South Vietnamese Airborne soldiers march down Highway 13 on their way to try and relieve An Loc, South Vietnam, that was surrounded by North Vietnamese troops, 1972. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Ar… — South Vietnamese Airborne soldiers march down Highway 13 on their way to try and relieve An Loc, South Vietnam, that was surrounded by North Vietnamese troops, 1972. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

KALA HERH: You’ve been quoted as saying “In photography, everything can be taught except how to see.” How did you learn to see?

DAVID HUME KENNERLY: I guess I’m just one of those observant types! My sense of vision, and the way I see things, comes out of curiosity. I pay attention to what’s going on around me, not only looking for big stories, but little ones. I don’t have an exact formula for that, but good photographers are people who document everything they witness in their own unique way.

HERH: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. So in line with your beginnings, what drew you initially to the field of photojournalism?

KENNERLY: When I was a little kid, I sensed the excitement of news. There was a house fire near where I lived. Fire engines screeched in, sirens blasting, and red lights flashing. It was exciting, but what really impressed me was seeing a local news photographer get inside the police lines and right into the action and the firefighters to take pictures. That really stuck with me. In later years I refined that memory by boiling it down to documenting history in the making.

HERH: That’s really interesting. So how did your early work documenting the war in Vietnam inform your later career?

KENNERLY: I finally made it to Vietnam 1971, six years after graduating from high school in 1965. By the time I headed for the war four members of my senior class had been killed in action over there. Our graduating class was pretty small, so that was a significant hit. I knew all of them well, and had taken their pictures at one time or another for the annual and the school newspaper. Part of what I wanted to do in Southeast Asia was to show why the Vietnam War was killing so many of us. I also felt that I owed that to my high school buddies who had died there -- and I needed to not just tell their story, but to show and experience what they went through. Vietnam was the biggest story of my generation, but it was also intensely personal for me.

HERH: We’re curious into your experience at this time, being in combat. What was that like?

KENNERLY: There were a lot of scary moments. When I look back on all the different wars I’ve covered, my primary thought wasn’t so much the fear as the need to see and photograph what was going on. Danger, however, is always part of the business. I don’t look at myself as a particularly brave person, but I had to take risks to do what I did. And in retrospect I’ve been very lucky. Not only was I not physically wounded, but I haven’t even had nightmares about my close calls or anything else associated about Vietnam, which is remarkable. I think that my drive to get the picture has overridden emotions or feelings that might have come back to haunt me. Another element is that I’ve cared more about my subjects and what happened to them than I have about myself.

An American Soldier sits over his 50-caliber machinegun on top of an armored personnel carrier near Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, Easter Day, April 11, 1971. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: In addition to your Pulitzer prize-winning Vietnam photographs, you’ve also documented many influential global leaders. What did you find the biggest challenge in photographing such immense power? Is it intimidating? Or do you find it to be a nice challenge?

KENNERLY; I’ve never been daunted by anybody. I’m from a little lumber town in Oregon. As a kid I would look up at the trees and find them awe-inspiring, but not intimidating. I feel that way about certain people. I want to know who they are, what makes them tick, and why people look up to them. Or don’t. There are formidable people who are down-to-earth, and then there are those who just have giant egos but are small-minded. To me, it’s a big puzzle that I try to solve through my pictures. I try to get to the core of my subjects through my camera, and it’s not that easy. Most folks try to shield themselves from scrutiny, even unwittingly, so when I break through that veneer to capture a little revealing moment - score!

Former President George Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, in the oval office, Washington, D.C., January 7, 2009. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona… — Former President George Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, in the oval office, Washington, D.C., January 7, 2009. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: Did this process of you becoming a political photographer happen naturally, or did you know that you wanted to capture these people?

KENNERLY: At nineteen I was a photographer for Portland’s daily afternoon newspaper, the Oregon Journal. One of my earliest assignments was to cover the visit of Senator Robert Kennedy who was the most important politician I had photographed up to then. I remember not being able to push through the crowds of people in the hall where he was speaking to get close enough to make a good picture, and could see my career coming to an abrupt halt when I returned to the paper with no photos. Good fortune intervened, however, and I was given a hand by LIFE Magazine photographer Bill Eppridge who was traveling with Kennedy and took pity on this panicked young photographer. Eppridge not only spirited me through the crowd, but put me in a spot where he said I would get a good picture. He was right. With his help, I made a few good pictures and he probably saved my job! But what I remember vividly is what came after the event when I followed Sen. Kennedy to the airport to cover his departure. His twin-engine DC-3, propellers turning, was parked on the tarmac. Kennedy bounded up the stairs, turned and waved, then ducked inside. And then photographer Epperidge followed. He stopped at the top, looked around to see if there was one last photo to make, and gave me a little wave goodbye. He then entered the aircraft, the doors closed after him, it taxied out, and took off. It felt like that final scene in “Casablanca” where Humphrey Bogart watching the plane take off with the love of his life aboard. I wanted to be on that airplane. I wanted to be where the action was. To do that I needed to get on the inside - to be in the room where history was happening. That moment ignited the fuse that became the political part of my calling and informed my life’s work. That moment also underscored the kind and unselfish act extended to me by a famous photographer. It was a lesson I have tried to pay forward ever since.

