American Fork senior Hannah Rogers, creator of BeenAsked.com, poses for a portrait Friday, April 5, 2019, at American Fork High School. The website aims to ensure all American Fork students get a date for dances by showing who does and doesn't have a date, and also provides coupons for dance-related purchases.

April was a lot.

I officially became the photo editor at the Daily Herald at the start of last week. Which is exciting!

I am looking forward to widening my role within the newsroom and thus getting to collaborate with more people with the aim of creating the best visual opportunities to make as great and representative of pictures as possible. I'll miss working with Evan Cobb, who spent a lot of his free time this month gradually easing me into his position at the newspaper.

However, becoming the photo editor does not mean that I'm putting my camera down. I wouldn't have taken the job if it took me out of what I love doing most: photographing daily life and events in communities. I will be photographing practically the same amount of assignments as I did while the I was chief photographer. I'll simply be adding more managerial and editing duties to my job description. It's been a pretty smooth transition, but being a one-man band is quite a challenge (Mad kudos to all those solo newspaper photographers out there). I knew producing great pictures and pitching solid projects has a big challenge to accomplish in making a good publication, but it was been humbling to see how deep the roots of a photo department go in a newspaper. Now I sit in two meetings a day (when I'm not shooting), work directly with reporters in cultivating visuals for most stories (and making sure the ball keeps rolling to get photo requests into our assignment system and photos into the paper before deadlines), ensuring we have visuals to fill the front page every day, managing the selling of digital sales of photographs, choosing photos for a weekly photo page, and keeping tabs on freelancers to get things done when I'm not around. I've just been at the helm for a few days, and I already feel very much in the thick of things.

All of these new duties have been a lot to handle sometimes, but I feel genuine, productive growth in "flexing new muscles" as it were. I've often said how much I enjoy taking part in the role newspapers play in covering communities, and getting to play a larger role within the newsroom itself makes me learn, and appreciate, how all of a paper's departments work together to generate a better end product.

Thankfully, I do not expect to be a one-man band for long. The newspaper and I are in the middle of hiring a new chief photographer – the process of which is also another matter to manage. Having applied myself to many positions for internships and jobs previously, it's been enlightening to be on the other side of a hiring process. Hiring has made me realize that so many factors besides a well-composed portfolio are important in picking a person.

Most of my brainpower this month went into learning the ropes of being a photo editor, but I still had to make sure the paper was filled with photos. Assignments were a bit sporadic this month. Sports have been at an odd draught on the schedule, and it feels as though it's the calm before the storm. The end of the academic year is often a whirlwind. Brigham Young University held its commencement ceremony to kick off the first of likely many graduations and post-season high school sports will hopefully start cropping up – both will add heavily to the daily mix.

In the middle of the month, my work laptop – which long had been slowing down – finally died, taking with it all high-resolution files of my work from the first half of April. Fortunately, the Daily Herald also began borrowing a 400mm lens from our sister newspaper (the Ogden Standard-Examiner) after ours broke last May. Unfortunately, that lens is not sharp – even when stopped down significantly.

Honestly, April was filled to the brim with all of the above and much more. Thankfully, turning 26 last month also provided me with the occasion to get together with many of my Utah friends. I hope to grow personally as much as professionally going forward, and look forward to working more "traditional" hours and seeing friends more often.

Slevin Kauwe, 10, of Saratoga Springs, spins upside down as he plays inside of a piece of playground equipment during the grand opening of Patriot Park held Friday, April 19, 2019, in Saratoga Springs.

Wenhao Mu, assistant conductor of BYU Women's Chorus and graduating with a M.M. in Choral Conducting, takes a selfie with the women's ensemble on his way to his seat during Brigham Young University's commencement ceremony held Thursday, April 25, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

A soon-to-be graduate scans the crowd as he makes his way toward his seat before Brigham Young University's commencement ceremony held Thursday, April 25, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

Brigham Young University junior Abby Kimball hands out doughnuts on behalf of the university's alumni society before BYU's commencement ceremony held Thursday, April 25, 2019, near the Marriott Center in Provo.

