In New York he apprenticed under photographer Pete Turner, who influenced Meola's use of saturated color and graphic design.
In 1971, Meola opened a studio and began working for popular magazines such as Life, Esquire, and Time, shooting editorial photos.
This photo appeared in the 1997 issue of Life magazine as one of the "100 Magnificent Moments of the Past 1,000 Years".
[1] Several of Meola's Springsteen photographs appear in the thirtieth anniversary box-set edition of Darkness on the Edge of Town.
Reviewer Pete Turner says, "Eric…has brought back a vision of color unmatched anywhere on earth.