Branson Thurgood, 8, of Saratoga Springs, returns fire with his water gun as a water-gun fight ensues during the Splash Bash Water Party as part of Saratoga Springs' Splash Days on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at  Sunrise Meadows Park. A few thousand children got soaked with suds and water during the annual event, according to Corrine Prestwich, assistant civic events coordinator with the city of Saratoga Springs. "Our splash bash is one of the highlights of our splash days," she said. The Saratoga Springs Fire Department held a foam-zone for younger kids, and also sprayed their fire truck's hose into the air to douse older children, all the while others took part in water-gun fights. Water-ballon launches, provided by the local Kiwanis Club, as well as water slides added to the wet fun. "We get a lot of great community support from our youth council and volunteers that really make it happen and keep all the kids safe," explained Prestwich.

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It's summertime once again in Utah County.

With school out, sports seasons over and families on vacation, things have slowed down a bit. Many of my assignments featured Utah summertime staples: water fights, foam pits, city celebrations, carnivals and American flags. To me, the Beehive State is filled with Americana, and summer is a wonderful time to explore themes of patriotism, the great outdoors, family and carefree kid fun. Summer has grown on me as a favorite time to photograph in "Happy Valley". What assignments I did photograph were generally fun, however, scrounging together stories to fill the newspaper becomes more of a challenge when things are slow.

That challenge was exacerbated by a corporate decision in June that frankly left me a bit beside myself: We will not be hiring another photographer at the Daily Herald. I will be a one-man band in the photo department from here on out.

Despite being the sole photographer/photo editor at the newspaper, I can fortunately say that I am not totally alone in my job of filling the paper with solid visuals. Fellow editors have stepped up with helping coordinate freelance photographers for assignments, and reporters have been more willing to take their own photos for stories, or reach out to the community for provided art. From here on out, utilizing freelance photographers and reporters taking their own photos will be the only way that the newspaper can move forward. I will still cover as many visual bases (both on assignment and in the newsroom) as possible, but it is simply impossible for me to adequately photograph a community of over 600,000 people by myself. I am excited to help coach our reporters to take better pictures, although doing so out of sheer necessity has left me a bit sad.

After over two months of trying to do everything in terms of visuals at the newspaper, leading the hiring process and asking for updates week after week, I do have to say that this decision hurts. We have already had to forgo covering so many things in the community with continual cutbacks, and I am afraid this is simply just another setback in an industry that continues to spiral downward – especially in small-and-medium-sized newspapers. I am fortunate to at least work with people in the newsroom that have my back and the community's best interests in mind, and we will do the very best we can with what we have.

Members of the Provo Fire and Police Departments along with the Utah County Sheriff's Office keep American flags within the flames as they're retired during the Freedom Festival's flag retirement ceremony held Friday, June 14, 2019, at Memorial Park in Provo.

Jovie Shepherd, 4, of Provo, wraps her arms around her father, CJ, as the audience prays during the Freedom Festival's flag retirement ceremony held Friday, June 14, 2019, at Memorial Park in Provo.

Pleasant Grove shortstop Brock Watkins demonstrates his throwing mechanics as he poses for a portrait Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at Pleasant Grove High School. A senior, Watkins plans to play for Brigham Young University's baseball team in the fall.

Malissa Craig, of Santaquin, left, jokes with Tawni Shipley, of Provo, while she unloads a tree limb into a dumpster in which Chad Bishoff, of Spanish Fork, has been compacting tree limbs while employees from Zions Bank along with their families and friends volunteer to fix-up the home and property of David and Debbie Bethers on Monday, June 10, 2019, in Springville.

Ticket taker Robert Hoffarth looks out over the carnival's midway as he awaits the next customer during Springville's Art City Days held Thursday, June 6, 2019, near the Springville Civic Center.

From left, Reese Barron, Avrey Arbuckle and Kelsie Reed, all 13-year olds from Springville, laugh together as they spin around on a ride during Springville's Art City Days held Thursday, June 6, 2019, near the Springville Civic Center. 

