Lambert starts as new photographer at Havre Daily

A few months after graduating from Central Washington University, Jack Lambert has moved from Issaquah, Washington, to Havre to start working for The Havre Daily News as a photographer.

"I can't wait to get started and meet everybody in Havre," he said.

Lambert was born and raised in Issaquah, graduating from Issaquah High School in 2014 before attending college, he said. He first enrolled at Quest University in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada, before returning to the United States to attend Central Washington University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

He said he first became interested in photography at a young age, his mother, Kathleen Shannon, inspired him. His mother was a semi-professional photographer and has won a number of awards, he said. He added that since he was young, around the age of 6 or 7 years old, he always had a camera in his hands.

"I've always had a knack for it, it's always been interesting to me," he said.

But it was not until high school he became interested in photojournalism, Lambert said. He started shooting in high school for his high school yearbook and fell in love with the job, he said, adding that he used to bring his camera to school with him every day.

"I realized there was a profession that kind of fits that and that's photojournalism," he said.

While at Quest University he took some photos and wrote a few articles for the school newspaper and after transferring to Central Washington he worked for his school paper, The Observer, for two and a half years as the photo editor, he said.

After leaving The Observer, he started as a full-time photographer at The Ellensburg Daily Record during the summer before returning to college to finish his degree, he said.

Lambert has won a number of awards as a photographer, such as the 2017 College Media Award Pinnacle Award second place for best photo illustration, two awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, one for feature photography and one in breaking news and an award from the Society of Professional Journalists for photo illustration.

He later finished his degree, started looking for a full-time photography jobs to start pursuing his passion, he said.

He said that one of the reasons he took the job at The Havre Daily News is because it seemed like a great place for a photographer to start.

"It was time for me to go and have that new experience," he said.

Lambert added that pursuing his passion is very important to him and working as a photographer is what he wants to do with his life.

He first arrived in Havre Thursday, he said, and his first impression of Havre was "Beautiful small town America."

He said he has lived in small towns before. He added that it may have been a bit scary moving to a new place, but Havre seems to be a very welcoming and value their community.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know the community and producing some awesome images and having unique experiences," he said.

He added that he loves photographing people and telling their stories, using photography to capture moments and portray people's emotions.

In his free time, he also likes to play music, it being his other longtime passion, he said. He added that he has played guitar for more than a decade and before deciding to pursue photography he wanted to be a musician.

His other interests include mountain biking, spending time outdoors, cooking and hanging out with friends, he said.

"I like exploring, I like having new experiences," he said. "That's one of my favorite things."