery is excited about her path within the world of journalism, photography, and producing content. And to think, what if she had never met that man in the church who gifted her something that would shape her career.
