The audience claps along with The National Parks as they perform in the backyard of a private home in Provo as part of the band’s "Campfire Tour" on Thursday, June 25, 2020. In a time of face masks, sanitizing and social distancing, telework, digital conferencing and way too much time indoors, the latest album release by The National Parks could be considered by many as a literal breath of fresh air, a perfect analogy for the group’s Utah tour stops as well. In conjunction with the album release, The National Parks revamped the concept of a tour to not only follow state and local social distancing guidelines, but also to share their music in a more intimate and personal way.

---

It's officially summertime!

June was another month of unpredictable ebb and flow. The first half of the month kept the jam-packed pace that May had established, and the last half slowed down a bit, but there were surprises that came up throughout the month that kept my schedule all over the place.

The coronavirus has altered many aspects of our lives, and Utah's primary election was no exception. The normal voting booths were replaced with a drive-thru and drop-off only setup. In terms of precautions, Utah has been pretty relaxed (especially compared to other states my family and friends live in, like Ohio, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and so on). Gyms are open, pools are open, the vast majority of people don't wear masks in public, and besides sports seasons being postponed or cancelled and stores/organizations implementing social-distancing protocol, things feel pretty "normal" – Which, is honestly a bit scary. I've been keeping up with my personal protective equipment on assignments, but it remains yet to be seen just how much the coronavirus will spread, and how different states taking different precautions will help/hurt populations long term.

One experience that stood out this month was photographing stock car racing for the first time as I covered the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus about an hour northwest in Tooele, Utah, for NASCAR. Having never really watched NASCAR let alone photographed it, I tried my best beforehand to familiarize myself with the sport and the specific photos NASCAR wanted me to get from the full day of racing. Preparations can only do so much, however, but I found myself having more fun and less stress than I anticipated as I soaked up the loud, fast cars, hot sun and orchestrated pit crews. Everything I saw was a brand-new experience for me to photograph, and it was a treat of a day. More photos from the races can be seen here: provodh.com/e9xfs 

Looking forward to July, it's uncertain just how weird the month will feel. I'll still be photographing Fourth of July and Pioneer Day fireworks, but there'll be no crowds and none of the usual fanfare leading up to the events (like Stadium of Fire – an annual rock concert featuring dance displays, skydivers, big-wig speakers, and of course, fireworks). Regardless of what life throws at me at work, I'm excited to have my parents visiting me in Utah for two weeks, and being able to visit my girlfriend in Sacramento for the first time to see what her life is like at her 1-2 year Report for America fellowship with the Sacramento Bee.

Blaine Perkins, driver of the #9 Sunrise Ford/Four Star Fruit-Lucas Oil Ford, gets settled in the driver’s seat just before the first ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame race for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

Lawless Alan, driver of the #12 AUTOParkit Toyota, competes during the first ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame race for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

Fans watch as cars round a corner during the first ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame race for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020. In accordance with county and state regulations, all guests’ temperatures were taken at the gate, and social-distancing rules were enforced. A limited run of 500 spectator tickets were available for the event.

A crew member of Giovanni Scelzi’s #16 NAPA Auto Parts/Curb Records Ford, preps tires before qualifying for the ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

A young fan watches as Kris Wright, driver of the #7 Pitts Racing Chevrolet, competes during the second ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame race for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

Jesse Love, driver of the #19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota, hugs one of his crew members after winning the first ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame race for the ARCA Menards Series West at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2020.

Burn scars from the Elberta Fire remain on the mountainside while cows graze at Elberta Valley AG southwest of Goshen on Monday, June 8, 2020. The wildfire was sparked by an undetermined cause late on Friday night and eventually grew to roughly 2,000 acres, but was 100% contained by Tuesday morning, and reportedly didn’t cause any serious damage to property.

Orem head coach Pablo Barker-Valdez tries to set pads upright before softball practice held at Orem High School on Monday, June 1, 2020. The pad, along with several spots on the dugout, were vandalized with racist and homophobic graffiti over the weekend.

