I've been a photographer at The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J. since early 2000. My main focus for several years has been studio photography including photo illustrations and shooting sports. I previously worked for The Cincinnati Enquirer, North Hills News Record and Everett (Wash.) Herald. I'm blessed to be a photojournalist; the people and places I've photographed over the past 20 years, here and abroad, will be a part of me for the rest of my life. It's truly a beautiful feeling to be allowed into someone's life, even for a moment, to make photographs and share them with the public. I was part The Star-Ledger team who was awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for the resignation of New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey. In 2002, I shared The Dart Award with reporter Matt Reilly, for a story about a Siberian orphan who was beaten and froze to death in the custody of his adoptive parents in central New Jersey. I'm a member of The Dart Society, National Press Photographers, New York Press Photographers and New Jersey Press Photographers Associations. I live with my wife Dana and our 2 children in Lawrenceville, N.J.
“The Twinkles: Chasing perfection” - Meet The Twinkles. They are competitive cheerleading’s elite. This group of 8-11 year-old girls compete at the highest level for their age group. They mix tumbling, modern cheerleading and precise choreography to create a mind-blowing two-and-a-half minute routine that seems impossible for athletes this age. Follow them through the season - as routines are built and re-built, as they balance a grueling schedule with family life, as The Twinkles chase perfection. (A film by Nyier Abdou / The Star-Ledger, Editing by Bumper DeJesus / The Star-Ledger)
(Source: forever-fierce)