South Summit's Zane Young readies his boots before competing during a preliminary morning go-around as part of the Utah High School Rodeo Association Finals held Thursday, June 6, 2019, at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber City.

Pleasant Grove center-back defender Cameron Pennock juggles the ball as he poses for a portrait Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at Pleasant Grove High School. A senior, Pennock will soon serve a mission in Gilbert, Arizona.

Cody Lemley, 16, of Graford, Texas, attempts to extend his vertical jump during a practice session as part of The Dunk Camp held Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at Norton Performance Training in Highland.

Nate Patterson, 14, of American Fork, right, and American Fork freshman Alec Jackson, second from right, react with their friends after a dunk during The Dunk Show held Thursday, June 27, 2019, at American Fork High School. This image, as well as the previous one, were a part of my most recent Monday Close-Up – See more about The Dunk Camp here: provodh.com/6sbcy 

Ryan Wood, of Pleasant Grove, second from right, Beckham Rosenthal, 11, of American Fork, right, and Tricia Beck, of Lehi, left, work with other volunteers to clean and move tables as part of a service project undertaken by employees of Nu Skin, along with their family and friends, on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, at Amelia Earhart Elementary School in Provo. Nu Skin held roughly 30 such volunteer efforts throughout the valley, and also around the world, as part of the company's annual "Force for Good Day".

Jenny Phillips, founder of The Good and the Beautiful, poses for a portrait Friday, June 14, 2019, at the curriculum company's warehouse in Lehi.

Stella Earl, 7, right, catches a beanbag on her racket as she participates in an activity along with Eleanor Taggart, 7, center left, and other students as part of Orem Elementary's garden club on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at the school in Orem. The club came about from a $3,000 grant from Fuel Up to Play 60, which is sponsored by the NFL and the National Dairy Council. The program is required to have both nutritional and physical components, and this activity helped students polish up their racket fundamentals for sports like tennis.

The Mountainland Friendly Callers program pairs homebound seniors with volunteers that call at least once a week to help the seniors that the program serves fight loneliness, and gives them a social connection that they otherwise might not be able to foster. (Left image) Johna Lew poses for a portrait Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at her home in Elk Ridge. Lew and Carol Ann Heuer have been talking to each other for roughly the past six months as part of the Mountainland Friendly Callers program. (Right image) Carol Ann Heuer talks with Johna Lew, of Elk Ridge, on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at Heuer's home in Provo. The two have never met in person, and they talk to each other once a week. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald (These two images ran together in print as a diptych to illustrate this story)

The National Parks fiddler Megan Taylor Parks performs during the first show of the final season for the Provo Rooftop Concert Series held Friday, June 7, 2019, in downtown Provo.

Fans listen as The National Parks perform during the first show of the final season for the Provo Rooftop Concert Series held Friday, June 7, 2019, in downtown Provo.

Claire Fehrenbacker, 4, of Springville, stands on her tiptoes as her mother buys ride wristbands for Claire and her siblings during Springville's Art City Days held Thursday, June 6, 2019, near the Springville Civic Center.

Gracie Tait, a fifth-grader from Ascent Academy's Lehi Campus, prays before performing with other fifth-graders during the second night of the 2019 Hope of America Student Showcase held Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo. Every year for three nights, over 8,000 fifth-grade students from over 100 Utah schools come together in red, white, and blue to form the American Flag and perform patriotic songs with choreography.

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I'm not going to lie, May was rough.

All the challenges I met last month when I became the photo editor and sole photographer at the Daily Herald got more encumbering as Utah County went into high gear with loads of things happening. Most notably were seven different state sports tournaments (with as much time spent in rain delays as playing games) and graduations for the more than a dozen high schools in our coverage area. Though I'm alone, I am fortunate to be able to hire local freelancer photographers to help carry the load.

