If you’ve attended a North Bergen township function over the last 15 years, you’ve noticed him. Whether it was a council meeting, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a senior citizens dance or a recreation activity, Chuck Baker was there, poised and ready with his trusty camera.
But beginning next week, Baker won’t be as omnipresent as he always was. He’s leaving the area to return to his northern California roots (to a humble slice of Americana called Grass Valley, Calif., to be precise), leaving the township with a void that will be very hard to replace.
“We’re going to miss Chuck,” North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said. “He’s been with us for a very long time. He really did some nice work for us, especially when we set up our website. He was very easy to work with and was readily available.”
Chuck Baker has grown up around photography, ever since he was given a camera for a Christmas present when he was a boy.
“I must have been about 10 years old,” said Baker, who called North Bergen home for the last 32 years. “I got an old 35 millimeter camera, where you opened this door and the lens popped out. That’s how I got interested in photography. I just enjoyed it.”
Baker always dabbled in taking pictures for his family growing up in California, but it was when he joined the Air Force in 1961 that his interest really piqued.
“I was at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, which was a strategic air command headquarters,” Baker said. “They had a photo lab and a dark room, so as a diversion, I started taking pictures. I did some work for a colonel and asked him to get me a camera and three lenses. That’s when it became serious for me. That’s when I started to consider it as a career.”
Baker said that he read a lot of magazines and books on photography, which basically enabled him to teach himself about developing and processing photos.
“I would shoot anything to practice,” Baker said. “Close ups, units, stills. At that point, it became a part-time job, because I was shooting pictures of families and church groups, but I knew I wanted to pursue photography as a profession.”
After leaving the Air Force in 1965, Baker went in search of a career as a photographer.
“What better place to come and learn than New York?” Baker said. “So I came to New York and lived in a cheap apartment on the Upper West Side.”
Baker also attended the since-defunct Germaine School of Photography in Manhattan, where he was taught how to become a basic portrait photographer.
“I also learned the basics of photographing in color there and had the basics of developing color pictures,” Baker said.
After graduating from Germaine, Baker secured a job as an industrial architect photographer, working with architects and shooting the interior and exterior of buildings, as well as construction sites. Baker remained in the architectural business for 25 years.
From there, Baker moved on to work in a photo lab in New York, where he fine-tuned his art of color printing and processing.
Somehow, during that time, he told his friend and neighbor, namely Sacco, about his love of photography.
“I knew Chuck even before I knew he was a photographer,” Sacco said. “He was a neighbor of mine who lived down the street.”
“He was a committeeman on my block,” Baker said of Sacco. “He knew me. When I told him I was a photographer, he recommended me.”
Baker was then hired by Vision Media, the Secaucus-based media relations firm that is contracted by the township to handle publicity.
“Chuck was always a very reliable and talented photographer,” said Paul Swibinski, the head of Vision Media. “I can’t ever recall Chuck missing an appointment throughout the many years he worked with us. I think through Chuck’s eyes and lens, we got to see the fabric of North Bergen captured.”
Baker continued to take the township’s images for several years. He was also once employed by the National Basketball Association in the league’s Secaucus offices as a slide duplicator.
Family
His wife of 40 years, Josephine, has sometimes assisted Baker at his assignments. The couple has a 28-year-old son who is an electrical engineer living in California.
When Baker’s 94-year-old mother needed assistance, it was time to return home to care for his family.
“I’m hoping to start up my photo business in California when I get there,” Baker said. “I really enjoyed working with the town. I liked working with the mayor and the commissioners. I gained a lot of experience and I hope it continues in California. I’m 66 years old, but I’m not ready to retire just yet. I’ve really enjoyed myself here. I’m glad I had the chance to do everything I have done.”
Added Baker, “For me, it’s going back home. My mother is 94 and still going strong, but she needs me. It’s going to be a whole different lifestyle. The closest city is San Francisco, but that’s three hours away. I’m going to miss North Bergen, miss being so close to New York City. But I had a good stay here and I liked working with the people. I’m looking forward to my next challenge.”