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Certain individuals require six hours to narrate a tale. For example, the filmmaker of the new, two-part, “Wicked.”
Some individuals take six years. That’s the duration it took Tolstoy to compose “War and Peace.”
Photographers? They can convey a story in a split second.
In the moments it takes to click a shutter, an entire narrative can unfold before the camera—backgrounds, subplots, humor, emotion, and societal observations can all be encapsulated in a solitary snapshot.
The key is discovering that image. And then acknowledging it when you have found it.
News photographers represent a unique category. Their vocation revolves around storytelling. Even a single photograph, depicting a stunning sunset, is not just a beautiful image. It is a record of a day. It is news. “This event transpired.”
By sharing their cherished images of 2024, The Record’s photographers are narrating stories they have captured, in shades and light and contrasting hues. At times the narratives are harrowing. Occasionally they are humorous. Sometimes they are poignant. Yet none of these moments occurred by chance—nor only by chance.
The subjects, engaged in their daily routines, provided the inspiration. However, it was the photographer who perceived, interpreted, framed it for optimal effect—and pressed the button.
Knocking it out of the park
For 24 years, Record photographer Chris Pedota has been documenting Bergen and Passaic high school sports. In 2006, he captured a moment of Brittany Baiunco leading Ramapo to a state softball championship. “At that time, I remarked to our sports journalist that the game was lacking excitement because no one could hit this kid,” Pedota recalled. “I never forgot her remarkable skill and talent.”
This past May—18 years later—he reencountered her.
Pedota had been taking portraits of the 50 finest high school softball players in Bergen County as cited by columnist Darren Cooper. Toward the end of the photo session, in walked a familiar face. Only now, she appeared a bit less recognizable.
“Eighteen years later, I didn’t recognize her,” Pedota said. “But when she mentioned she played for Ramapo in 2006, it clicked—I recollected, and told her how challenging it was to capture photos because she pitched so incredibly well! We laughed, but it prompted me to reflect on how many players I have photographed and identified over the years. I felt as if she symbolized those athletes, and wondered: Where are they now, and what impact did their sporting achievements have on their lives? I hope they kept the photographs.”
A holiday classic
Some individuals find it hard to embrace the festive spirit of the holidays. Others struggle to exercise restraint.
When Anne-Marie Caruso spotted this woman attired as a Christmas tree, adorned with gift-box sleeves, greeting her daughter at Newark Liberty Airport earlier this month, she felt compelled to take a photograph. Not only because the delightful scene of Ginger Colarossi welcoming her daughter Isabella was so enchanting. But also because it resonated with Caruso on a personal level.
“I have a quirky, eccentric mother,” Caruso stated. “Once, back in the 1980s, my older brother referred to my mom as ’embarrassing.’ In response, she decided to pick my brother up from the school bus stop in a Halloween costume—on a day that wasn’t Halloween. So it was natural that seeing a woman donned as a Christmas tree at the airport reminded me of my mother.”
And isn’t cherishing warm memories precisely the essence of Christmas? Photographers also hold such memories dear.
“One of the best aspects of this profession is encountering all the intriguing individuals along the journey,” Caruso remarked. “This may not be the ‘finest’ photo from a technical perspective, but I had such a great time capturing this image. It brought back memories of all the funny antics my mom has done throughout the years.”
A taste of community spirit
One of the aspects where newspapers excel — when they are at their peak — is reflecting the community back to itself.
Monica Pidhorecki, affectionately referred to as the Paramus Ice Cream Lady, has become a staple in the local scene.
Following the loss of one of her two ice cream trucks due to a fire that also impacted part of her home, the community rallied to collect donations to aid her in acquiring a new truck.
“She was incredibly grateful for the assistance she received,” said photographer Michael Karas, who met her in late June. “And those present at the fireworks in Memorial Park in Fair Lawn were delighted to see her.”
Stay composed, and persevere
The most impactful images — frequently — imply something grander than their individual selves. In a solitary snapshot, they encapsulate a trend, a sentiment, a widespread vibe. What Germans refer to as the “zeitgeist.” The essence of the era.
Here, captured by Record photographer Julian Leshay Guadalupe, is a jogger running along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs. A common daily activity — yet the setting is anything but ordinary. The background fire, visible on Nov. 8, 2024, was ignited by members of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service in an effort to prevent a forest fire from advancing.
Fire, during a stretch of drought and climate change, is just one of the endlessly recurring crises — political, environmental, and drone-related — that appear to be transforming our existence into an episode of “Stranger Things.” What can we do but continue jogging — and attempt to navigate through it all?
“This shot is my favorite of the year due to the intense vibe of the fire paired with the indifferent demeanor of the runner,” Guadalupe remarked. “This image encapsulates a period in New Jersey of extreme drought and numerous fires wreaking havoc in our forests. On a deeper level, I believe this image conveys the courage our firefighters exhibited running into these perilous situations, as well as the trust the community placed in our firefighters to avert further harm to our state and its citizens.”
Story as old as time
The most compelling narratives, as the adage goes, are those that feel familiar. Eternal. And what could be more eternal than the bond between father and son?
Here, Lino Rosa is captured with his 3-year-old son, Ethan, during Easter Mass at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church in Garfield. “After the man made the sign of the cross with holy water, his son wished to do it again, for him,” noted photographer Kevin R. Wexler. “In that moment, I seized a photograph of the man kneeling before a cross so that his son could reach his forehead with the holy water.”
Wexler wasn’t actively searching for that moment. He simply aimed to capture images of the Easter Sunday service at the church. However, the hallmark of a skilled photographer is the ability to recognize your moment. “As photojournalists, we seek out spontaneous moments that narrate a story and invoke emotions,” Wexler explained. This narrative possessed the human warmth he sought. Nevertheless, the background, the ambiance, was equally fitting.
“In the backdrop of the image, the door, which was ajar — as temperatures climbed into the 60s — portrays a flooded space, almost celestial,” Wexler elaborated. “I deemed it a fitting image for Resurrection Sunday.”
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