Confucius famously said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” What he failed to mention, however, was how critical the people you work with are to how much you love your job. (Nice one, Confucius.) As SlickforceStudio celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, it also marks the anniversaries of two of its’ leading ladies.

Last week, photographer and retouching wizard Joyce Park celebrated her 7th year at Slickforce. I remember the day I interviewed her, I said, “We shoot a lot of women, most of them aren’t wearing many clothes. Are you okay with that?” She giggled and nodded. The next day, SlickforceStudio made its’ smartest hire in company history. She now splits her time between Post-Production Supervisor and Associate Photographer.

In May, celebrity photographer Christian Arias begins her 6th year with us. Christian began at Slickforce as an intern, straight from Brooks Institute of Photography. She quickly moved into a paid photo assistant role, and then lead assistant. Few people have worked so closely with our lighting, so it seemed a natural move to have her start shooting. When I first asked her to shoot for our studio, Christian shyly said no. As of this post, she now has more than 25 magazine and book covers under her belt, and a bundle of celebrity clients to boot.

Between them, they’ve photographed and retouched tens of thousands of images for Hollywood’s top elite. I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with both of them over the years, and I cannot imagine our company without them. Perhaps even more impressive than their incredible work ethics are their respective characters. They are both wonderful human beings, and it is truly an honor to work in the presence of such talented artists.

Take a look at their impressive portfolios here (Christian Arias, Joyce Park). My thanks to both ladies for choosing a home at Slickforce. You are lucky indeed, if you like the people you work with. Measuring by these two superstars, I would consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth.

PHOTO: Christian and Joyce pose with Kevin Hart at their shoot for WMB 3D. Photo by Derek Eskridge for SlickforceStudio.