Wiccan Shaman Gary Herron poses for a portrait outside of his home in New Straitsville, Ohio. Herron has over 30 years of Occult and Metaphysical experience, and has a Masters Degree in Metaphysics.
Our queen, Lord and savior Adele once said, “Hello, it's me.” Since I am not her, I will instead open with a “howdy, ‘tis I once more.” Welcome once again to where I talk photo things and talk about my life at The Post and the images I create.
One thing that I genuinely love about newspaper photography (and especially about The Post) is that there is always something going on that we can cover or photograph. In the past month, I’ve been able to cover my usual shtick (sports), but I’ve also been able to photograph children’s art programs at The Ridges, hang out with living meme Zak Roe, see how water safety is maintained here in Athens, take in a playand meet a Wiccan shaman.
I was recently featured in the VisCom student spotlight, where I reflected on what inspires me as a photographer. My response? The subjects. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling, be it listening to stories, telling stories or reading stories of people who went to far off places and met incredible people. I have nothing against majors like engineering or other STEM majors, but as Scripps students, we have the opportunity to talk to people who have gone on incredible journeys, or who practice a different religion than we do or work in a profession no one really thinks much of. I’d much rather spend hours out in the field talking to someone and learning their life story — and then spend more hours in the newsroom or library editing photos or videos so I can tell their story — than sit in a laboratory or a classroom building all day.
What’s so amazing about this profession is the fact that it’s so flexible. No two days are alike, and to be honest, I absolutely love that. I’ve never been able to sit in one spot very long (unless it’s on the weekends and watching Netflix, but that’s beside the point), so being able to go to a play, drive to Marietta for a roller derby game and photograph a Wiccan shaman all in the span of a couple of days is remarkable.
I’m so thankful to be a photojournalism major and a photo editor for The Post, and I can’t wait to see what images I create in the coming weeks as this semester winds down. Thanks for reading my ranting yet again.
