Creative Direction and DOP at Vox Magazine
In 2025 and 2026, I served as Vox Magazine's Director of Photography and led a team of over 50 visual journalists to create premiere journalism products for a monthly print magazine and digital publication for the city of Columbia, Missouri. In addition to typical creative direction tasks - photoshoot and graphic planning and execution for all of Vox's products, I also taught young photojournalists who were often being exposed to magazine journalism and studio photography for the first time, since the University of Missouri got rid of its studio photography class years back. This allowed me to refine my abilities as a photographer as I taught and made the medium accessible to the future of photojournalism.
"A myriad of people, grants and organizations have been working to make access to sexual health care cheaper and easier in Boone County.
And it’s working.
Boone County STI cases have been on the decline this year, and local health department experts say low-cost care is the reason. Between 2023 and 2024, gonorrhea cases fell by a quarter, and syphilis cases fell by over a third."
"Regardless, households nationwide remain on their toes. Americans spend nearly four hours a day thinking about their finances, according to research from Empower, a financial services company. About 54% of respondents say they are thinking about money more often than they did last year, reflecting an increase in financial anxiety.
Vox asked five Columbia experts in financial planning about what factors we should all be considering."
"With JoJo’s Biscuit Company opening in Columbia in September, Vox has been thinking about the many businesses in town that serve biscuits. From Southern staples to creations you might not have seen before, these local spots bake up a lineup that covers it all.
These biscuits don’t just satisfy that indulgent craving for a biscuit. They also show how creative Columbia’s kitchens can get when flour, butter and a little imagination come together."
"I grew up skiing in Colorado, where winter revolves around outdoor sports, so finding cold-weather activities in Missouri that keep me moving is far less obvious than it is in my home state. Even so, Columbia offers plenty of ways to stay active during the winter months, and getting your heart rate up can yield a variety of health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even one session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can improve sleep, reduce anxiety and blood pressure, sharpen brain health and strengthen the immune system."
Keeping Chordbusters in the family
"For decades, the Boonslick Chordbusters have kept the melodic tradition of unaccompanied four-part harmony of barbershop performance alive in Columbia. The all-male-presenting chorus first debuted in 1997, when several local quartets joined forces with fellow barbershop enthusiasts across mid-Missouri. Today, they gather every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. for rehearsals at Whitmore Recital Hall in the University of Missouri Fine Arts building. The four parts — lead, tenor, baritone and bass — work together to create the genre’s signature sound. But in this group, there aren’t just four singers — it’s a full chorus with the close-knit feel of family. And for some members, it runs in the family. Vox sat down with three father-son duos who share the stage together."
Whether you’ve picked up a pool cue before — or have no idea what that is — or are looking for weekly tournament play and cash prizes, there’s a pool hall in Columbia for you. Here’s what Vox racked up on the local billiards scene.
Behind the scenes
Creative direction, studio photography, and journalism are not always the glitz and glamor its marketed as in Gilmore Girls (which is why I originally wanted to be a journalist). Thankfully, there's always lots of cameras on hand to catch you at your worst and best behind the scenes. Especially when working with students, many of whom had never set foot in a studio before getting an assignment for Vox Magazine, I was heavily involved in the staging, prop management, lighting, and photoshoot execution alongside my students. Endless test shots, staring directly into a honeycomb light attempting to get the light just right, and lots of days spent hunting around Columbia for the perfect props.
These might be the less glamorous parts of the job, as defined by Rory Gilmore and so many romantic comedies (seriously, why so many?!) but they are the parts I love the most. The trying things out, the crazed brainstorming sessions, the times I sat down on the studio floor with frustrated photographers because nobody told them there would be so much math in photojournalism school. That problem solving and creative flow state is what I look forward to one hundred times over the polished final products.
Enjoy this silly gallery of behind-the-scenes shots from my time at Vox.
