Veteran photojournalist Paul Rodriguez is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He spent 34 years as a staff photographer for The Orange County Register covering breaking news events such as the Los Angeles Riots and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, high school, college and professional sporting events as well as business, feature and entertainment stories in Orange County. Rodriguez began his career at the Claremont Courier where he spent three-and-a-half years honing his talent before moving to the Register. He has been honored with photography awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Press Photographers of Greater Los Angeles, the Orange County Press Club, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, and the Society of American Travel Writers. Rodriguez has been an independent contract photographer since 2018 and lives in Orange County.