Cuban President Fidel Castro in his office during an interview with TIME Magazine, Havana, Cuba, 1977 (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive. © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regen… — Cuban President Fidel Castro in his office during an interview with TIME Magazine, Havana, Cuba, 1977 (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive. © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents).

David Hume Kennerly, Anwar Sadat, Egyptian President posing for TIME's "Man of the Year" Issue, Pyramids of Giza, El Giza, Egypt, 1977. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive. © Center for Creative Ph… — David Hume Kennerly, *Anwar Sadat, Egyptian President posing for TIME's "Man of the Year" Issue, Pyramids of Giza, El Giza, Egypt*, 1977. Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive. © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents

HERH: You became President Ford’s photographer; I imagine that was an unprecedented amount of access, one I feel has been unmatched to this day. You were able to be in that room during his tenure. I’m curious into your favorite moments that you’ve had while photographing the president?

KENNERLY: One of the most powerful moments of Ford’s presidency was when he testified before Congress about his pardon of Richard Nixon. As a former Congressman, Ford understood why that angered so many people. He wanted to do everything he could to try to heal the rift and division from the pardon and the circumstances that led up to it. So, Ford showed up voluntarily before the Democrat-controlled House Judiciary Committee as a Republican president to explain himself. Ford was the first president to testify before Congress since Abraham Lincoln. And the last. I believe that act was profoundly courageous. My photograph shows him sitting by himself, not surrounded by lawyers. His testimony exemplifies the best of our system and reveals the strength and character of a man who strongly believed in our government. But the pardon cost Ford the presidency in his own right. He lost the election in 1976 and granting clemency to Nixon was the key factor in Jimmy Carter defeating him. Many years later, Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was a major critic of the pardon, presented Ford with the “John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award.” It was a complete turnaround, and Pres. Ford told me one of the most touching things he had ever experienced.

The first and last president since President Abraham Lincoln to testify before Congress, President Gerald R. Ford answers questions about the pardon of former President Richard Nixon before the House Judiciary Committee, October 17, 1974. (Center fo… — The first and last president since President Abraham Lincoln to testify before Congress, President Gerald R. Ford answers questions about the pardon of former President Richard Nixon before the House Judiciary Committee, October 17, 1974. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: Regarding the question of access, what is the difference between your time with President Ford and now the access with the current president? Do you think we could ever get that kind of unprecedented amount of access, or a more a private glimpse into a president’s life again?

KENNERLY: My access to presidents has been up and down over the years. Nobody could have had more than I did during the Ford years, but many official presidential photographers have had a varying degree of access before and since. The first to have that kind of entrée was Yoichi Okamoto who was LBJ’s photographer. He really remains an inspiration to me and was the best presidential photographer of all of us, (I include myself in that batch, so I can say it and not get the rest of them mad at me!). I don’t really want to compare my time to anybody’s. Shealah Craighead is President Trump’s photographer, and I don’t know whether she gets good behind-the-scenes private and personal moments of him or not. Those photos may exist but I haven’t seen them, and I really would like to think she’s getting that kind of coverage. The job of being the personal photographer to the President is vital to create a complete historical record. Photographs are part of understanding who we are. They show what it is about our system and our government that’s different from other countries and other societies, and pictures are a roadmap to understanding what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.

HERH: Do you feel like this current lack of photographs currently coming out of the White House has to do with the current role of journalism changing with technology, or do you think this is a more specific thing to this president?