Volunteer McKay Martin, a registered nurse and senior in Utah Valley University’s nursing program, takes vitals from a patient as fellow volunteer Dianne McAdams-Jones, a faculty member in UVU’s nursing program, takes notes at the Volunteer Care Clinic in Provo on Thursday, June 18, 2020. The clinic is free and often serves disadvantaged individuals and is staffed by retired and volunteer doctors, physicians assistants, nurses and pre-med and nursing students from Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.

Trent Christensen, CEO and president of VentureCapital.org, poses for a portrait at his home in the Daybreak community of South Jordan on Friday, June 5, 2020. Christensen is looking to win Utah's 4th Congressional District seat over the position’s current incumbent, U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams.

Heather Browning, an operations associate with Zagster, unloads a fully-charged scooter to be placed along University Avenue in downtown Provo on Thursday, June 4, 2020. Electric scooters are coming back to Utah County. The three-month COVID-19 hiatus brought big changes and upgrades to the popular transportation choice in Provo along with new scooter companies in Provo, Orem and Lehi.

Denise DeVynck inspects an elderberry bush for signs of damage from pesticides at the Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens and Greenhouse in Orem on Thursday, June 25, 2020. After six years of maintaining and cultivating a self-sustaining ecosystem, DeVynck, who is the director of the Utah Valley Permaculture Classroom Gardens and Greenhouse and who has taught hundreds Utahns how to grow their own gardens, believes her “personal heaven” is threatened by pesticide drift.

Maple Mountain pitcher Cooper Littledike (10) loses his hat after delivering a pitch during a game between the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles and the Provo Bulldogs as part of the Last Chance Tournament held Thursday, June 4, 2020, at Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork. After the high school baseball season was cancelled due to coronavirus, the Last Chance Tournament, a single-elimination bracket, was held once restrictions loosened in lieu of a traditional playoffs.

Volunteers Ethan Stauffer, 14, and Claire Dean, 13, pour sanitizer into bottles at the SCERA Center for the Arts on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in Orem. When the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theater opens for the summer season Friday, at-risk patrons will be handed a special gift. In a joint partnership, the SCERA and Central Bank are providing small bottles of hand sanitizer to at-risk patrons concerned about the coronavirus, according to Adam Robertson, president and CEO of SCERA.

Shae Orme, 9, of Saratoga Springs, makes her way down the slide during an open plunge at the Scera Park Pool on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, in Orem. Two weeks ago, Gov. Gary Herbert announced the change from orange (moderate-risk phase) to yellow (low-risk phase) concerning the coronavirus during his weekly news conference. The Orem Recreation Department had a plan ready to go to help residents get back to the pool, the ballparks and the fields.

Joseph Freeman poses for a portrait in his West Valley City home on Friday, June 5, 2020. Freeman was the first Black man of African descent, since the time of Joseph Smith, to receive priesthood from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was baptized on Saturday, Sept. 20, 1973, and received priesthood on Sunday, June 11, 1978.

Community members check out several petroglyphs on a rock during a tour of the northeastern area of West Mountain on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. This area of the mountainside is home to roughly 100 Native American petroglyphs, but the rock art is also in a popular area for shooting firearms and mining operations looking to expand, both of which threaten the petroglyphs.

MacCene Grimmett, 106, poses for a portrait at her home in Provo on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Grimmett was born on Friday, June 13, 1913, and will turn 107 on Saturday.

Isabella McMurry, 7, of Highland, excitedly eyes the cheese from her pizza slice as she prepares to take a bite at Summit Pizza Co. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Lehi. Summit Pizza Co. is one of 700,000 restaurants across several hundred thousand locations on the new PopDish app, which was created by a Utah County couple.

Don Milne, founder and director of Stories Behind the Stars,  poses for a portrait with mementos from his own family’s WWII history at his mother-in-law’s home in the Daybreak community of South Jordan on Friday, June 26, 2020. Stories Behind the Stars is a national nonprofit initiative started this year with the goal of telling the stories of all 400,000-plus Americans who died during World War II.

