What a crazy year it has been! Did you even think at the start of it that we would be living through a global pandemic? I sure didn’t. I hope you and your loved ones have made it through unscathed. For those who didn’t, I offer my sincere, heartfelt sympathies and wish you strength, hope and love.
As we all finally bid goodbye (or good riddance) to 2020, allow me to share some of the photos I’ve taken, my humble contribution to the record of this historic year. Most of them were shot on assignment for The Jersey Journal newspaper. This year marked my 20th anniversary working with the Journal. Wow.
Like many of you who had more time on their hands during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown (there were less weddings for me to shoot), I picked up a new skill. This year I learned how to pilot a drone and earned my license so you will see a bunch of aerial photography.
Thank you for looking. If you would like to see more, here are links to previous years’ collection of my photos: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009.
I wish you all a more prosperous, happier, healthier and coronavirus-free New Year!
JERSEY CITY, N.J., JAN. 2, 2020 — Joyce Watterman shared a laugh with a well-wisher after she was voted in as Jersey City’s first Black woman city council president during the reorganization meeting. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)EAST NEWARK, N.J., JAN. 3, 2020 — Dina Grilo was sworn in as East Newark’s first female mayor. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JAN. 9, 2020 — Superior Court Judge John Young swore in Keith Lamont Stith as chief of detectives of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the first African-American to hold the position, at the William J. Brennan Courthouse in the presence of Stith’s aunt, Bernice Cabbagestalk, left, father, Lewis and mother, Irene. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JAN. 14, 2020 — Jersey City swore in 15 new firefighters during a ceremony at City Hall. Among the graduates was Francesca Zapella, sister of Constance Zapella (who held the Bible), the first female firefighter in Jersey City who is now a battalion chief. The two are the first sisters to serve in the JCFD. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, JAN. 14, 2020 — Legendary New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen hugged his son, Sam, who was among 15 new Jersey City firefighters sworn in during a ceremony at City Hall. Looking on is Mayor Steve Fulop. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JAN. 15, 2020 — Police Officers Raymond Sanchez, left, Kendric Jackson, center, and Mariela Fernandez were promoted to the rank of detective during a ceremony at City Hall, following their heroic actions to prevent two gunmen from causing additional harm after a shooting at a kosher grocery on Dec. 10, 2019. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., JAN. 29, 2020 — Bayonne hosted the first-ever high school girls wrestling dual meet in Hudson County history squaring off against Perth Amboy. Cheered on by her teammates, Christiana Davis of Bayonne took the mat to wrestle in the girls 114-pound match. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Gianna Puzycki of Bayonne celebrated her win over Kiarra Rivera of Perth Amboy in the girls 143-pound wrestling match. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)KEARNY, N.J., FEB. 10. 2020 — Alexander Amorim of Kearny pinned Benino Dorsey of Wayne Valley in the 182-pound wrestling match during the NJSIAA Team Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Kearny wrestlers celebrated their 39-33 win over Wayne Valley during the NJSIAA Team Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., FEB. 7, 2020 — Carmine Testa of Carmine’s Pizza Factory in Jersey City made 25 20-inch pizzas and donated them to St. Lucy’s Shelter as part of the Pizza Across America program which he and his two sons, Michael and Nicholas–who are known nationally as the Jersey Pizza Boys–developed in 2018 as a way to share their love of pizza and to give back to the needy. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., FEB. 14, 2020 — The Bayonne Elks Lodge 434 held a funeral service at the Holy Name Cemetery & Mausoleum for Pfc. Melvin Scharf, an Army veteran who passed away in August with no relatives to claim his remains. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., FEB. 14, 2020 — With help from the Department of Health and Human Services, Jersey City homeless couple Shirley Robinson and Kevin Brown got married at Journal Square on Valentine’s Day. Brown placed the wedding ring on Robinson’s finger as a friend looked on. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., FEB. 20, 2020 — Casino in the Park at Lincoln Park was demolished. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., FEB. 21, 2020 — Alaris Health at The Atrium in Jersey City threw a surprise party for one of its residents, Lena DeMarco, in celebration of her 100th birthday. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 9, 2020 — Lincoln girls basketball team defeated Fort Lee in the NJSIAA North 2, Group 2 championship. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 11, 2020 — First-grade teachers at the Dr. Maya Angelou School planned and put together education packets for their students to take home and work on in the event of an extended school closure due to a coronavirus outbreak. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 17, 2020 — Residents Joseph Shird, left, and Ken Best filled up their buckets with water from a Suez Water tanker at Old Bergen Road and Bartholdi Avenue as crews worked to fix a 20-inch water main break at Ocean Avenue and Merritt Street. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., MARCH 20, 2020 — The rims at the basketball courts at Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park were removed and the courts were cordoned off as safety precaution against COVID-19. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 24, 2020 — The streets of Journal Square were virtually empty amid the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses considered non-essential by the government were closed and non-essential workers told to stay home. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)People wearing masks walked on Journal Square past closed businesses considered nonessential by the government amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)KEARNY, N.J., MARCH 24, 2020 — Aaron Loften expressed his joy at being released from the Hudson County jail as part of an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 at the facility. The state Supreme Court issued a consent order mandating the mass release of low-risk inmates from county jails across the state, given the dangerous and rapidly spreading coronavirus. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 25, 2020 — A parent picked up free meals from a school bus parked at the President Barack Obama Elementary School during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 27, 2020 — Jersey City opened a COVID-19 walk-up testing site at the Public Safety Headquarters. A medical worker sealed a bag with a COVID-19 swab, left, while another disposed of gloves used after a test.SECAUCUS, N.J., MARCH 27, 2020 — Nurses and volunteers conducted COVID-19 testing at the Hudson Regional Hospital drive-thru testing center which was operated in partnership with Hudson County. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MARCH 31, 2020 — Shoppers waited in a long line to get inside the 99 Ranch Market at Old Colony Square during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., APRIL 1, 2020 — Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member James Scalfaro filled bags of food for seniors at the Hoboken Community Center food pantry. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., APRIL 2, 2020 — Rebecca Posey, Career and Technical Education (CTE) coordinator and fashion design instructor at Snyder High School, replaced broken and weak elastic bands on N95 masks that will be used by doctors and nurses at Christ Hospital. Behind her was Juanita Sifflet, CTE director. Posey, along with her former students, worked to repair 2,520 pieces of N95 masks and to make 1,000 pieces of face masks. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., APRIL 6, 2020 — Priscilla Ortiz wrote a message at a memorial for Councilman Michael Yun outside his Central Avenue headquarters in The Heights. Yun died of complications from COVID-19. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)SECAUCUS, N.J., APRIL 7, 2020 — Two hospital workers prepared to load a body in one of two refrigerated trailers set up behind the Hudson Regional Hospital which served as temporary morgues during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., APRIL 24, 2020 — Process-and-materials-based artist and performer Myssi Robinson at SMUSH gallery. Though the gallery was closed to the public due to the coronavirus, Robinson said she saw it as an invitation to keep creating through choreography and creative documentation of her show īîìïíinches. Her show opened on March 6 and was supposed to run until May 2 but it was extended to July 5. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)WEEHAWKEN, N.J., APRIL 28, 2020 — Twelve U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds jets executed a flyover in formation over the New Jersey and New York area to salute those working on the frontlines against COVID-19. Here, the Blue Angels flew in front of the moon over the Hudson River as seen from Hamilton Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)People gathered at Hamilton Park in Weehawken to watch twelve U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds jets execute a flyover over the New Jersey and New York area in formation to salute those working on the frontlines against COVID-19 on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)The jets flew past One World Trade Center in New York City. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., APRIL 28, 2020 — Roadways were flooded after a 36-inch water main broke on Route 7 near the Charlotte Circle. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MAY 8, 2020 — District 1199J (National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees), one of the largest unions in the state, held a caravan drive-by outside the Jersey City Medical Center’s emergency department to honor frontline health care heroes amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MAY 15, 2020 — Colin Egan, executive director of the Friends of the Loew’s, displayed a congratulatory message to the Class of 2020 on The Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre’s marquee. Every two days, Egan changed the name on the marquee to each of Hudson County’s college and high school graduating classes and also posted a message for all graduating 8th graders. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MAY 18, 2020 — Brenda Escamilla, a Jersey City Medical Center nurse, performed a nasal swab for COVID-19 testing on Diana Martinez, of Newark, a dental assistant at Jersey Dental Arts on Bergen Avenue. Jersey City conducted tests on all staff at Jersey Dental Arts prior to its reopening. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., MAY 22, 2020 — Sofia Diaz joined Make the Road New Jersey during a rally with immigrants, renters and COVID-19 survivors outside the Trump Plaza Residences to protest the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic and Jared Kushner’s family real estate company’s eviction lawsuits against New Jersey tenants. They held a funeral procession with makeshift body bags to represent the people who have died from the virus so far which, at the time, approached 100,000 in the US. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., MAY 24, 2020 — Thousands of people showed up on foot and by car for a free face mask distribution hosted by Chabad of Hoboken & Jersey City and Bayonne at 16th Street Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., MAY 28, 2020 — A woman walks past flags of blue hearts decorating the stoop of homes on Bloomfield Street. The flags are from the Frontline Appreciation Group Hoboken and Jersey City honoring COVID-19 frontliners. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 1, 2020 — Hundreds of protesters stopped outside the Greenville Precinct during a march led by the Black Men United coalition to stand in solidarity with the Minnesota protesters – who are rallying following George Floyd’s death – and to follow up on the six demands made to the Jersey City Police Department, a response to a chaotic Bostwick Avenue street fight that involved dozens of people. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 2, 2020 — The Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition held a Protest Against Police Brutality in response to the death of Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of police. Hundreds of protesters gathered at City Hall before marching to the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Protesters took a knee at the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza during the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition’s Protest Against Police Brutality in response to the death of Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of police. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Pamela Johnson (with megaphone), founder and executive director of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition, led the Protest Against Police Brutality at the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza in response to the death of Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of police. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)A protester bumped elbows with police to show solidarity during the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition’s Protest Against Police Brutality at the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza in response to the death of Minnesota man George Floyd at the hands of police. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, JUNE 5, 2020 — Thousands of protesters joined a Black Lives Matter demonstration organized by Allies4Justice in Hoboken. Members of Allies4Justice gathered in a circle to pray before the start of the demonstration. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Hoboken police officers took a knee in solidarity with the protesters. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Two women made noise in solidarity with protesters from an apartment on Washington Street. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 8, 2020 — Members of the labor union SEIU 32B protested against what they say was the illegal the firing of the entire cleaning staff of The Beaconon June 1 after speaking out about wage theft and lack of affordable health care during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 9, 2020 — Black Men United Coalition, Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition Movement, and Black Diaspora Club of McNair Academic High School held a Protest Against Police Brutality and Systemic Racism at City Hall. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 10, 2020 — Alicia Goodwin, left, with help from her sister, Sandy, cleaned and disinfected hair dryers at her Urban Rose Boutique Salon before it reopened for business for the first time since March when all services deemed nonessential was ordered by the state to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 15, 2020 — A worker set up more tables outside Luna Restaurant on Grove Street on the first day restaurants were allowed to reopen outdoor dining since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Antonio Ramnarine served Lindsay Flora, left, and her mother Stacey Haddox, at Luna Restaurant on the newly-created pedestrian mall on Grove Street on the first day restaurants were allowed to reopen outdoor dining since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Warren and Meika Franz, right, owners of Another Man’s Treasure vintage clothing store on Montgomery Street in Jersey City, welcome a customer on the first day nonessential retail stores were allowed to let customers inside at half capacity since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 19, 2020 — Teens danced during a Juneteenth celebration on Martin Luther King Drive and Grant Avenue. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., JUNE 19, 2020 — Linda Taylor, 14, left, and Kiara Opoku, 17, with Sole Steppas performed during the Pan-African flag-raising ceremony at City Hall in celebration of Juneteenth. Their instructor, Hope Lane, with Latin Groove Dance Academy, is at center. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., JUNE 23, 2020 — The Bayonne School District held a three-day drive-thru ceremony for all its Grade 8 and high school graduates at Stephen R. Gregg Park amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 29, 2020 — Newport Centre Mall reopened for the first time since Gov. Phil Murphy shuttered indoor shopping centers in mid-March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JUNE 30, 2020 — Flags flew at half-staff at Liberty State Park in honor of those who have died from the coronavirus. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 2, 2020 — Teachers, parents, students and alumni at The Ethical Community Charter School (TECCS) in Jersey City protested the firing of the school’s founding principal, Marta Bergamini. Bernadette Schery, left, hugs her daughter, Zaviera, as they joined in the protest with her husband, Frankie, center, and son, Sebastian, right. Both of their kids are students at the school. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., JULY 7, 2020 — People hoping to get or renew their IDs and driver licenses waited in a long line–which at one point stretched for over half a mile on Kennedy Boulevard–for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) in Bayonne which reopened for the first time after being shut down for three months by the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Nazaro Lenares, center, helped James Cooney, 74, of Jersey City, move up the line for the NJMVC in Bayonne. Lenares also borrowed a chair from a store for Cooney, who walks with a cane. Cooney had been in line an hour before the center opened at 8 a.m. He said his license expired in April. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 7, 2020 — Staff processed mail-in ballots at the Hudson County Board of Elections on primary election day. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)NORTH BERGEN, N.J., JULY 7, 2020 — North Bergen High School held four outdoor socially-distanced, in-person graduation ceremonies at Bruin Stadium over two days. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., JULY 8, 2020 — Security took the temperatures of guests as they entered John F. Kennedy Stadium for the Hoboken High School socially-distanced in-person outdoor graduation ceremony. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., JULY 8, 2020 — A graduate wore a uniquely decorated mask during the Hoboken High School socially-distanced in-person outdoor graduation ceremony at John F. Kennedy Stadium. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)NORTH BERGEN, N.J., JULY 8, 2020 — The Township held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Downtown Park on Paterson Plank Road. Commissioner Allen Pascual tried out the slide on the playground as Commissioner Julio Marenco, right, and Hudson County Freeholder Chair Anthony Vainieri, left, looked on. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 9, 2020 — U.S. Rep. Albio Sires greeted Mayor Steve Fulop, center, and Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise with a fist bump upon his arrival to a press conference where they and other officials announced Jersey City as the recipient of nearly $7 million from the initial allocation of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act stimulus funds to directly benefit small businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hudson County was allocated a total of over $117 million through the CARES Act. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 13, 2020 — Tatiana Smith set up a community fridge which offered free food in front of her home at the foot of Delaware Avenue, off of Duncan Avenue, inviting anyone to “take what you need, leave what you can.” Neighbor Imron Bacchus took a container of blueberries. He said he knows a homeless man who he had been helping who can benefit from the community fridge. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 24, 2020 — Cars were stranded in flood waters at the Twin City Shopping Center on Garfield Avenue after a storm. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., JULY 24, 2020 — Aftermath of an early morning implosion of the former Hudson Generating Station on the west side of the city. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., JULY 27, 2020 — Courtney Roselle, of Jersey City, is a CrossFit trainer at Brazen Athletics in Hoboken who competed in a fitness challenge show Titan Games hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in which she was crowned the East Coast champion. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 5, 2020 — A crew worked to remove a tree which fell on cars, a house and power lines on Whiton Street a day after Tropical Storm Isaias blew through Hudson County. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 5, 2020 — Skateboarders enjoyed the new Berry Lane Skatepark a day before its official grand opening. The construction of the park was funded in part by the Tony Hawk Foundation. At nearly 12,000 square feet, the skatepark is the largest in Jersey City, and the first poured-in-place concrete skatepark in Hudson County. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 6, 2020 — Local skateboarding pros and enthusiasts, including Ron Deily, enjoyed the new Berry Lane Skatepark during its official grand opening. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 10, 2020 — Aerial view of the finished Black Lives Matter mural by Alvin Pettit which he painted with help from fellow artists and volunteers on Grand Street, between Harmon Street and Communipaw Avenue. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 11, 2020 — The Heavenly Temple Church of God in Christ in Jersey City, led by Bishop Kevin E. Knight Sr. and his wife, Mary, held a walk-up and drive-thru “Food Chain of Love” grocery box giveaway to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., AUG. 20, 2020 — Aerial view of Jersey City Reservoir No. 3 facing east toward New York City. (Reena Rose Sibayan | Reena Rose Photography)SECAUCUS, N.J., AUG. 24, 2020 — Students, residents and environmental activists, led by the Don’t Gas the Meadowlands Coalition, held a rally, march and kayak action from Laurel Hill Park called “Paddle and March for Our Lungs” to protest a plan to build a new NJ Transit fracked gas power plant in Kearny. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 4, 2020 — Aerial view of the 234-acre “interior” section of Liberty State Park that is to be cleaned up and restored accounts for about 40 percent of the park’s land and is currently inaccessible to the public. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., SEPT. 8, 2020– Matthew Bauer disinfected a classroom with an electrostatic sanitizing sprayer at Washington Community School before the first day of virtual schooling as some teachers will be teaching from their classrooms. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 11, 2020 — Jersey City held its annual Reflections 9/11 Memorial Ceremony by the waterfront at the foot of Grand Street to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 15, 2020 — At School 30, Karen Mendez, with her fourth-grade daughter, Crismerly, and one-year-old son, George, picked up a book bag containing a laptop and internet hotspot device which Crismerly will use for on-line learning during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 17, 2020 — Camilla Vera, 14, a student at A. Harry Moore School, a school for students with disabilities, with her mom, Ruth “Pilar,” used online conferencing to connect with her teachers during remote learning from their home. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 25, 2020 — Hudson Catholic school nurse Linda Caramucci checked students’ temperatures as they entered the school for in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Some Hudson Catholic students attended classes in person while others attended via online conference during the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Plexiglass shields were installed in classrooms between teachers and students at Hudson Catholic as precaution against COVID-19. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., SEPT. 25, 2020 — Friends and family, together with local officials, celebrated Eva Missouri’s 100th birthday with a socially-distanced drive-by party on outside her Bramhall Avenue home. Mayor Steve Fulop led a caravan of honking cars filled with seniors from Maureen Collier Senior Center and Missouri’s Mt. Olive Church family. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., OCT. 1, 2020 — A fiery sunset over Port Liberte as seen from Liberty State Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | Reena Rose Photography)JERSEY CITY, N.J., OCT. 1, 2020 — The Harvest Moon rose over Brooklyn as seen from Liberty State Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | Reena Rose Photography)UNION CITY, N.J., OCT. 7, 2020 — Vivienne Calle of North Bergen headed the ball past Union City goalie Nicole Castro to score a goal in the girls soccer game at Midtown Athletic Complex. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)KEARNY, N.J., OCT. 12, 2020 — A black bear was seen sleeping in a tree in the area of Webster and Madison avenues. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)y Journal)UNION CITY, OCT. 13, 2020 — The Union City School District served its two-millionth free meal to students since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. To mark the milestone, a ceremony was held at Theodore Roosevelt School and cupcakes were handed out with each meal picked up. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., OCT. 14, 2020 — Aerial view of Hamilton Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., OCT. 23, 2020 — Fall foliage surrounded a man and his bicycle as he sat on a bench at Liberty State Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., OCT. 23, 2020 — An exhausted runner collapsed to the ground after crossing the finish line in the girls varsity cross-country North Hudson Championship at Stephen R. Gregg Park. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., OCT. 24, 2020 — Aerial view of fall foliage at Reservoir No. 3. ((Reena Rose Sibayan | Reena Rose Photography)BAYONNE, N.J., OCT 27, 2020 — A deer with tags on its ears was seen standing on rocks at 16th Street Park by Newark Bay. It had earlier been spotted swimming in the water for about an hour before coming ashore. It stood in place for more than an hour before it bolted inland. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)WEEHAWKEN, N.J., OCT. 28, 2020 — Lidl brand ambassadors welcomed shoppers to the food market chain’s newest location at Tower Plaza during its grand opening. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 2, 2020 — Staff process mail-in ballots at the Hudson County Board of Elections. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 2, 2020 — Hudson County voters dropped off their ballots at a drop box in front of City Hall. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal))UNION CITY, N.J., NOV. 3, 2020 — People casted their votes at the Robert Waters Elementary School polling precinct in Union City on election day. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 3, 2020 — Ward D council candidate Yousef Saleh’s sisters campaigned for him near the Christa McAuliffe School polling precinct in The Heights on election day. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 3, 2020 — A man passed by cardboard cutouts of presidential candidates Joseph Biden, left, and Donald Trump, displayed outside 512 Quantum Sounds Bar & Restaurant on election day. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 10, 2020 — Aerial view of the Harsimus Branch Embankment, also known as the Sixth Street Embankment, in the fall. It’s an almost mile-long former railroad which extends from Brunswick Street to Marin Boulevard, that has been reclaimed by nature. ((Reena Rose Sibayan | Reena Rose Photography)NORTH BERGEN, N.J., NOV. 15, 2020 — High winds ripped through a warehouse on West Side Avenue. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 19, 2020 — People lined up at a mobile COVID-19 testing site run by Prestige Health on Journal Square. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Nurse Danika Patel administered a nasal swab on Margarita Sanabria at the mobile COVID-19 testing site. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., NOV. 24, 2020 — Jersey City held an outdoor promotion ceremony at City Hall for 20 captains, 20 lieutenants and 35 sergeants in the police department. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)Marjorie E. Jordan hugged her daughter, Ashlie, 15, after being promoted to lieutenant during an outdoor ceremony at City Hall for 20 captains, 20 lieutenants and 35 sergeants in the Jersey City Police Department. Jordan ran toward gunfire to help another officer who had been shot in the Dec. 10, 2019, shootout on Martin Luther King Drive. Her promotion makes her the highest-ranking Black woman officer in the department. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)HOBOKEN, N.J., NOV. 30, 2020 — Officers carried the flag-draped casket of Police Sgt. Peter Zanin outside Ss. Peter and Paul Church on Hudson Street during his funeral. Zanin spent over 20 years in the Hoboken Police Department and was known for his involvement in local toy and coat drives. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., DEC. 2, 2020 — Ward D Councilman Jermaine Robinson handed out wrapped presents to kids during the city’s 24th annual toy drive which was held outdoors this year at the Mary McLeod Bethune Center parking lot due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., DEC. 3, 2020 — Two men filmed the Hackensack River from the future site of Skyway Park, a long-awaited public space planned for the city’s west side on a rehabilitated Superfund site. The park will open next year with a memorial for the 503 city residents who died of the coronavirus without formal funerals. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., DEC. 10, 2020 — Local officials, the Jersey City Police Department and family members of Det. Joseph Seals gathered at Bayview Cemetery for a ceremony to mark the one year anniversary of the mass shooting which killed Seals in the line of duty at the cemetery on Garfield Avenue and three people inside a kosher grocery on Martin Luther King Drive. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)BAYONNE, N.J., DEC. 16, 2020 — Snow fell on Broadway during the first major winter storm of the season. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY, N.J., DEC. 21, 2020 — Staff educator Gail Beyer injected physician assistant Elizabeth Resnick with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Christ Hospital. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)
I like being able to tell a story through an image. That's why I am a photojournalist. And I love what I do. I hope that viewing the photos on my blog and on my website, you can see that, too.
A little about me:
I am a newspaper and wedding photojournalist based in New Jersey, USA.
I currently work as the chief photographer and photo editor of the Jersey Journal, a daily newspaper in Jersey City covering the county of Hudson.
A graduate of the Eddie Adams Photography Workshop in 2002, I have received awards from the New Jersey Press Association (NJPA), the New Jersey Press Photographers Association (NJPPA) and National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).
My work has appeared in the Star-Ledger and the New York Times, among others.
I was born in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines, and grew up in Baguio City, Philippines. I immigrated to the United States in 1997.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
I live with my husband, photographer Max Pasion, our son, Renzo, and our cat, Nom Nom, in Bayonne, NJ.
I am available for freelance work and to photograph weddings and other events. Contact me now to book your event. Please visit my website, www.reenarose.com, to see more of my work.
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by Reena