What May boiled down to was maximizing how many assignments I could semi-reasonably get to in a day, and hiring freelancers for whatever holes were left. That resulted in me often focusing on front-page and less straightforward assignments and having freelancers cover sports. However, I still got a decent sampling of sports, since there were so many games to go around. Being the chief point of contact for visuals for freelance photographers, staff writers, editors and image sales as well as pursuing my own stories does leave me feeling spread quite thin. I had planned to hire a chief photographer in mid-April, but the retirement of our publisher and corporate dealings delayed the process. What I thought would be two weeks to a month of being solo has turned into seven weeks, and I am sure it will at least be another few weeks before I know if we'll even hire another photographer or not.

Besides the growing pains of being a new photo editor, the past month was very rewarding. A good amount of the assignments I photographed were meaningful and continue to remind me of how much I love being a newspaper photographer. My respect for photojournalism was deepened when I got out of town for a weekend and drove to Denver to attend The Image Deconstructed Workshop. The workshop revitalized my appreciation for the many different roles photography can play in connecting people and concepts, and made me think of ways to employ the visual arts as a career outside of traditional newspaper journalism. 

However, The Image Deconstructed (TID) primarily focused on the human role we as photographers play in connecting with those in front of our lenses, and thinking outside of ourselves to help to create the most honest, considerate images possible. This, out of everything else, is something I personally feel like one can lose working at a newspaper, especially with limited resources. It's easy to pump out images from assignments without really considering how profound our roles as visual storytellers are in communities. Even more profound than always thinking through – I mean genuinely thinking through – our roles, is reflecting on how considering our own identities is essential in the photographic process. While working I've so frequently thought of myself inadvertently in this neutral, sterile perspective in which to reflect those I photograph. While it is crucial to be fair and balanced in journalism, one must put themselves out there to engage with people and not act as if we are these invisible "flies on the wall". This kind of introspection has led me to pause and think of my approach to my work on a daily basis, and also dig more deeply into how I view myself and "who" I am.

Joshua Christensen processes with other soon-to-be graduates before receiving their diplomas during Westlake High School's graduation ceremony held Wednesday, May 29, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

Pleasant Grove head coach Darin Henry holds up the championship trophy as he celebrates with players after defeating the Lone Peak Knights 5-4 in nine innings during the UHSAA 6A Baseball State Championship game Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

Kaylyn Shinners, widow of the late Provo Police Officer Joseph Shinners, hugs Provo Police Sergeant Sean Ellefsen as he holds a plaque dedicated to her late husband during a memorial service held to honor fallen Provo police officers Monday, May 13, 2019, at Provo City Center. Officer Shinners was killed by a suspect he was investigating at a Bed Bath & Beyond in Orem on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019.

Elizabeth Chantry, a soon-to-be graduate of Timpanogos High School, eyes her music as she practices playing the flute Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at her home in Orem. Chantry is legally blind and has approximately 20/400 vision, due to a condition called dominant optic nerve atrophy, so she has to be very close to her music to make out the notes.

The American Fork River flows over rocks and logs just south of Tibble Fork Reservoir on Thursday, May 23, 2019, in American Fork Canyon. The increased water flow coming down rivers like the Provo and American Fork rivers after frequent rainstorms are a major safety concern, according to Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

Tony Gibson, a diving instructor and an owner of North American Divers, gets his breathing apparatus into place before a diving class held by his dive shop Thursday, May 9, 2019, at a private residence in Lindon.

Pleasant Grove defender Camden Read (3) embraces forward CJ Wiggins (14) after the Vikings fell to Weber 3-1 during a semifinal match in the UHSAA 6A Boys Soccer State Tournament between the Pleasant Grove Vikings and the Weber Warriors held Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper.

