Unflattering photo leads to resolution for better judgment

I like to think I'm my own worst critic. Every word choice and every photo I run in print are reviewed, critiqued and deemed passable. For example, I rewrote this paragraph three times.

When it comes to photography, I enjoy it so much that it's hard to boil down my choices for print. Sometimes, I'll take thousands of photos a month for news stories. Readers will maybe see 20 of those. My only hope is that what is printed has a positive affect for the most part. It doesn't always happen that way.

That's what happened in the case of the American Legion Christmas party last month. I took several photos to accompany Caroleine James' story about the annual party. I was thrilled with many of the photos, especially those with Andrew Zeutzius as Santa and Anny Newport as his helper, giving out gifts to kids.

Both Zeutzius and Newport made a great team, and I took many photos of them, one of which made it into the final Sentinel of 2022. To me, it encapsulated the teamwork, showed them in their element and captured the spirit of the event. It's one of those photos that I'd be proud to put into my photojournalism portfolio.

But not everyone was happy about my choice.

Newport sent me a message to say she wasn't happy with the photo and felt it was unflattering. At first, I thought she was joking with me because she's got a great sense of humor and is always busting my chops. To my surprise, and regret, she was genuinely unhappy with it.

Even though I love the photo, it bothered me to know the subject of the photo did not. That's the last thing I want to do with my work, especially when it's someone whom I think the world of.

Not all of my work is going to be flattering, I get that. It can't be when it comes to journalism. Not every story is going to be cheerful with people having fun. Some stories will warrant photos with more serious tone and capturing a moment like a criminal sentencing, someone crying, a fire or a boat sinking. You get the picture.

Working in journalism is not only capturing the moment but striving to be better writers, photographers, layout artists, decision makers. Unfortunately, I'll make poor calls from time to time. Fortunately, I have people in the community to help keep me in check and get me back on the right track.

I can always use better judgment for the photos I publish, no matter how much I impress myself with composition and content. And when it comes to photos of dear friends, I'll make sure to get only their good side.

As they say in the education community, this was a teachable moment for me.