Steve Kraske talks Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential photographer David Hume Kennerly about his experiences from the Vietnam War and Cambodia, to the Ali-Frazier fight in Madison Square Garden, and the events that led him to become the official photographer of presidents.By Up to Date, Nov 3, 2009
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Imagine having ties to every American President since Richard Nixon. For Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly it's a reality that comes with the territory of his career. But his job hasn't always been cushy White House photo ops. Steve Kraske talks with Kennerly about his experiences from the Vietnam War and Cambodia, to the Ali-Frazier fight in Madison Square Garden, and the events that led him to become the official photographer of presidents.
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David Hume Kennerly has been shooting on the front lines of history for more than 40 years. He has photographed eight wars, as many U.S. presidents, and he has traveled to dozens of countries along the way.
At 25, the Roseburg, Oregon native won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for his photos of the Vietnam War, and two years later was appointed President Gerald R. Ford's personal photographer. He has been presented with numerous other honors, among them the Overseas Press Club's Olivier Rebbot Award for "Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad," for his coverage of Reagan and Gorbachev's historic first summit meeting in Geneva. He was named, "One of the Most 100 Most Important People in Photography" by American Photo Magazine.
Kennerly has published several books of his work, Shooter, Photo Op, Seinoff: The Final Days of Seinfeld, Photo du Jour, and Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. Most recently he produced Barack Obama: The Official Barack Obama Inaugural Book, with Bob McNeely, who was President Clinton's official White House photographer.