2017 was the best year of my life.
Receiving a job offer from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was a dream come true. I am learning from some of the most talented and dedicated photojournalists, but even more inspiring than their visual expertise is their warm and fun character. So many of them have taken me under their wings with encouragement and friendship. There's no way I can thank them enough.
In my personal life, Keven and I purchased our first home. It needs some elbow grease, but we are blessed to live comfortably and peacefully in Fox Chapel Area.
To my friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances, thank you for sharing in and helping me achieve an unforgettable year. Your encouragement strengthens me.
May your 2018 be brighter than you can imagine.
Quaker Valley's Ricky Guss flies into the end zone against Central Valley during a football game on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017 at Central Valley High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
MLB umpire John Tumpane consoles a woman who attempted to jump from the Roberto Clemente Bridge on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 along the Allegheny River downtown. Tumpane, who was walking back to PNC Park from a lunch break before preparing for tonight's Pirates game, saw the woman lift herself over the railing. He said he held her and mouthed to other pedestrians to call 911. He attempted to buy her lunch and "talk about it." "She said, 'I just want to end it right now. I'll be in a better place,'" Tumpane said while waiting for emergency personnel. "She was like 'They don't want to help me. You know they don't want to help.' I said, 'No, they want to help you. We all want to help you. Look at all these people here that care about you.'" The woman was taken by ambulance off the bridge. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
A girl draws with the condensation on a school bus window on Friday, March 31, 2017 while riding along Penn Avenue in East Liberty. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Sunlight shines on a patron eating inside Wiener World on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 as seen from Strawberry Way downtown. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Forbes Road Fire Department Station 90 Firefighter Brian Walters exhales in the cold weather while fighting a basement fire at 911 Country Club Drive in Hempfield on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Freedom players look for foul balls in the woods against Neshannock on Monday, April 24, 2017 at Freedom Area High School. Freedom won 5-4. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Eyeglasses fly off the face of Matt Jenkins Castro from Pittsburgh as he reacts to a scoring opportunity against the Nashville Predators during a screening of game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, June 3, 2017 along Broadway in Nashville. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Kiski Area's Logan Pollick wrestles Kiski Area's Dazjon Casto in the 160-lb bout during the third place match of PIAA Team Wrestling at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. on Saturday Feb. 11, 2017. Kiski beat Cathedral Prep 41-21 to win third place. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Colin Williams waits patiently for trick-or-treaters on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 in Lawrenceville. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Brazilian designer Lana Neumeyer is reflected in a mirror during the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Hat Luncheon on Saturday, May 6, 2017 at the Schenley Park Overlook. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Samantha Coccia, 6 of Greensburg, Gabby Coccia, 8 of Greensburg, and Adi Belanger, 9 of Mt. Pleasant, react while watching the DaVinci surgical robot play the game "Operation" during a Big Brothers Big Sisters STEAM demonstration event at Excela Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, Pa. on Wednesday March. 15, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Jarrod Hillery of Cheswick maneuvers the hood of his 1973 Plymouth Duster during the first car cruise of the season on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills near Tarentum.
Mt. Lebanon's pitcher Mark Linkowski, center, is bombarded by teammates after recording a no hitter against Hempfield on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at Fox Chapel High School. Mt. Lebanon won 5-0. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Ernestine Guido, 72 of Coraopolis, laughs as her granddaughter Hailey Guido, 9 of Ambridge, pushes her on a swing on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017 at Settlers Cabin Park in Robinson. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Brooke Sontheimer of Erie kisses her daughter Madison, 16, during the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC’s annual patient prom on Friday, May 19 in Lawrenceville. Each patient selected a complimentary prom dress or tuxedo shirt donated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Project Prom to wear for the evening and take home to keep. Girls had opportunity to have hair, makeup, and nails done by Supercuts, Indigenous Hair Designs & Boutique, Jacqueline DeMario Beauty, Sephora, and Dallas Beauty Lounge.