Warehouse manager Devin Killian fills a customer’s order at Duncan's Fireworks in Springville on Monday, June 29, 2020. Formerly Provo Fireworks, the company was renamed Duncan’s Fireworks to honor its founder, Duncan Neil Lillico, who died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism in 2018.

Graduating senior Justin Mecham does a handstand just before receiving his diploma during Timpanogos High School’s drive-thru diploma ceremony Tuesday, May 26, 2020, in Orem.

---

Drive-thru high school graduations may be my new favorite thing to photograph.

Coronavirus has forced so many things to either be drastically altered or canceled all together, and graduations are no exception. However in this case, the altered protocol might have vastly improved the event. Many high school graduations changed to generally fit the following format: Students parade single-file into the front parking lot of the school in decorated vehicles full of their families, students then get out of their vehicles as they approach the typical stage with diplomas and go up one-by-one to receive them from the principal as usual, then they walk a few yards, re-enter their family's vehicle, and drive off in style. Schools typically held the graduations over a few consecutive days for a few hours, so that there weren't as many crowds, and they could take their time going through graduates and not have one massively long day. However, each school had its own version it followed, and in general these changes really spiced up these graduations visually. Graduations are typically held in an assembly line fashion in two large event centers, not allowing for especially exciting light or compositions, which grinds down variety between the 15 public schools we most frequently cover.

I got to the majority of those 15 high school graduation ceremonies over the last two weeks of the month.Otherwise, I had a large influx of stories in need of visuals from other reporters throughout the month that kept me covering usually 3-4 assignments a day while also covering photo editor managerial duties. 

Breaking news also cropped up in Utah County more than usual in May. We had an officer-involved shooting that followed a hit-and-run with murky details later released about what transpired, but no deaths, another domestic shooting resulting from a burglary gone wrong, and two teenage girls went missing after swimming in Utah Lake, and whose bodies were found eight days later washed up on the shores of the lake eight miles apart. The latter of which was the most sad, yet dynamic story, and was a humbling experience to photograph when their bodies were found and put an end to the search, and hopefully, gave their families some sort of closure.

Breaking news seemed to be a large national focus throughout the United States as protests erupted in cities across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Even Salt Lake City, what I consider to be a sleepy metropolitan city, saw vehicles flipped and in flames. However, Salt Lake City generally falls outside of the Daily Herald's coverage area, so we haven't been doing any reporting on the unrest from our staff, and a protest in Provo was quite small and calm. George Floyd's death has made me keenly remember my experiences in Minneapolis covering the aftermath of Philando Castile's death when he was killed by a police officer in 2016. I learned so much then about the state of social justice in the U.S. and the Black Lives Matter and related movements, and it revolutionized how I think about protests and the role of the media in times such as these. I've been thinking often on those lessons lately.

Personally, this month was also a rollercoaster. My partner got a reporting position with Report for America at the Sacramento Bee for 1-2 years, and starts her first day today. She has been my source of constant support, and though we are now dating at a distance, I know we're as well-equipped as any to tackle the challenge and grow. I am so proud of her accomplishments that have led her to Sacramento, and I know that wherever her future is, it is bright. While she's away, I'll continue to work on myself, bike to my heart's content, and more fervently foster the good group of friends I'm fortunate to have here in Utah. 

Graduating senior Kerri Christensen waves to faculty and staff members as they cheer her on during Timpview High School’s drive-thru diploma ceremony Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Provo.

Donavon Cheff, an airport maintenance coordinator, disinfects seats within the terminal after passengers boarded a flight at the Provo Airport on Thursday, April 16, 2020. According to a recent Bloomberg online report, two-thirds of the world’s jets are not currently in use. Many airlines are flying with only a handful of customers on board and, in some cases, no passengers. Allegiant Air, which services the Provo airport, has gone from 19 flights a week to one or two depending on the week, according to Steve Gleason, the airport’s manager.

---

The coronavirus craziness that seeped into Utah in March became the "new normal" in April – Whatever "normal" is, at this point.

However, I don't things will ever fully go back to "normal". Despite the world getting a bit more in control of COVID-19 lately, I believe the varying hygienic precautions people and businesses have implemented will linger for quite some time, and make everyone reevaluate hygiene in a personal and public sense going forward. Which, is a good thing – It's just unfortunate that it took a global pandemic and over 200,000 deaths worldwide to get everyone to be a little more proactive about hygiene.

