A journalism renaissance man: Oliver Marks knows the value of both writing and photography in telling stories

Rising junior Oliver Marks already has worlds of experience with both written journalism and photography, and is using them to make an impact this summer.

16-year-old High School Insider summer intern Oliver Marks is already covering all of the bases, so to speak. Aside from being an adept pitcher and third baseman on Pasadena’s Polytechnic School’s baseball team, Silver Lake native and rising high school junior Marks has proven a valuable resource to the Poly Paw Print, serving as both the Sports Section Editor and Photo Editor. 

Evidently, he’s a bit of a journalism renaissance man; Marks decided to continue journalism after an introduction to it in middle school, and has kept it up into high school. A newer pursuit for him, however, is photography—a skill that transfers perfectly into the field of photojournalism. 

“I took a [journalism] class in eighth grade just because all my friends were taking it. We only met, like, once a week. But the teacher was really nice, although we didn’t write too many of our own articles; we would kind of just piece together other articles and, like, pass them off as news. But it got me into it, “ said Marks. “So I decided to join the paper at the start of my freshman year, and then I started photography, I’d say around last May.”

Travel photography is another focus of Marks’, besides sports. (photo by Oliver Marks)

According to Marks, the two facets of producing content for a newspaper are both crucial to his work.

“They definitely go hand in hand, especially because even before I was doing sports photography, I was doing sports writing.” 

“One of the reasons why [I started] is while I was writing, I was always complaining that the pictures they would pair with my articles were not very good, and it would kind of make my writing look a little like meh,” he said. “So I decided, oh, I could do that. I could do that better. So my dad happened to get a camera around the same time, because he also used to do photography, and I kind of stole it. And so then, yeah, I started experimenting with it. And I think it definitely helps tell my story.”

So by honing both skills simultaneously, Marks cuts a striking image for a possible future in journalism. With the ability to capture events he covers both verbally and visually, he takes his coverage to new heights, avoiding the disconnect that threatens stories with accompanying photographs by a different person. From writing articles for the popular “Athlete of the Issue” series to taking travel snapshots for his photography-based Instagram account, Oliver Marks has skills for media that are rare among journalists. 

And within the fields of both writing and photography, sports are big for Marks; he has been playing baseball since he was in preschool, and quickly took to sports writing upon joining the staff of the Paw Print. Having moved up the ranks, he will start his second year as both the Sports and Photography Editor this coming school year. In fact, sports are such a big focus of his time in journalism that Marks will be spending his summer as a High School Insider Intern covering the rise of flag football in high school and international athletics, as a safer and more inclusive alternative to the tackle version of the traditional American sport. 

Marks was just four years old when he started playing baseball, and now plays for both his school and his club team. (photo courtesy of Oliver Marks)

As for his plans for the rest of high school and beyond, he is still unsure, beyond knowing that he wants to continue to focus on exploring and photography, especially sports photography.

“I think I’m gonna see where [photography] can take me. I’ve only been taking pictures for myself and for my high school, so I’m going to see if I can start branching out a little more and doing commercial work, or working with colleges or even professional teams. So that’s that would be the dream,” said Marks.

“I like all kinds of photography, except, like, studio photography; it’s so artificial. I prefer just kind of being in the moment. But yeah, I think if I were to pursue it further, it would be in sports photography.”

Besides journalism and photography, Marks also occupies his free time by playing baseball, cooking, listening to music, watching television, and taking walks. 

As he looks to expand his photography horizons with new types of work, Marks snaps photos whenever he can. (photo by Oliver Marks)

Marks attributes the most significant positive impact in his life to his parents. His father has a background in journalism, but it was their combined encouragement throughout his life that he claims has contributed to his current-day successes.

“They both pushed me to be my best, and they’re really inspiring. So they’re always giving me guidance,” he said.

Overall, as a journalist and a person, Oliver Marks has a lot to take pride in, but highlights one aspect of his life as most valuable.

“I’m proud of the confidence I have in my work, I think. Just putting myself out there and kind of trying to build a brand, and an image for myself.”