| Rick Chernitzer's |
My name is Rick Chernitzer, and I'm a chief petty officer in the United States Navy. I've been in the Navy for about eight years, and have seen lots of places, including Japan, Cuba, Canada, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and most of the United States. Currently, I'm back in Japan, working as a copy editor for Pacific Stars and Stripes, a daily newspaper published for Department of Defense personnel and their families. You can read more about Stripes on a page dedicated to it.
Before here, I was part of the commissioning crew for America's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) from January 1998 to December 1999. I picked this ship in no small part because of my great admiration for President Truman. I enjoyed that tour immensely because it was a little bit of everything: public relations, media escorting, newspaper management and broadcasting. Plus that, I also had a lot of fun shipboard duties, like fire-fighting and damage control.
From April 1996 to December 1997, I was the assistant public affairs officer for U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That was a unique experience, one which I think shaped a lot of my beliefs in how public affairs should be handled. It wasn't always a bed of roses to be sure, but it had its high points. You can check out the base's website. The design hasn't changed much since I designed it and, in the format it stands in now, it took third place in the 1999 Navy Chief of Information Awards. So I guess I technically can take credit for it.
My first duty station was in Sasebo, Japan, at the Far East Network (now called the American Forces Network) broadcast detachment from March 1993 to March 1996. I got to do the whole "round-robin" at this place: news director, radio programming director, news anchor and even morning radio show host. This was, without a doubt, my all-time favorite duty station. I could have done 20 years there on my head.
The reason I've put up this site is
to showcase the photos I've taken while living in one of the world's largest and
most interesting cities. Prior to coming here, I was sent to a school at
Fort Meade, Md., where the basics of photojournalism I learned in my initial
journalism training were expanded on to cover a wide range of photographic
areas. I learned to appreciate the value of camera equipment and learned one
important rule: Nikon cameras rock! In some ways, I guess I'm taking
after my father, who used to be into photography before he discovered home
computers (compact, easier to care for than a dark room, and he doesn't have to
leave the house).
There's a section on individual photos I've taken at random during my jaunts in the city. And there's a section of photo essays, where I shot a series of photos on a particular subject. You'll notice I also don't limit my camera options to just Nikon; I also have a Sony Mavica digital camera and a LOMO (short for Leningrad Optical and Manufacturing Company) that came from Russia.
So enjoy the pictures and the essays. Write me too.