Tony Bacewicz, Neighbor

Connecticut has been my home state all my life. I grew up in East Hartford, lived in Ellington and Manchester and moved to Old Saybrook in 2000 where I live with my wife Juli and our son Gabe.<br><br>My love of photography began with a darkroom kit that my parents gave me for Christmas when I was 11 years old. Since that magical moment, I explored to every source I could find to sharpen my skills with a camera. When I was 17 years old, I joined The Hartford Courant as a photolab technician and was promoted to staff photographer two years later.<br><br>Over the years, I was given the opportunity to cover stories ranging from the plight of refugees of the Kosovo conflict to Connecticut volunteers bringing hope to the poor of Haiti. My career as a photojournalist at The Courant literally took me around the world in a recreation of Amelia Earhardt&#39;s 1937 flight.<br><br>But my primary focus has always been telling the stories of the people of Connecticut. I also believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that we can all learn something from each other&#39;s stories.

<br>Although I still take still pictures to share with others I&#39;ve recently become excited abouthow powerful storytelling with video can be because I believe that nothing can bring a story to life better than seeing and hearing someone tell their own story in his or her own voice.<br><br>I&#39;m planning on telling many more stories in the years to come and hope you will share your story with me.