Photojournalism

I was never interested in photography until the summer after freshman year when I started playing around with my dad's Nikon. We were spending a couple days in Yellowstone, and we had woken up stupidly early to watch the sunrise. As my dad fiddled with his camera, I asked him if I could take a couple pictures, and at that point I realized what photography was about. Although I had never really used a real camera before, I was able to capture the beauty of the scene that I'll get the keep forever. Thats how I see photography. Of course, it is a very useful tool for professionalism, but at its core, I began to pursue photography because it captures the moments of life we don't want to forget.

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Yellowstone, 2021

Beginnings

From there, I decided to begin exploring my (and the Nikon's) capabilities. For the rest of the summer, I aimlessly wandered the streets of Newton, taking photos of everything I believed had potential.

Was I any good? Absolutely not. But I made an effort to bring the Nikon with me everywhere in an attempt to develop my eye as not just as photographer, but as an observer of everyday life.

Athletics

During my sophomore year, I was still unable to get back on the volleyball court. However, I had joined the team as a manager, and used the time during games to work on my photography. I got really into taking photos of the team, and I sought to capture the feelings of the sport I missed so much.

The photos I took were used for my own personal portfolio, but were also shared with all of the players themselves, who loved the fact that they were able to truly feel recognized with legit photography, rather than their parents' iPhone photos with a 3.7x zoom applied. The photos were used in the girls volleyball Instagram account and were posted all over social media in team members' "Gonna miss this team <3" posts at the end of the season. I am so glad that I was able to help the girls feel important and recognized for the work that they were putting out on the courts each day.

That one time I got hired to do this for money

In the spring of my sophomore year, my friend texted me saying that she had been contacted by a family to take photos for a First Communion, but wasn't able to make it to the ceremony and afterparty, so she asked if I would be willing to fill in or her.

And then I did. (For a VERY low rate — check out https://bellaishanyan.wixsite.com/website for rates and scheduling to fill your photography needs!)

This experience marked a shift in my interests from nature and athletic based photography to more portrait styles. I became fascinated by the way that people interact with the camera, and learned that, indeed, a picture tells a thousand words.

So what did the photos from Federico's First Communion tell me? They told me the ways modern families adopt traditional religious practices. They showed me the moments, joyous and stressful, of young families. They revealed to me the story of their family's love.

Now things are about to get interesting.

I started getting out of my comfort zone and experimented with a lot more with portrait photography, staged photos, different editing techniques, and meaningful locations. That last one especially — I started seeking out locations where I might find scenes of a story.

Every time I went out, I was afraid I wouldn't find a story, but they were always just right in front of me.

At the Fenway Victory Gardens, I spoke with The Strawberry Man, who told me about the plot he'd been cultivating for over a decade. At the Rose Garden, I saw Sasha bloom in the springtime. On the 4th of July, there was fear, repulsion, and love wrapped up all in one evening of celebration in the city where it all began. In Chinatown, Sherry's grim expression reflects our disdain when we were violently catcalled in an alley.

Sasha V. , In Bloom

James P. Kelleher Rose Garden

Fenway Victory Gardens

Fenway Victory Gardens, The Strawberry Man

4th of July, Outside a Boston Pub

Heightened Security at the Boston 4th of July Esplanade

4th of July, Love on the Charles

Sherry R., Chess in Chinatown

Sherry R., Christian Science Plaza

Sherry R., Coolidge Corner Theatre

The Art of the Brick

I was invited to Nathan Sawaya's The Art of the Brick exhibit and reception in winter 2022, when it was on display in Boston, by Headliners in Education, a non-profit organization that promotes and connects high school journalists in the Greater Boston Area. Along with taking photos, I wrote an article reviewing the exhibit and his works.

Green

Yellow

Dinosaur Skeleton

My Boy

"However, my favorite piece exemplifies Sawaya’s concept of emotion: “My Boy”, which can be found in the back section of the first floor. Although the specificities of the narrative are ambiguous, I was shocked by the emotion it invoked within me. Illuminated by an overhanging spotlight, a vibrant blue father cries as he holds onto the limp body of his smoke-gray son. The bricks, monochrome and inert, radiate personality and passion, a feeling I only thought I could find in classical art such as 'Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan' by Ilya Repin, which I immediately associated “My Boy” with. The piece shows that contemporary art, despite the vast opportunity it provides for mockery of meaning, is not limited to a deeply personal splatter of paint on the wall, or even to a massive LEGO construction of a T-Rex (which I think is still incredibly awesome), but holds great opportunity for a fresh perspective on the moments we so often do not associate with modernity."

