The assignment was far removed from the wedding photos Mitsuki Mori had taken for several years.
Mori, who tells her Canadian friends to call her Misty, was told to camp outside the provincial courthouse in Charlottetown to snap photos of a woman who had been accused of a serious crime.
She found the quick shoot a bit intimidating but took it in stride as part of her new job.
The 35-year-old photographer started work with The Guardian in late October on a six-month internship. She was selected by the International Internship Program based in Tokyo.
Mori had spent six years working as a wedding photographer in Japan before making her way to Prince Edward Island.
She is enjoying the stark contrast between taking photos of newlyweds and snapping shots for a daily newspaper.
“It is different,’’ she says.
“It is really very interesting.’’
The International Internship Program (IIP) is a leading cross-cultural international exchange organization. They provide professional exchange programs to highly qualified Japanese professionals with opportunities to work with leading companies abroad in the field of their professional expertise.
The program has placed more than 8,000 professionals in more than 30 countries over the past 30 years.
Wayne Thibodeau, managing editor of The Guardian, said when he was approached by International Internship Program he jumped at the opportunity. He said Mori will gain a much broader understanding of the Canadian media business, and at the same time she will provide the team at The Guardian with a unique perspective and insight.
“We, here at The Guardian, benefit from having a talented and experienced photographer on our team,” he said. “Not only will Ms. Mori contribute to our day-to-day operations, but she will be able to share her perspectives as a working photographer in Japan, promote the flow of cross-cultural ideas, and sharing her perspectives on some of the big stories of the day.”
Mori, who grew up near Osaka, Japan, first took to photography in high school, taking countless photos of people and food with a small, digital camera. She quickly was drawn to taking creative profiles.
At 20, Mori enrolled in Everett Community College in Washington State, where she studied photography while learning English, which she speaks effortlessly today.
She went on to work at the Seattle Times for one year as a proof reader, before returning to Japan to do wedding photography.
Having worked at The Guardian for only one month, Mori is quickly developing the newspaper bug. Not only does she enjoy her role as photographer, she is interested in eventually trying her hand at some reporting.
“I like talking to people,’’ she says.
With a winter of newspaper photography for print and online Guardian coverage lying ahead, Mori says she is already looking forward to her first summer on Prince Edward Island.
