"I had a lot to learn in terms of covering assignments, she said. "Downtown we were doing two or three assignments a day, routinely shooting and developing hundreds of photos a day. I was not assertive on breaking news when I started, but several staff members taught me how to push and shove and, well, be relentless."

The Sun-Times went through its greatest transition during the Eighties as the paper was sold twice. Each new owner put a different stamp on the paper—taking it downscale, upscale and finally midscale.

Photographers were expected to change with the paper’s new persona.

Stuenkel remembers the decade photographically as an era when the Sun-Times staff started shooting color for the paper’s front and back pages. These were particularly difficult years as photographers used color transparency film, which forced them to be much more precise on exposure.

For many on the staff, the Eighties will be remembered as the era of Harold Washington, she said. "He was vibrant and fun, not afraid of a good photo opportunity. He walked in a room and the energy level kicked up. He could wear a sombrero, sling a huge salami on his shoulder, or sip sake.

"He made it easy for us."