Behind the lens: Richland teens experience history at Missouri governor's inauguration

After photographing the Missouri governor's inauguration Monday, a pair of Richland High School students say they now know what it’s like to be part of history.

Teacher Kyle Carter shared their work has received more than one comment of “better than the governor’s staff. "

Carter took sisters Jasmine and Jaydn Qualls to Jefferson City to work as members of the press for the event. The pair are part of Carter’s yearbook class at Richland, which focuses heavily on photography.

“To think at 17 years old, I’d be at an inauguration as a photographer and I’m surrounded by these big important people,” shared Jasmine, a junior. “The pictures I’ve seen my whole life, I’m now a part of taking those.”

Carter and the Qualls drove up and back on Monday, spending two hours in freezing temperatures to cover the event.

“The best way to describe it is cold,” Carter said. “It was 12 degrees when we got out of the truck. It had warmed up to a balmy 21 degrees when we got back in the truck two hours later.”

The students had full media credentials and had full access to photograph the event.

Carter said he makes a point of taking students out of their comfort zones at Richland and to events like the inauguration, NHL hockey games, concerts and other large venues.

“When it’s here at Richland, for the most part, it doesn’t really matter what it is, pretty much everybody here knows me,” he said. “For something like this, one, yes, it was freezing cold. Two, nobody knew them or me.

“They had to find their own spots in the crowd and locations to shoot from, introduce themselves to people. It really gets them out of their shell and into the public and be a member of the press.”

It does offer a confidence boost to have worked in this type of situation, said Jaydn, a freshman.

“I feel like we did really, really good with our photos,” she said. “Not everyone can say they’ve done that in their lifetime.”

Jaydn was impressed by the children who were part of the event, saying at that age, she would have been terrified by the size of the crowd.

The experience offered a chance to hone the skills they’ve learned throughout the yearbook, said Jasmine.

“Shooting outside is kind of hard for your settings,” she shared. “I needed to know what parts of the camera did what so I could fix it when the light changed. You have to know your angles, where you want your people, where you need to be.”

Taking photographs as part of the yearbook creates a sense of responsibility and pride, said Jasmine.

“It’s something so much bigger than me,” she said. “The places I’ve been, the things I’ve taken photos of,

knowing I’m a part of the school’s memory fills you with a sense of pride.”

While Jasmine has expressed interest in graphic design and Jaydn is unsure what her future holds, no matter where their paths take them, Carter believes they have learned skills through the yearbook that will help.

“It’s one of those things, if you go through it correctly you’re going to be able to use a lot of those skills everywhere,” he said. “It’s being prepared for job interviews, being prepared to have a conversation with someone else — so many students are scared to have a conversation — my kids aren’t like that. That’s part of what they learn.”

They learn selling, by seeking ads from businesses for yearbooks.

“They have to dress professionally. They have to be able to collect their thoughts and give a presentation,” Carter said.

They also learn to edit and peer-edit content.

“No matter what line of work you go into, it’s always good to know how to use a camera,” he added.

Former students have taken their skills into fields like real estate, faith-based positions, the legal field and more. Another student shared it’s helping her document her children’s childhood.

What has made the yearbook really enjoyable, said Jasmine, was their sponsor.

“Mr. Carter is always looking at the positives even though you have to be very serious in certain situations. He’s always there to help us if we need anything,” she said.