April was a month of self-reliance, for me. I felt more like an editor than ever this past month. I often touched base with nearly every reporter we have on staff most every day to cultivate photo opportunities for stories while working with our editors to ensure that my photos were used efficiently across the days we publish. The coronavirus pandemic (and our company's quota of 2-4 stories a day, every day for writers) has severely limited the time and ability of our reporters to cultivate photo opportunities, so I've had to lead the charge in not only creating my own photo assignments, but obviously photographing them as well. Practically every work day in April for me began with reaching out to several writers about several stories, in the hopes that we could set something up for the next day's front page, as most photo opportunities or options never got off the ground without my direction. I'd be lying if I said being a truly full-time photo editor and full-time photographer wasn't spreading me crazy thin and driving me a bit nuts, but the challenges of working at a newspaper grow harder every single month, and I do enjoy rising to that challenge.

April was also a month of big changes at the newspaper (yet again). We cut our Sunday edition (combining our Saturday and Sunday newspapers as the new "Weekend Edition", so we publish just six days a week now). A paywall was implemented on our website, our sports editor (who has worked at the Daily Herald for quite some time) was furloughed indefinitely, and two of our three open positions were frozen indefinitely due to the coronavirus (the third position was filled by our features editor, who now effectively works two full-time jobs). Three positions may not sound like a lot, but when there's only nine full-time people at the Daily Herald every day (myself included), it severely limits the content we can produce. However, these issues are not exclusive to the Daily Herald, but have long been a nationwide trend, a trend that has been exponentially exacerbated by COVID-19.

For now, I am grateful to simply have food in my fridge, a roof over my head and a job (and one I love, at that). I am truly one of the lucky ones to still be standing, and I hope to stay standing for some time to come.

Jonathan Nellemann and Amanda Weigle kiss during their digital marriage-license ceremony officiated by the Utah County Clerk and Auditor, Amelia Powers Gardner, on Friday, April 17, 2020, at the couple’s home in Park City. Utah County is operating the only online marriage license portal in the world, allowing couples to get hitched via video conferencing in light on the coronavirus pandemic.

Caution tape restricts access to North Park on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, in Spanish Fork. With new orders, directives and announcements related to the COVID-19 pandemic coming down from the state regularly, Spanish Fork city officials want to keep residents up to speed and help them understand how the pandemic will impact the city.

Coronavirus statistics from the Utah Department of Health’s website are displayed at the Utah County Health Department’s COVID-19 call center Tuesday, April 14, 2020, in Provo. The call center estimates they processes 25 to 100 calls every day.

Bus technician Don Harman talks with a co-worker after tightening components on a school bus during a tune-up at the Alpine School District East Transportation Bus Garage on Thursday, April 2, 2020, in American Fork. The more than 400 buses operated by Alpine School District are parked in two garages in Utah County as schools around the state are closed due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. While the buses aren’t being used, they are all being checked out by technicians to ensure they’re all operating optimally.

Heather Robison helps guide her son, Quinton, 5, through a lesson in a workbook from The Good and the Beautiful at the Robison family’s home Tuesday, April 14, 2020, in Saratoga Springs. The Good and the Beautiful, a Lehi-based home schooling business, has helped students to continue learning as schools across the nation closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eddy Leon wipes excess lubricant off a bicycle’s chain at Eddy’s Bicycle Barn on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Cedar Hills. “I want people to be on bicycles,” said Leon, owner of Eddy’s Bicycle Barn. “So, I will work on any type of bike; anything that has a chain and wheels, I will work on it.” To see more photos and read the story from this Monday Close-Up, which published early in April, click here: provodh.com/8uxv6 

Antonio Smith, 6, smiles with his parents, Farahnaz and Shawn, as they pose together for a portrait Monday, April 13, 2020, in a rental home in Provo. The Smiths came from San Fernando, Trinidad, after winning plane tickets and highly-discounted therapy from the Now I Can Foundation to treat their son, Antonio. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the family is now stuck in the United States until travel restrictions are lifted.

