I look back on freshman year with a lot of different thoughts.
Could I have tried harder with my grades? Could I have branched out more? Could I have let my actions sink in deeper?
Like many first-year students, I left that year with a lot of regret, wishing I could have changed the outcome. I ended up having a reality check that summer. There was a reason I came to OU, and there was a reason I was going to finish at OU. After all, OU was the only school I applied for.
At high school in Bartlesville, I was the photo guy. Every Friday Night Lights I was out on the field with my trusty Canon 5D and 70-200 lens. I was dead set on becoming a public relations major at OU, joining Gaylord College after having attended their conferences for four years and going into a journalistic field. A hard shift in perspective with my high school job which revolved around IT service, eventually led me to pursue management information systems (MIS). I was going to be a business student.
My story at The OU Daily began in the spring of 2020. I was a second-semester sophomore, and I thought, “I always see this Caitlyn Epes name in the caption of these super cool football photos — I wonder what that is all about.” It was an early cold Tuesday morning in January when I walked into the Jenkins parking garage office for a story about their new gadget.
So, we all walked out to a parked car to see this big yellow suction cup on the windshield of a car, the famous Barnacle. I took a picture while he was explaining the device and I went on with the rest of my day, nothing much to it.
On Thursday morning, I got a message from Caitlyn, then our visual editor, on Slack that read, “Hey, just to let you know your picture is going to be used by BBC world news in their online story.”
So, I started on Monday, and by Thursday my photo got picked up by a global outlet. That was a pretty surreal experience.
I had such a drive from that point onward to pick up every assignment I could, causing some annoyance, but it was worth it. I remember I got my first sports assignment, shooting women’s basketball, and I thought, for the first time, that I did pretty decent. Little did I know that two days later, Caitlyn would be raking me over the coals for not cropping to the upper body and using a few slightly blurry photos.
Shooting a basketball game back in the earlier days of COVID-19.
Maybe this was the best way to learn: get ego-checked on Hypothesis (an annotation tool), and improve as much as you can.
Then it all came to a crashing end with COVID-19, right after I had accepted a paid position. I felt like my hands got tied behind my back, but doing a photo essay helped to alleviate that. Going in the fall as assistant visual editor there were a lot of challenges. Dealing with a small visual staff and trying to get credentials to any event, let alone two, was like pulling teeth due to all the restrictions. Being in the newsroom with the sports crew and spending five meal swipes on Canes or sneaking to the top of the stadium to get some wild photos made it all worth it.
National championships are something else to cover. You have the nice air conditioned arenas like in the case of the women’s gymnastics national championship. On the other hand, the blistering heat of an Oklahoma City summer covering the Women’s College World Series and witnessing OU take the long way around to win it all. Those are the moments I cherish.
Finally, getting to football season last fall made it all worth it. I had a mantra that I was going to take a picture on Owen Field during a football game. Did I know how? Definitely not, but I finally got to live out my dream. The things I learned on that field and in the press room while I was scarfing down a Chick-fil-A biscuit at 9 a.m. will stick with me forever. Also climbing through the upper recesses of the stadium covered in dust, hitting my head multiple times and climbing about eight ladders was some experience to get the shot below.
Oklahoma's state flag is displayed on the field before the game against Western Carolina Sept. 11.
The OU Daily is a special place, I learned very quickly you get what you put in. I thought I was going to be alienated as a business major because I wasn’t in Gaylord. I could have not been more welcomed. The OU Daily gave me a voice. It gave me my freedom to express my creativity, it gave me life-long friends, and it gave me a home.
From left to right: head visual editor Trey Young, video editor Justin Jayne, fall assistant visual editor Edward Reali, videographer Collin McDaniel.
From left to right: OU Daily fall sports editor Mason Young, video editor Justin Jayne, visual editor Trey Young, videographer Collin McDaniel, assistant visual editor Edward Reali and assistant sports editor Chandler Engelbrecht.
I can’t really imagine where I would be without being a part of The Daily. I am so happy I made the leap into the unknown. While this semester was less involved for me due to my IT work, it was so great to still get in the action till the end. It is bittersweet to say my last goodbye, but I am so happy to see how I left this organization and the wonderful things that will be created past my time.
Edward shooting at the class of 2025 introduction rally.
To my cherished friend and visual editor Trey Young: Since day one, you have been right by my side, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without having you to bounce ideas off and learn from. The photo adventures we went on, how you taught me to step out of my comfort zone and our friendly rivalry is what kept me coming back.
I will miss so many people at the Daily. I will miss hunting some big-j journalism with Blake Douglas, football games with Mason Young, Chandler Engelbrecht and Austin Curtright, learning some video with Justin Jayne and Collin McDaniel, and working with the incredible visual staff including Ray Bahner and Shelby Reasor. I couldn’t be who I am today without all these incredible people.
Lastly, to Seth, a man who will drop anything and everything to get you to your goals: Thanks for letting me talk in your office for hours on end and giving me some of the best life advice I have ever received. The support I got in my career endeavors and working with me to grow my abilities is incomparable. Getting blasted with feedback on my photos allowed me to find things would have never thought of. I’m glad I was able to put my MIS skills to work and be the tech guy for the newsroom. Seth was always conscious of not overstepping into our independence, but still sometimes found that little kick you need.
Edward taking pictures above the South Oval.
I know I am leaving the visual desk in good hands, and I couldn’t be more excited to see the future of the OU Daily. The Daily is top tier for a reason, and it's only up from here. If you put your mind to it, the things you will create may surprise you. I learned that you don’t have to be a Gaylord major to have success here — all are welcome and appreciated.
Even though I am not pursuing a journalism career following graduation, I made my story here, and I leave with so much. What a journey it has been. College is a place to find your passion, and I am so glad I found mine.
Edward Reali started as a photo intern in spring of 2020, served as a junior photographer, then assistant visual editor fall 2020 - spring 2021, head visual editor summer 2021, assistant visual editor fall 2021, photographer spring 2022. He is a graduate of Management Information Systems in the Price College of Business.
