In the month of May, my camera goes into overdrive.

In the last week alone, Gwen and I have combined to attend eight events in Barry County, from graduations to non-profit events, and the annual sports day to Harvick Farms’ Spring Fest. Suffice to say, we are on the go, and that’s not changing any time soon.

This week will bring its own series of events. Off the top of my head, we have two more graduations, the Rotary Rodeo and Kids’ Fishing Day to tackle. If I were to consult my calendar or comb through news briefs, there’s likely more photo opportunities there.

This afternoon, I was clearing out my email and ran into a month-old request from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Mass Communication program, from where I received my journalism degree, asking me to partake in a short survey about the program. One of the questions that stood out was, what classes did you take or skills did you learn that are most beneficial to your current occupation?

Though I only took one, without a doubt, the answer was the photography class I took back in 2009. In that class, I learned the basic photography rules of composition like the rule of thirds, repetition, framing and leading lines, to name a few. I have passed those rules along to many photographers I have worked with, and I still use them every time I am behind the lens.

The rules of composition also stand the test of time no matter the technology. I may be showing my age by saying this, but I largely missed out on the days of film in news. I took a photography class in high school where we developed film in a darkroom, but these days, the old darkroom at the Democrat office has been home to our mini fridge and microwave, not film strips.

Though there is an artistry to film development, I much rather prefer today’s digital cameras for one simple reason — quantity. I can take as many photos as I want of any subject I want, then cull the lesser quality photos and keep the best, without having to wait for any film to develop or having to dodge or burn or crop or make any other changes that take more than just a few minutes in Photoshop.

Taking a well-composed photo is incredibly satisfying, but what tops composition every time is capturing a great subject. There’s immense joy in freezing a moment in time that will never happen again. This month is fraught with such opportunities, especially at graduations.

At Cassville’s for instance, capturing the hug between Jeremy Marple and his daughter Logan Marple after he, as a school board member, handed over her diploma — there’s only 5 seconds of time in either of their lives that moment can happen, and I captured it.

Some of the best shots come unintentionally, like at Southwest’s graduation on Friday. During the flower presentation, I happened to get a series of great shots of BreeAhna Paulsen hugging her grandmother, Mona. I didn’t know the relation, nor the context, but I learned on Monday from BreeAhna’s father that Mona’s husband passed away recently, so the moment I captured was more poignant than I even realized at the time.

Fast forward to Saturday, and I snapped a photo of Wheaton resident Lincoln Allen as he was the first to cross the finish line in the Power of Pink’s 5K run and one-mile walk. Even better, it was his 10th birthday, and the shot was timed as he was in between steps, totally airborne. 

Because of all the photo opportunities, this week’s edition is extremely photo-heavy and light on written news. It goes with the ebb and flow of the week-by-week coverage we provide at the Democrat. Along with being a historical record, a newspaper is also a mirror — reflecting the people, places and events of our coverage area.

Photos can tell a story just as well as words can at times, and even better in some circumstances. This week’s issue is a reflection of that weight of photos and stories, and it was an exceptionally fun one to put together.

As we go into the next few weeks and more photo opportunities coming, I’m excited to hear that shutter click at the perfect moment and to capture more memories that only occur for a few seconds at best.

A great written story is satisfying, but taking a photo where no words are needed for the story to be understood — that’s my favorite.

It’s also worth noting all our photos can be purchased online at https://cassvilledemocrat.zenfoliosite.com/home. At $5 per digital download and with prints starting at $2 each, prices are set for affordability so you can get more with less. 

If you know any graduates this May, take a gander at the galleries posted. There are at least two photos of every grad at every commencement at each of our five schools.

I love being able to capture the memories, and I love even more that you are able to keep them.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a three-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].