Passengers depart an Allegiant Air flight at the Provo Airport on Thursday, April 16, 2020.

Health care worker Janelle Hardy goes over testing instructions with Jenny Hubbart, of Farr West, at a COVID-19 testing site erected outside the Provo Towne Centre mall Friday, April 3, 2020. According to a press release published Thursday by the Silicone Slopes Serves initiative, which is managing a private-public sponsorship to set up new testing facilities, the initiative will double the state’s daily testing capacity from 3,000 to over 6,000 tests a day. For more information on filling out an assessment, scheduling an appointment, finding testing sites or other information concerning COVID-19, visit: testutah.com. 

A shopper walks into Walmart on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, in Orem.

McKell Denkers, left, and Ryan Alysse pose for a portrait outside their apartment Friday, April 10, 2020, in Orem. Denkers worked with concrete at a construction company and Alysse worked as a dishwasher for Golden Corral, and both were laid off due to COVID-19.

A photo illustration depicts a threat to online voting: hackers. Barbara Simons, an AAAS fellow and board chair of Verified Voting, said internet voting, which includes mobile and blockchain voting, “can be attacked by anyone from anywhere” and that it can take months to determine whether a system has been hacked.

Provo boys soccer head coach Cesar Cardoso poses for a portrait Wednesday, April 22, 2020, at Provo High School. After 32 years of coaching the boys soccer team at Provo High School, Cardoso is retiring.

Ezra Callis, 9, plays with one of the farm’s goats as he climbs a tree at Hedgerow Hill Farm on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in the Spanish Fork River Bottoms.

Volunteers Jamie and Jeff Dunbabin, both of Highland, load groceries into a family’s vehicle at the Tabitha's Way North County Food Pantry on Friday, April 17, 2020, in American Fork. Major changes have been put into place at Tabitha’s Way food pantries in American Fork and Spanish Fork in order to continue helping those in need in ways that protect against the spread of COVID-19. The food bank is now a drive-thru service, where people drive up and pick up bags and boxes of food that are loaded into their cars by volunteers.

Jenna Parker, owner of Macs a la Mode, poses for a portrait at her business in Orem on Thursday, April 23, 2020. Parker is hoping to hold a senior prom for Utah Valley high school seniors, whenever COVID-19 concerns subside enough to allow for the event to take place safely.

Tennyson Whiting, of Payson, and Kyra Poduska, of South Jordan, joke with one another in the bed of Poduska’s pickup truck atop the Flight Park State Recreation Area in Draper while Lake Mountain and Lehi are seen in the background on Monday, April 6, 2020. The two were going to paint in the bed of the pickup, but high winds thwarted their plans.

Graduating seniors Haylee MacGillveray, center, and Mayah Johnson receive graduation caps, gowns and yard signs from principal Steve Stewart at Pleasant Grove High School on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Seniors were able to pick up pre-ordered caps and gowns Wednesday, along with honor cords and graduation signs to display in their front yards. A graduation walk will take place the final four days of school (May 21, 22, 26 and 27) for graduates and their immediate family, observing proper social distancing guidelines.

Substitute teacher Scott Bronson poses for a portrait beside his community library on the porch of his Provo home Friday, April 10, 2020. Bronson has been subbing in K-12 classrooms for the past seven years, and has been hired significantly less with statewide school closures in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Stephen Hansen, of Cedar Hills, hands a customer his ice cream at the drive-thru of the new, second location of Brooker's Founding Flavors Ice Cream in Provo on Friday, April 24, 2020.

Bicyclists riding along the Murdock Canal Trail check out the progress of the Ranson family, from left, Jeff, Dustin, 13, Tyler, 16, Natalie, and Porter, 10, as they reproduce an inspirational message out of chalk at their home in Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. The message read, “Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day.” The family changes the message every four days or so as a way to uplift those that use the popular trail amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Alfredo Cornell, of Draper, secures his sailboat to a dock at the Lindon Marina on Thursday, April 9, 2020.