KENNERLY: As far as new photographer coverage, it has been pretty good. Trump likes having his picture in the paper, especially the New York Times. But the personal relationship between the president and the official White House photographer determines the quality of the photos; whether they are able to probe the essence of a president and his administration, or not. If the president gets along with his photographer and trusts him or her, the access needle points up. If not, you end up with someone who sits on the bench waiting to be called into the game. I can only address my own experience. The Fords allowed me into their lives and embraced the idea of what I was doing. There was never a moment when one of them said, “Don’t take this picture.” My understanding with President Ford was clear. He and I sat down and talked about it at their home in Alexandria the night he became president. I had a pretty good idea that he would offer me the top photo job that night, but I was concerned that I could end up like Nixon’s photographer, Ollie Atkins, who had very little access. I just wasn’t interested in that. When President Ford asked me if I would become his chief White House photographer, I looked him in the eye and said, I would love the job but, only if I report directly to you, and and have access to everything going on in the White House. He stopped smoking his pipe when I said that, and I thought, “Oh boy, I’m going to have to call my parents and tell them that the President of the United States offered me a job and I told him to shove it!” But he laughed and said, “You don’t want Air Force One on the weekends?” He hired me. I was just twenty-seven years old. We already had a good relationship because I had been covering him for TIME Magazine and got to know him and the family while he was vice president. The president never went back on his word and I enjoyed free reign in the White House. It was extraordinary. President was a wonderful and centered human being. You see it in the pictures. I never took photos intentionally trying to make him look good (or bad). And the way I approached photographing the president of the United States, is how I deal with everybody. I just shoot what I see, trying to get to the core of their humanity. That’s both the challenge and the objective.

President Gerald R. Ford in the back of his limo on his way to the White House two days after being sworn in as the 38th President of the United States after the resignation of President Richard Nixon. August 11, 1974 (Center for Creative Photograph… — President Gerald R. Ford in the back of his limo on his way to the White House two days after being sworn in as the 38th President of the United States after the resignation of President Richard Nixon. August 11, 1974 (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: That is quite a challenge. When you’re capturing a subject like this, how do you determine when you’re going to capture? Do you choose a specific instance when you think the public should have access to these photos, or is it more of taking as many photos as you can get and then select them later?

KENNERLY: The way I was brought up in the business, especially during my time as a UPI wire service photographer, was not to take hundreds and hundreds of pictures hoping to get a good one, but rather just wait until the moment happens. How many pictures does it take to get a good image? One. I live my life one frame at a time, and I’m always looking for the right instant. When I shoot tons of pictures it usually means I’m not getting what I want. And pardon the cliché, but I’m really am just trying to tell the story. When I’m in a room, I want to capture the drama and to take you along with me to see what I see. Every good photographer is like that, waiting for the instant when everything comes together, pressing the shutter at the right moment, then bingo, you nailed it! In sports photography you have to have a sense of the game, and then start shooting as the action unfolds; it’s not much different than that in a political situation and the end result is much the same. What I want is the truth, and with attribution to Henri Cartier-Bresson, “the decisive moment.” If you look through my photos, you can see how my mind functions. I’m very deliberate as I work. We all do things differently, but the mission is the same, and that is to make photographs that provide insight.

HERH: So let’s take a departure for a second and talk about your archive project. Why did you decide to do it now? Is it because it’s a round number, 50 years, or was it only now that you had a good scope of history?

KENNERLY: It was a relationship that evolved over 40 years. I was approached initially in 1979 by Dr. John Schaefer, then president of the University of Arizona, who along with Ansel Adams founded The Center of Creative Photography. It seemed too early in my career to be talking archive, so I passed! I met Ansel in 1975 when I arranged a meeting with him and President Ford to talk about the National Parks. I also produced a TIME cover of Ansel in 1979 in conjunction with his Museum of Modern Art show. He’s the only photographer who has appeared on the cover of TIME before or since. My mind was never on archiving my material as much as it was continuing to shoot pictures, something that was much more exciting for me! When my wife Rebecca Soladay and I married in 1994, she was aware that I had tons of boxes, but wasn’t sure what they contained. I was on the road on assignment when we had a flood in the basement, Rebecca called me and asked what was in the boxes that were getting wet. I told her, “A bunch of my negatives.” She said, “Oh my God!” She leaped into action and saved everything. From then on Rebecca drove the train in putting the archive into shape. From 1994-95 it started to take shape. A lot of pictures were out at various agencies, but we tracked them down and had them sent back. The archive grew. Four years ago Rebecca discovered Randa Cardwell, an incredible photo archivist, and brought her in to help manage and organize the archive.

There were several institutions interested in the archive, plus I had a good arrangement with the Center for American History in Austin, and some of my material is archived there. But Becky Senf, the Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography (CCP), doggedly pursued my collection. I noticed that Andrea Blanch, who started your magazine, worked with Richard Avedon who has a substantial amount of his work at the CCP. Some other greats including Ansel Adams, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Weston, and Garry Winogrand are also there. Ansel and I had become good friends and was one of the funniest and loveliest people on the planet. I also knew W. Eugene Smith, and even met Richard Avedon. So, I have quite a personal connection with the CCP. However, the most important reason that we believe the CCP and the University of Arizona is the perfect place for the Kennerly Archive is their commitment to using images in my archive across the University of Arizona to realize its potential, and the potential of photography in general, as the powerful educational tools that they are. The University of Arizona and the CCP are as committed as I am to the interdisciplinary usage of images for the understanding of history and our world. I’ve talked to many of the deans of the different schools and we share a real enthusiasm for working together to unlock the power of photos to help advance learning.

