Windhover
Photojournalism }

walking in the light: a life in photography


PHOTO JOURNAL

I plan on sharing some thoughts on photography based on my nearly 30 years of teaching, 50 some years being around cameras, and the last 10 years freelancing. Former students might hear some echoes of comments made in class. My favorites remain the same: Eugene Smith, Father Don Doll, James Nachtwey, Jim Richardson, and of course, for pure art--Ansel Adams. This is the starting line-up, but the bench is full and plenty of other shooters are first-teamers in anyone’s book. Periodically, I may comment on a particular photo, its ripple effect in the world of writing with light. Photos, when all the planets are aligned, can become--to paraphrase Thoreau--a moment’s monument. Those of the masters don’t really NEED my words commenting on them, but I like to think about photos, and these journal comments will be my solitary standing ovation, clapping alone here in my study, to some photographs and photographers I admire.

Anyone wanting to share a response, can reach me at windhover_b@yahoo.com

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Standing with two icons


Kent Ford of the Missouri Press Association was kind enough to shoot this photo and then send me a copy. I am standing with Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame inductee Bill Eppridge and Hall member Duane Dailey at the most recent induction ceremony in Washington, MO. The three of us were talking about the 1989 Missouri Photo Workshop in which Bill was one of the instructors, Duane was Co-Director along with Bill Kuykendall, and I was an anxious participant along with my wife Marcia. It was poignant to think back to that week in Maryville, MO. where Bill talked for the first time about his photographing Bobby Kennedy's assassination. He also mentioned that he must have taught at 20 or so of the workshops over the years. I was honored to be standing with two such honorable craftsmen of the photojournalism profession. It is just another of the wonderful gifts that photography keeps sending my way.