Garret Shepherd, with the Utah County Public Works Department, flattens phragmites with a marsh master while Mount Timpanogos stands behind him Thursday, April 18, 2019, along the northern shoreline of Utah Lake in Lehi, Utah.

Michelle Conover, of Orem, tills dirt with her son, Jensen, 4, in their family's garden plot at Orem Community Hospital's LiVe Well Garden on Monday, April 22, 2019. Dozens of community members celebrated Earth Day by finding and clearing their plots at the hospital's gardens as well as tidying up the garden's grounds. "They commit to come, get healthy and enjoy it," said Laura Salazar, marketing and communications manager at Orem Community Hospital and chair of the hospital’s garden committee. The garden features 46 plots total: 43 are for community members and three are used for the hospital's caregivers and pediatric rehab. The plots, tools and dirt are free to use, but community members must apply to receive a plot. "It checks a lot of boxes, as far as wellness goes," said Salazar of the community garden. "It’s good exercise, being outdoors is good for you and the community that’s built at a garden contributes to your wellness as well."

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sing with a combined choir from Brigham Young University during the afternoon session of the 189th Annual General Conference Saturday, April 6, 2019, at the Church's Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustain the Church's leadership during the afternoon session of the 189th Annual General Conference held Saturday, April 6, 2019, at the Church's Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

Ruthie Cook, of Park City, hugs Peter Moosman, of Salt Lake City, while Katherine Herrman, of Bountiful, stands by before the morning session of the 189th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held Saturday, April 6, 2019, at the Church's Conference Center in Salt Lake City.

Patrick Willie, of Orem, performs in the men's fancy feather dance during the annual Utah Valley University Powwow held Saturday, April 20, 2019, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

Connor Behr, a freshman studying molecular biology at Brigham Young University, poses for a portrait with a self-made dead air box Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at his apartment in Provo. The ultraviolet lights and housing are engineered to create a sterile environment for his experiments with slime molds to create insulin. His experiments, he hopes, will help mass-produce insulin and make it more affordable.

Joseph Black, 6, creates bubbles as his sister, Makena, 9, reaches for the bubbles while the two sit by their sister, Lily, 6, all of Eagle Mountain, and watch a college baseball game during the Uplifting Celebration for Autism held Saturday, April 20, 2019, at the UCCU Ballpark on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.

Eliza Yeafoli, right, and her sister, Audrey Rock, work on creating baby burial gowns sourced from donated wedding dresses Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at the home of Jessica Lindquist, their sister, in Lehi. The three sisters organized Heaven Bound Burial Gowns, which takes wedding dresses that are donated and turns them into burial gowns for babies.

Matthew Grant reacts as he's greeted by Brady Christensen, Utah County buildings and grounds division manager, while Grant and others eat near Code 7 Cafe on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork. Grant, 43, who has struggled with mental disabilities his whole life and was told he likely wouldn't live past adolescence, has been a part-time worker at the jail's kitchen for the past 21 years.

Spanish Fork shortstop siblings Brooklyn Pintar, a sophomore, and Andrew Pintar, a senior, pose for a portrait Monday, April 22, 2019, at the Spanish Fork Sports Park.

Lone Peak outfielder Tanner Nielson (7) grimaces as the third out of the inning is made as he heads toward home plate during a game between the Lone Peak Knights and the Bingham Miners held Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at Lone Peak High School in Highland.

Jonah Bradshaw, 13, of Saratoga Springs, sports his own Brigham Young University baseball jersey with the help of BYU director of baseball operations Tuckett Slade during an exclusive draft day held for the teen by the BYU baseball team and Team IMPACT on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, at Miller Park in Provo. Bradshaw has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, or AMC, which decreases the flexibility of joints and in his case drastically limits the use of his arms, hands and legs. 

Lone Peak catcher Keegan Nitta (8) throws to third base after Bingham pitcher Ace Felise (24) scored a run during a game between the Lone Peak Knights and the Bingham Miners held Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at Lone Peak High School in Highland.

Brigham Young University men's basketball head coach Mark Pope hugs newly-announced assistant coach Nick Robinson after a press conference held to introduce three new assistant coaches on the team Thursday, April 25, 2019, at the Marriott Center Annex in Provo.