“While I was studying abroad at DIS Copenhagen in the Spring of 2017, I took a class in photojournalism. I had enjoyed photography for a while, but had never taken any sort of class in it, nor any journalism courses, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. On the first day of class, my professor, Mette, walked in with a smile and told us our first task was to leave the classroom immediately and wander the streets and that she did not want to see us again until we each had at least 5 portraits of strangers.
This quick hurdle set the stage for what would become easily my favorite class while abroad. It was the only class that forced me to meet people, to learn things, and to hear their stories. Mette taught us the difference between a photo with aesthetic and a photo with purpose. As a working freelance photographer, Mette had a range of connections and brought in guest speakers ranging from a Politiken photojournalist to other freelancers. She also connected us with a local Danish photography school where we had meetups to critique one another’s work as well as develop friendships and see what art other people were producing.
Our projects ranged from those initial stranger portraits to a short series “Waiting” where we found people standing/sitting around and asked them what they were waiting for, a portfolio of pure street photography, and a 5 photo Time Magazine style photo essay on a Dane of our choosing. My story focused on Lasse, the man behind shooting and editing almost all audio and video coming out of World Health Organization Europe to the public.
For me, photojournalism was an immersive way to learn both in the classroom and on the streets. Approaching and photographing strangers became one of my favorite hobbies and led me to some of my most memorable experiences. The camera provided a way for me to interact with a culture not so accustomed to deep conversation with strangers. I have always loved telling stories and photojournalism gave me an excellent outlet to do exactly that while also making my own.”
