News Journal multimedia reporter Damian Giletto looks back on the photos of 2022

Damian Giletto, Delaware News Journal
·3 min read

Whether you are a photographer or a multimedia reporter (like me) in the year 2022, you are very spoiled by technology.

Working at The News Journal for 17 years now, I would be astonished when former photographers like Fred Comegys, Gary Emeigh or Jennifer Corbett would reminisce about how pictures were taken in the past. Was your image in focus? Was your subject in frame? Was the picture itself good?

You didn't know how a photograph turned out until you started the developing process.

Mark Lally, CEO of First State Compassion, stands among a group of cannabis plants in a nursery on May 9, 2022.
Mark Lally, CEO of First State Compassion, stands among a group of cannabis plants in a nursery on May 9, 2022.

Little did I know I would experience something similar in 2022. In May, I visited First State Compassion, a medical marijuana facility near Elsmere. Every room inside the facility had a different lighting setup to recreate natural sunlight.

My camera's viewfinder provided me with little-to-no feedback as the harsh lighting prevented me from taking in all the details of my images. I took as many pictures as I could, hoping half of them would actually turn out when I started editing and captioning them — just like photographers did before the dawn of digital cameras.

Setting sail on a cool assignment

The crew mans the rail of the USS Delaware at the Port of Wilmington on Friday, April 1, 2022. The group held a practice session ahead of the formal ceremony on April 2 to commemorate the submarine.
The crew mans the rail of the USS Delaware at the Port of Wilmington on Friday, April 1, 2022. The group held a practice session ahead of the formal ceremony on April 2 to commemorate the submarine.

There are days when I like to brag about my job to my friends and family. Guess what I did at work today? I got to take pictures of a nuclear submarine.

I always try to keep perspective whenever I get a unique opportunity or access to something the average person would never have a chance to take part in — like being at The USS Delaware's practice commemoration ceremony earlier this year.

The USS Delaware will rarely surface. Even when it does, few people (outside of the military) will ever see it while it's in service. Not only did I get to take pictures of it, but I also had the chance to walk on it.

Small Wonder's small wonder

Delilah McDaniels, 8, lands in a foam pit after practice on a tumble track at First State Gymnastics on Sept. 9, 2022.
Delilah McDaniels, 8, lands in a foam pit after practice on a tumble track at First State Gymnastics on Sept. 9, 2022.

You often get the opportunity to be around special, talented people while working at The News Journal. But rarely do we get the chance to see those talents in an 8-year-old child. That's what I remember from my time watching Delilah McDaniels train earlier this year at First State Gymnastics.

I've had the chance to be around special high school athletes in Delaware, but I was astonished to see the strength, skill, confidence and determination in someone who normally (at that age) would be worrying about learning their multiplication table.

When that photo assignment was over, I made a mental note to remember the name Delilah McDaniels when the 2032 Olympics season starts.

Delaware shares some ink

Ryan Pepe, owner of Salon De La Warr, shows off his left arm, which has over a dozen Delaware-related tattoos, during a visit at his business on Nov. 17, 2022.
Ryan Pepe, owner of Salon De La Warr, shows off his left arm, which has over a dozen Delaware-related tattoos, during a visit at his business on Nov. 17, 2022.

"That's so Delaware."

It's a phrase you'd hear plenty if you ever had the chance to attend a News Journal staff meeting or overhear a Microsoft Teams call.

That's what I said to myself when I realized I would be taking pictures of Ryan Pepe's arm tattoos. Ryan got inked with several Delaware landmarks and logos on his left arm as way to tell people about the state whenever he was traveling.

Naturally, after he showed me all his tattoos, I was like, "Where's Rockford Tower? Where's Mr. Celery? Where's Grotto's Pizza?''

We cracked up out loud, because he said he gets a lot of comments from Delawareans looking for what's not on his arm.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Online/News Journal's Damian Giletto looks back on 2022