Steel Valley High School sweethearts Angelica Good and Evan Lasek, both 18 of Munhall, enjoy pizza, lemonade and each other's company while picnicking on Thursday, June 22, 2017 along the Monongahela River near Duck Hollow Trail. The couple has been dating for two years and leaves for separate colleges on Saturday to begin summer classes. "It'll be okay, babe," said Lasek as he leaned in to kiss Good's forehead. Lasek will attend Penn State University for statistics and Good will attend Waynesburg University of forensic science. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Duquesne University sophomore physical therapy major Pat Fogarty, of Barrington, R.I., stands in silence for 15 minutes to raise awareness of the educational issues facing homeless children throughout Allegheny County on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017 downtown. The students partnered with Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF) while holding images of faces that represent the estimated 3,000 children experiencing homelessness in the region. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Hampton girls lacrosse halt their celebrating to pose for photos after beating Oakland Catholic during the WPIAL class AA girls lacrosse championship on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at Robert Morris University. Hampton beat Oakland Catholic 15-5. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
2017 TAB Baldwin's Pary Herrera looks to snap the ball during a preseason practice on Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at Baldwin High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
2017 TAB The sun rises over West Allegheny's defending Class 5A WPIAL champion defense as they work out at 7 a.m. during a preseason practice on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at West Allegheny High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
2017 TAB Woodland Hills football player Eric Oliver (center) breaks it down with his fellow Wolverines before a preseason practice on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at Woodland Hills High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Meadville's Journey Brown reacts after winning the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.43 during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at Shippensburg University. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
2017 TAB Westinghouse football coaches Eric Pennington and Ramon Robinson console Tariq Hamilton after he broke his finger catching ball during a preseason practice on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 at Westinghouse High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Jeannette's Robert Kennedy rushes as Farrell’s Brian Hilton Jr. pulls his pants during the PIAA Class A semifinal on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 at Seneca Valley High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Wilkinsburg Lt. Michele Krempasky shows 4th-grader Ava her "carrot fingers" during a Hero Luncheon at Sloan Elementary School in Murrysville, Pa. on Wednesday Feb. 22, 2017. Krempasky lost her fingers in a saw accident. Despite the injury and possible retirement, she learned to shoot her gun with her left hand. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Nick Cup of Hempfield uses his prosthetic hand as he fly fishes at Twin Lakes Park on Tuesday Feb. 07, 2017. "I can do anything that people with two hands can do. It's just more of a challenge," said Cup, who hand makes his own flies. Cup, a retired teacher with Hempfield Area School District, learned to fly fish from a former student. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Chris Johnson, a Penn State University junior who is home on break, plays hockey on a pond near St. Vincent College in Unity Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
An official looks at his watch as he leads visiting Armstrong into the locker room before game time against Gateway on Friday, Sept 15, 2017 at Gateway High School in Monroeville. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Jeannette head coach Roy Hall reacts after being doused with water after beating Homer-Center 42-12 during the PIAA Class A championship on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017 at Hersheypark Stadium. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Thomas Jefferson’s Daniel Deabner attempts to drag down Belle Vernon’s Logan Pfrogner on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 at Belle Vernon Area High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Sophomore Belle Vernon cheerleader Sydney Baciak laughs with her friend and mascot Vienna Bertram during the game against Thomas Jefferson on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017 at Belle Vernon Area High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Saltsburg head coach Don Stitt reacts during a good Ligonier Valley foul shot on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. Ligonier Valley won 65-63 against Saltsburg. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
2017 TAB Spit flies from the whistle of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic head football coach Pat O’Shea during a preseason practice on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017 at Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
EQT Flashes of Freedom Fireworks shoot over Pittsburgh's confluence on Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4, 2017 as seen from the West End Bridge. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Kristin Musial of Canonsburg pets one of the many hound dogs with Saxonburg Hunt at intermission during 34th annual Family House Polo Match on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 at Hartwood Acres in Glenshaw. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Dr. Harvey Bendix rubs behind the ears of Ebby, a domestic short-haired calico suffering from Leukemia, at Norwin Veterinary Hospital in Irwin, Pa. on Wednesday March 15, 2017. Bendix teaches a course called Canine Medic at the Westmoreland County Community College, focusing on both first responders and civilians who want to be able to assist injured animals at scenes of emergencies. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Storm clouds pass over a woman as she rides a scooter past United States Navy Blue Angels Fat Albert during the Shop 'n Save Westmoreland County Airshow on Sunday, June 25, 2017 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
South Fayette listens to their coaches in the locker room before playing Montour during a football game on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 at Montour High School. South Fayette beat Montour 49-21. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Kutztown's Tyler Fisher is consoled by his coaches after a 4-3 loss to Scranton Prep's Bruce Parola in the 170-lb bout during the preliminaries and first round of the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championship tournament at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. on Thursday March 09, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walks away dejected after congratulating New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Delone Catholic's Bryce Perkins reacts after losing to Freedom's Evan Sweesy by a 3-1 decision during the quarterfinals of the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championship tournament at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. on Friday March 10, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Highlands’ RJ Rieger reacts after his team's 49-48 loss to Laurel Highlands during a WPIAL playoff game at Norwin High School in North Huntingdon, Pa. on Tuesday Feb. 21, 2017. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) reaches for the puck against Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Peter Budaj (31) in the first period during an NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Friday March 03, 2017. The Penguins won 5-2. Malkin scored two goals in his 700th game. (Steph Chambers | Tribune-Review)
Rain falls as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks toward the clock during the game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
2017 TAB Burrell running backs coach Shawn Bennis watches handoffs during a preseason practice on Monday, July 24, 2017 at Burrell High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Thomas Jefferson’s Devin Danielson celebrates with his teammates after beating Belle Vernon 27-0 during the WPIAL semifinal on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 at Baldwin High School. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
South Fayette’s Ben Coyne pauses in the locker room before playing Montour during a football game on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 at Montour High School. South Fayette beat Montour 49-21. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf soccer players Danielle Fisher and Ryane Smalley pump each other up before a shootout during a championship game against Plants and Pillars Homeschool Co-op on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017 at Highmark Stadium. WPSD won in a shootout. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Bubbles surround Director of Community Standards and Integrity Lucas Christain as he is dunked on Thursday, April 20, 2017 during the first day of the Carnegie Mellon University Spring Carnival. Proceeds from the dunking event benefit the Special Olympics. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Karst, of the United States Army Parachute Team Golden Knights and of Vancouver, Washington, protects his head as he leaps out of an airplane during the Shop 'n Save Westmoreland County Airshow on Sunday, June 25, 2017 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Pittsburgh Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury signs a hat for a young fan during the Pittsburgh Penguins victory parade on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at Grant Street and Boulevard of the Allies. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)
Second grader Imogen Nowak cries in the arms of her father United States Army Captain Erik Nowak after he surprised her during an assembly for National Kindness Week at Quaker Valley’s Osborne Elementary School in Sewickley on Tuesday, March 28, 2017. Captain Nowak has been in Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Turkey since September 2016. (Steph Chambers/Post-Gazette)