Lone Peak outfielder Trey Gambill (20) and Pleasant Grove shortstop Brock Watkins (2) react as Gambill is called safe at second base during the UHSAA 6A Baseball State Championship game between the Pleasant Grove Vikings and the Lone Peak Knights held Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

Milo Yuan, 7, of Provo, waves an American flag as his mother, Katherine, adjusts his cap during Provo's annual Memorial Day service held Monday, May 27, 2019, at the Provo City Cemetery. Milo's father is a U.S. Army veteran.

Alan Farnes, of Provo, rides his bicycle on West Center Street while pushing along his sons, John, 5, left, and James, 3, in a ride-along trailer during Provo's celebration of Bike to Work Day held Wednesday, May 1, 2019.

A soon-to-be graduate sports a patch on his graduation cap during Provo High School's graduation ceremony held Monday, May 20, 2019, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

Rachel Wilkerson and her husband, Richard R. Wilkerson, owner of Wilkerson Farm, work to secure a post-hole digger on the back of a tractor as their daughter, Priscilla, 1, checks out the equipment Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at Wilkerson Farm in Orem. One of the biggest challenges facing farms and farmers in Utah County right now is the need and desire to build more homes for the growing population, and shrinking real estate for farms to subsist.

Lone Peak third baseman Cade Walker (2) tries to balance hats stacked on his head during an elimination-bracket semifinal game in the UHSAA 6A Baseball State Tournament between the Lone Peak Knights and the Syracuse Titans held Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

A kitesurfer recreates as first responders contain the scene of a crash where a semi-trailer hauling propane rolled off State Route 189 and into Deer Creek Reservoir on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in Provo Canyon. Highway 189 between State Route 113 and Wallsburg was closed for the rest of the evening to allow for a careful cleanup effort.

Scottie Meek, of Pleasant Grove and with the Salt Water Bunch, celebrates with gunfire as the train departs during a 150th anniversary of the "Golden Spike", or completion of the 1st transcontinental railroad across the U.S., held by the Heber Valley Historic Railroad on Friday, May 10, 2019, in Heber City.

Pleasant Grove pitcher Jackson Hill (1) slides across home plate past Lone Peak catcher Keegan Nitta (8) to tie the game 2-2 during the UHSAA 6A Baseball State Championship between the Pleasant Grove Vikings and the Lone Peak Knights held Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

Eloise Hyde, 8, of Bluffdale, takes video of her surroundings before the train departs during a 150th anniversary of the "Golden Spike", or completion of the 1st transcontinental railroad across the U.S., held by the Heber Valley Historic Railroad on Friday, May 10, 2019, in Heber City.

Clare Oliphant, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in World War II, poses for a portrait Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at his home in Orem. Oliphant was born on June 11, 1919, and will turn 100-years old next month.

Timpanogos' Zach Jenkins (1) does a backflip to pump-up his teammates before the UHSAA 5A Baseball State Championship game between the Timpanogos Timberwolves and the Cottonwood Colts held Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

American Leadership Academy goalkeeper Marcus Haston (1) reaches for the ball, but Judge Memorial forward Dominic Arias (19) eventually scores a goal during a 3A state semifinal match between the American Leadership Academy Eagles and the Judge Memorial Bulldogs held Thursday, May 9, 2019, at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper.

Diane Trotter, 71, of Provo, waits to perform with members of Jean's Golden Girls before the opening night of the 2019 Hope of America Student Showcase held Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the Marriott Center in Provo.

Timpanogos shortstop Davis Kirby (23) tries to psych-out Cottonwood outfielder Dalton Hodge (1) during the UHSAA 5A Baseball State Championship game between the Timpanogos Timberwolves and the Cottonwood Colts held Friday, May 24, 2019, at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

Afton Black does a "Spider-Man"-inspired pose as her name is called to receive her diploma during Provo High School's graduation ceremony held Monday, May 20, 2019, at the UCCU Center in Orem.

Spanish Fork pitcher Briley Young poses for a portrait Friday, May 31, 2019, at the Spanish Fork Sports Complex. A senior, Young plans to pitch for Snow College's softball team in the fall.

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.

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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.