The Art of the Brick, Bella Ishanyan

I learned over and over again that photography doesn't just support text; it tells its own story. It's an art form that, when utilized properly in journalism, can harness the maximum power of a story. To master writing, is to also master the scene.

My Movie.mov

*Apologies, the download quality is horrendous.

Better quality linked here on @bella_ishy.

One big question series

During my junior year, I sought to combine the scene, with the depth of an article. The part of article writing that has always been the most important to me is: the question. It makes or breaks your interview, article, and relationship with a person. It is so delicate a matter, that I believe that even a single question can have an impact.

I wanted to start a series where I combine my love for storytelling, photography, and my developing interest in videography. I knew I wanted the question to be simple, but personal. I didn't want it to tell the subject's whole story — just a fragment. But isn't that what articles are? Just fragments of a person's life story?

After the first part, I never continued the series. I got into an argument with my second subject, and so I never published my recording with him. I hope to continue with this series one day. Maybe I'll even tell his story.

Darya Rostami

Seaport District, Boston

"I didn't want it to tell the subject's whole story — just a fragment. Because isn't that what articles are? Just fragments of a person's life story?"

United Boston Armenian Community Calls for Ending Artsakh Blockade

On Thursday Feb. 16, approximately 200 members of the Boston Armenian community demonstrated in front of the Massachusetts State House advocating for an end to the Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, humanitarian aid to the besieged Armenians and US sanctions on Azerbaijan. My father pulled me out of school that day in order to join the demonstration, and there, I took a couple photos that were used in an article by the Armenian Mirror Spectator, an Armenian newspaper based in Watertown, MA.

Although this demonstration was far from the first I've been to, it was among the most unique. Armenians are very in touch with their culture, and it was fascinating to see people of all ages come together over this war, and it was particularly interesting to see the way they brought the Armenian church into this demonstration. I sought to capture those elements that day.

Israel-Palestine

The Israel-Palestine article was incredibly thought out. Every piece of the writing, design, and photography was meticulously scrutinized until we found the best possible option.

Typically, large articles like this incorporate a graphic/drawing element, but we knew that that would not be synonymous with the seriousness of the article. We were clear that we wanted photos.

Our struggle was determining what, exactly, or who, we wanted photos of. Taking photos from the internet of the Gaza Strip and Israel on Oct. 7 was not only unproductive in mitigating emotion, but also didn't tell the story of the students who were affected at South. This article was about the students and their perspectives. That was it.

So we decided to take portraits of the students who were brave enough to tell us their perspective. Serious and professional portraits. To create this mood, I set up the soft-box lighting to create a split/Rembrandt lighting look, and told the students, "Don't smile." One student who was laughing initially at the idea of taking such a serious photo, whispered to herself to think about her family. She was stoic for the rest of the shoot.

Along with that, we were adamant that if we were to get photos, we would get a significant number of our interviewee's photos. If we were to get only one Israeli and one Palestinian student, it would create the idea of clashing. If we had an unequal number of students on either side, it would seem like we are taking a side. We determined that we must abide by these guidelines if we were to successfully get our point across: these students are not against each other, but instead, sharing in the sense of mourning.

For the page design, we weren't able to fit in all of the photos of the students, but we wanted to make sure that if we were going to include any photos of students, it must be all or nothing. We had taken a photo of the stool the students sat on for their photo as a means to represent the platform that was this article. We are simply waiting for the voices to start talking.

Print issue photo

Ben Perman

Judy Othman

Alon Mileguir

The Track to Recovery, page 19; photo by Bella Ishanyan

Accompanying articles

Photos and graphics are essential in the telling of a story. Without visuals, there is very little for readers to refer to and empathize with. Different from writing, taking photos for articles does not follow the, "show, don't tell," philosophy. In fact, on the contrary.

Photos are the way to blatantly tell the reader, "Here it is. This is what you're reading about."

"This isn't what you're seeing, but by reading it, this is what you are now understanding."

Girl Dinner, photo by Anonymous

Defend the Den, photo by Emma Zhang, edited and coordinated by Bella Ishanyan

(left) A spring rally in 2023 during contract negotiations at City Hall

(right) 2024: Parents rally for teachers as possible strike looms

Photos by Bella Ishanyan

2023 Grad Issue, photos by Bella Ishanyan

For Social Media

Yes, that is my family's car. And my garage. And 1,000 freshly printed newspapers. And it was 3am when I took this. Refer to the Leadership and Team Building section for the full story.

As part of the transition from a good, to great social media presence, I was adamant that we would incorporate proper photography. By utilizing photography, not only to just take pictures of events, but also as a means of marketing the paper, we can create a sense of professionalism that is unmatched compared to other clubs.

Also, it just looks so much cooler.