Paul Valade is the Director of Visual Journalism at the Daily Herald. He started in 1995 and has held various titles including Deputy Director of Visual Journalism, Lake County photo editor and staff photographer. Paul was named to the current director position in March, 2024.
Daily duties include shooting still and drone photos for print and online stories and working closely with editors and reporters to arrange photo coverage for news, sports, feature and business stories.
Prior to his employment at the Daily Herald, Valade was a staff photographer in Crystal Lake at the Northwest Herald. He worked there for nine years.
He is a member of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) and has won numerous awards through photo contests sponsored by the NPPA, the Illinois Press Association and the Northern Illinois News Association. Valade is a journalism graduate from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.