10 Years Ago...

Today is my 10-year anniversary at The Star-Ledger. I was one of the first hires of the newspaper's inaugural photo staff (they'd previously used an independent agency for their photo needs). I was their first hire to come from outside the state of New Jersey; it was strange and apparently uncommon for the paper to hire outside the state or region. But my boss at the time, Pim Van Hemmen, saw things differently and wanted new blood. Five more photographers who hailed from outside New Jersey were hired after me.

That year, 2000, was an incredible feeling for me: I felt I'd finally made the big time. The Star-Ledger was my New York Times. I had made it. At a paper this size, it was obvious that many of the photographers specialized in a few areas. One area that I jumped right into was photo illustrations, an area I really enjoyed. In the beginning, Pim and other editors oversaw my concepts, but in a short amount of time, I was let loose to explore and challenge myself. With recent staff cuts and newspaper stresses, The Star-Ledger doesn't do as many photo illustrations nor grant photographers as much creative independence on them, but I still snag a few every now and then.

So to commemorate my 10th anniversary and in honor of Easter, I decided to post the first photo illustration I shot for the paper, only 10 days after joining the staff on April 4, 2000. The photo was to illustrate a story about coloring Easter eggs using natural ingredients. It was a fun shoot I did with Lucius Riley, then a Ledger photo editor. It's his hand in the photo, and I ended up working closely with him for many years on many of my photo illustrations and fashion shoots.

So thanks, Pim, for hiring me and thanks to The Star-Ledger photo staff for a great 10 years. I look forward to the next 10.