I sometimes feel that I have grown up in the history of our Union. My first union work was with Bill Birch, who was a tough, straight shooting news photographer. At first, Bill scared the hell out of me but he eventually became my mentor.

I was just a teenager when I met Bill, hanging around the news film lab Cinema Processors. Bill was a partner with Maury Bleckman, and they educated me, took care of me and made me go to school to learn the art of photography. They knew that, any natural visual talent aside, most people could benefit from formal training to hone their skills and to train the eye in becoming a better photographer.

The more I travel around the country to meet our great camera family, the more I learn that there were guys like Bill and Maury all over the country influencing kids like me.

These pioneers were the backbone of our burgeoning craft and our Union. They taught me to understand our own value and accept nothing less. It is a valuable lesson that serves us all as crafts-persons and union brothers and sisters.

That is the unique and compelling nature of our craft. We love it so much; we want everybody else to love it as much as we do.

In Solidarity, Steven Poster, ASC Local 600 President