The spring semester has ended at San Jose State University. Like most students, I looked forward to summer as a time to relax, go on vacation, and get away from school for a few months. Having planned camping expeditions across the Western United States, I quickly learned that this is not the case for the student photojournalist. In order to get ready for shooting on the Spartan Daily, and to improve my photography overall, I was instructed to go and find a summer internship, or at the least, take pictures everyday (and not of the snapshot/vacation variety).

I quickly emailed a few local (Los Angeles) newspapers and began corresponding with editors. Luckily I found my summer internship at the Rafu Shimpo, a newspaper printed in Japanese & English that has been in circulation since 1903. I am now one of two photographers shooting for the English section of the Rafu and starting this Friday that photography/photo editor will be gone for a week, leaving me with many of his responsibilities much to my surprise. I know that I will either learn a lot, or fall flat on my face. Either way it will be fun. Much more fun than having my campsite ransacked by bears…