{"id":772626,"date":"2026-05-04T13:08:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/772626\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T13:08:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:08:33","slug":"local-lens-6-months-as-block-club-chicagos-inaugural-photojournalism-intern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/772626\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Lens: 6 Months As Block Club Chicago’s Inaugural Photojournalism Intern"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local Lens<\/a>\u00a0is a series where Block Club Chicago explores the story behind the photograph.<\/p>\n

CHICAGO \u2014 I knew I wanted to be a journalist because I loved telling stories, but I rarely thought about how I\u2019d tell my own. Luckily, this is a job that leaves you with a story to tell every single day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

From my first day with Block Club in November, it\u2019s been a whirlwind of emotions. For six months, I\u2019ve woken up early for shoots, traveled to parts of the city I\u2019d never visited and stayed up into the wee hours of the morning editing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photojournalists are \u201cprofessional noticers<\/a>\u201d \u2014 as originally put by Vanity Fair photographer Christopher Anderson \u2014 and I\u2019ve enjoyed being able to notice on such a wonderful stage.<\/p>\n

And every Block Club reporter I\u2019ve worked with has taught me something meaningful about this job. Though their styles are different, they all have their ways of immersing themselves in the community and telling deep stories.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so happy that my photos have been able to play a role in that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Chicago, every neighborhood feels like its own city. Every community has its own visual identity, from the German architecture and Puerto Rican murals of Humboldt Park to the terra cotta arches of Chinatown.<\/p>\n

The streets, much like its people, have stories to tell. I\u2019ll take any excuse to capture that.<\/p>\n

See Jeremy\u2019s favorite photos from his internship:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Students protest during a walkout outside of River Park on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Marimar Martinez listens during a news conference in the Loop on Feb. 11, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/ Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Fredrick Jackson sits in between rounds in the Battle of the Badges at De La Salle Institute on Friday, April 17, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"A patron enjoys a drink at Red Pepper\u2019s Lounge at 428 E. 87th St. on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"A community member demonstrates during the Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability\u2019s community meeting at Kelly High School on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Families await the debut of rhino calf Hazina at the Lincoln Park Zoo on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Lilly Frazer uses a welding torch while teaching her ringmaking class at Lillstreet Art Center on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Willie Wilson stands near the window of his Loop high rise home on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"A dog sits in a cage at Chicago Animal Care and Control, 2741 S. Western Ave., on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Igor Does My Bike owner Igor Kolomiychenko works on bikes at 3650 N Recreation Drive on Monday, April 13, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Trays of Rosca de Reyes sit at La Baguette on 3103 W. 26th St. on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Chicago Reader editor Sarah Conway sifts through the Reader\u2019s records at 2930 S. Michigan Ave. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Records sit inside Out of the Past Records at 4407 W. Madison St. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Members of the U.S. Coast Guard watch from the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, Chicago\u2019s Christmas Ship, after it docked at Navy Pier on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks with press in his ceremonial office at City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\"\"CPD boxer Esteban Gonzalez misses against CFD boxer Nick Chevas during the Battle of the Badges at De La Salle Institute on Friday, April 17, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

Support Freedom of the Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

Independent journalism like this only exists because of readers like you.<\/strong> This World Press Freedom Day, help Block Club raise $20,000<\/strong><\/a> to fuel high-impact investigations that hold Chicago\u2019s institutions and leaders accountable. Make your tax-deductible donation here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local Lens\u00a0is a series where Block Club Chicago explores the story behind the photograph. CHICAGO \u2014 I knew…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":772627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,1033,171,1322,316762,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-772626","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-featured","13":"tag-local-lens","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116516468951816551","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}