My name is Haley Howington.

I am a senior at Trinity Epsicopal Day School and this summer I was an intern at The Natchez Democrat.

On my first day, I was immediately thrown into the life of a reporter. I was handed a camera and given a specific event to photograph.

This, of course, was a big deal for me and I was quite nervous.

More and more photography became a part of my job, the more I learned what looked nice and what did not.

Going around the Miss-Lou and photographing events was a really interesting experience as a Natchez native.

There are so many events I did not know happened that I am now aware of. Seeing a story go from a thought to publication has been a great process to observe.

By shadowing some of these great people in the newsroom, like reporter David Hamilton and photographer Nicole Hester, I have learned many vital skills I will be able to use.

From how to handle people during an interview, how to get a perfect shot of a specific subject to what questions to ask, these newsroom workers and more made my summer at The Democrat worthwhile.

The newspaper is such a fast-paced business that always has you moving.

This summer I spent a lot of my time riding all around town to cover events. Seeing people live their lives and capturing that every single day became sort of an addiction.

I fell in love with the camera and the feeling it gave me when I took a photo I was proud of.

I walked into this experience not knowing much about my future plans, but I am pleased to say that I am walking out having an idea and understanding of what may lie ahead for me in the years to come.
Haley Howington is a senior at Trinity Episcopal Day School.