Email: maratbas06@gmail.com
Phone: 617-893-2441
Photography Website: martography.net
NSHS Denebola:
Editor-in-Chief (April 2024 - present)
Arts Editor (March 2023 - April 2024)
Reporter and Photographer (December 2021 - April 2024)
Airways Magazine:
Photographer (August 2022 - present)
Writer (March 2023 - present)
I'm Marty Basaria, editor-in-chief of Newton South High School's online newspaper, Denebola, Airways Magazine journalist, and 2025 High School Journalist of the Year candidate. Thank you for reviewing my portfolio!
In fact, I've always been somebody interested in the world of STEM -- specifically aviation. I've long had aspirations to be an engineer, and I never cared for the world of the humanities.
However, that all changed in the months after COVID-19 struck, when I was stuck at home. I embraced digital media, such as photos and videos, so I could explore the world from my house. I developed an interest in aviation photography after seeing professional airplane photos from platforms such as Airways Magazine and Jetphotos.com. I was fascinated how each frame seamlessly captured both the beauty of each airplane and the world. And soon after, I began watching photography tutorials myself, hoping to one day achieve the same level of artistry I saw in the airplane photos I saw online.
After I finally took my own airplane photos at Logan Airport in June 2020, I became obsessed with photography. I began taking my mother's camera everywhere I went, capturing the small beauties I saw at every corner. I loved the adventure, how each photo represented an aspect of my style, my personality. And over time, after months of YouTube photography tutorials and thousands of photos, I finally felt my photography hobby taking form.
My love for photography drew me to Newton South's online newspaper, Denebola, which had a large and tight-knit photography team. There, I was not only able to take more photos around my school, but it publicized my photos to a wider audience, making each of my shots feel special. But Denebola is also where I learned that the world of journalism has much more to offer than just photography.
I took my interest in journalism to the writing realm after an editor encouraged me to author an article. This was something I initially wasn't keen about; I rarely read books and I hated the writing we did in English class. However, writing the article brought me a new motivation, something that I've never felt before when writing. Authoring each article served as a self-reflection, a way for me to process what occurs in school and the rest of the world. One skill that journalists had that I longed for was their ability to turn a simple, everyday event into a story with thousands of readers. It’s what motivated me to further explore the world around me, analyzing the small details, and soon I began writing my own stories.
The following summer, I decided to take the biggest risk of my year-long high school career, and I sent a flurry of cold emails to Airways Magazine in hopes of getting a journalist position. After they added me to their photography and writing teams, I felt like I was embarking on a whole new adventure, exposing myself to a new world of opportunities. Every article I wrote for Airways seemed to test my skills as a writer, yet every time I published, I found a growing sense of confidence and ability.
Perhaps my biggest realization as a journalist occurred in the summer of 2023 when I covered a story about the stressful nature of airport night operations. This was the first time I covered a story that highlighted humans and emotion, as most of the articles I wrote covered airlines and corporate updates. Articles that provided quick business news rather than insights on people and their work.
Writing about these night operations workers, who spent hours every day on the blazing tarmac trying to get each flight ready on time for departure, helped me understand my true purpose as a journalist. I realized that for the first few years of my journalistic career, I embraced writing and photography mostly because I longed for the adventures they gave me – the late afternoons taking photos at the airport, the inaugural flight invitations, the friends I make at the weekly Denebola meetings.
Writing about those airport ground workers, people who I’ve formed bonds with by spending hours of that night with them, I realized that the greater purpose of my writing was to raise awareness and highlight those who are never appreciated. The feeling that article gave me empowered me with a purpose and motivation I’ve carried to write more meaningful stories aimed to help readers and highlight those who have yet to receive a shoutout. It's not always about what journalism can do for me, but it's about what I can do to others with my journalistic ability.
Looking back at my career as a reporter, it’s been a journey. From starting photography as a way to explore the world during COVID to leading my school newspaper, I’ve acquired essential skills that guide both my values and my journalism. And as the world evolves, I learned to keep on writing and taking photos so nothing is left behind.
That being said, I hope my work takes you on the same adventures it took me!
