A folder on Felix Scheyer’s computer is filled with photographs that have given him a glimpse of the world through the eyes of others.
‘It started as a way of capturing these scenes as a journalist at an event — this person taking a selfie, or this person recording an artist on stage, or this person taking a photo of their drink. It allows me to frame a photo both physically and emotionally. I love doing that especially at a concert,” said Scheyer, a 2022 Academy of Richmond County graduate who is studying photojournalism at the University of Georgia.
Scheyer will head to Paris in a few weeks where he’ll be one of nine Georgia students covering the Paralympics, which will be held Aug. 28-Sept. 8, for the Associated Press. Scheyer will take photos.
Scheyer’s interest in photography began about seven years ago when he traveled to San Francisco with his uncle.
“We went to the Muir Woods, and he gave me his camera. It was the first time I used an actual camera,” he said. “Suddenly I was able to capture the world in this whole new dimension that I’d never been able to before. I fell in love right then and there. The rest of the trip I was like ‘can I use your camera? Can I use your camera?’”
As he approached high school, the word “photojournalism” seeped into the conversation, and he began to ponder what that could look like for him.
“Storytelling is my love language,” he said. “I love to write and explore the world through writing and photography.”
While in high school, he continued to sharpen his skills, and he did a few freelance assignments. He knew a career in photojournalism was something he wanted to pursue and a curated visit to Georgia showed him that was the school he needed to attend. He was accepted into Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism and serves as the assistant photo editor for “The Red and Black” in Athens.
Several months ago, he received an email about the possibility of covering the Paralympics for AP. He applied and had a try-out assignment to test his ability to work on deadline. He was assigned to cover a night-time soccer game two hours from Athens on a tight deadline.
Since then, he’s been immersed in sports photography. He covered the Paralympic Trials in Minneapolis, Minn. in July, where he took photos of Greenbrier High School graduate Owen McNear.
(See More: In Pictures: Owen McNear at Paralympic Trials)
And he’s been studying a different approach to photographing his subjects.
“We want to tell their story without focusing on their disabilities,” he said. “The action for Paralympic sports is different.”
Scheyer said he’s learned a lot about how different sports are adapted for the athletes and how athletes are categorized for competition according to their disability.
While Scheyer is excited about the upcoming opportunity, he said sports photography isn’t his favorite. He leans toward more artistic types of photos.
“I love taking photos of dance,” said Scheyer, whose girlfriend is a dancer.
Taking good dance photos requires a sense of rhythm and timing, he said.
And his favorite thing to photograph?
“I’ve felt drawn to concert photography” where he often takes those photos within photos.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Photojournalism is a noble profession – a tough, demanding profession. If ever there was a young man capable of fulfilling a dream, Felix will. I look forward to the stories he will tell.