President Ford holds an informal early morning meeting in Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace with (L-R) Military Aide Steve Todd, Special Assistant Terry O’Donnell, and Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, November 19, 1974, Tokyo, Japan (Center for Creative Photogr… — President Ford holds an informal early morning meeting in Tokyo’s Akasaka Palace with (L-R) Military Aide Steve Todd, Special Assistant Terry O’Donnell, and Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, November 19, 1974, Tokyo, Japan (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: You talked a little bit about how the University of Arizona acquired these photos. Recently the Public Relations Officer Gina Compitello said that it would be an amazing resource for students to have. What legacy do you personally hope these images will leave behind?

KENNERLY: I hope that part of my legacy will be that I didn’t quit until I was planted six feet under! I still continue to contribute to the archive and feel driven to do so. I was recently at the Trump House impeachment hearings and will cover the Senate trial. I also photographed the sixth Democratic Presidential Debate in Los Angeles in December. I just can’t seem to stay away from news being made! But the biggest part of my legacy will be the history, insight, and knowledge contained in my photographs. Having my archive housed where it will be utilized is fantastic, as is knowing it will be in a safe place. When I think about some of the unsafe places where it has been stashed along the way, I cringe. It all could have gone away. (Thanks again Rebecca). Part of these next few years will also be about discovering the undiscovered work in the collection. I’ve been so busy shooting photos that I haven’t had a lot of time to assess what I’ve done. At some point after the 2020 election, I’m going to back off traveling and spend more time with the archive. Ultimately, it will be a rich online presence where you can study and find unique images that. I attended college for less than a year. The irony is that my archive is provided by a person who doesn’t have a higher degree, but it will be an excellent resource for those who will pursue them.

HERH: The archive is going to be a great tool for understanding and discovering world history through photographs. Was there a photograph that you saw when you were a kid in learning history that stuck with you in a way that a story couldn’t have?

KENNERLY: My earliest memory of a photograph that affected me was Joe Rosenthal’s iconic masterpiece of U.S. Marines raising the flag over Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. To me it is the single greatest photograph ever taken. It’s about bravery, patriotism, and the symbol of America’s victory in World War II all captured in one frame. Joe and I became friends years later, and I was honored to give a eulogy at his memorial. I talked about how important that photograph was for the “Greatest Generation,” but really for all of us. My life is about the visual. You can’t look at a great photograph and not have it become permanently embedded in your mind. For example, Eddie Adams’ Saigon execution image, and Nick Ut’s extraordinary photo of little Kim Phúc running down the road after being napalmed are two that are unforgettable.

I’ve been affected by a multitude of pictures, none more than by Larry Burrows who was a LIFE Magazine photographer. His Yankee Papa 13 photo essay, (the call sign of the helicopter), made a huge impact on me the year I graduated from high school in 1965. It was akin to a Shakespearean play with a beginning a middle and an end. The story opened with a photo of happy-go-lucky crew chief Lance Corporal James C. Farley carrying an M-60 machine-gun to his helicopter. Burrows followed him through a mission that lasted just a couple harrowing hours. During the combat operation one of the other U.S. helicopters was shot down, and Farley and crew rescued some of them, but one of their comrades was killed. Burrows’s picture of that fallen comrade on the floor of the chopper with Farley yelling in the background was the cover picture of LIFE. It was stunning. But the most compelling photo to me, and the punctuation mark on the story, was the last image. It was a moment we hardly see of combatants in war, an incredibly intimate and powerful image of a young man by himself, surrounded only by boxes in a warehouse, overcome with grief and crying alone. It resonates with me to this day and was the moment that 18-year-old-soon-to-be-high-school-graduate Dave Kennerly figured out what he wanted to do: to not only cover politics and wars, but to memorialize that kind of emotion. To show people things they wouldn’t otherwise see but need to be seen. It’s my driving force.

South Vietnamese soldiers carry a wounded comrade off the battlefield under heavy fire in Krek, Cambodia, October 5, 1971. This is one of the photos that won Kennerly the 1972 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Feature Photography. (Center for Creativ… — South Vietnamese soldiers carry a wounded comrade off the battlefield under heavy fire in Krek, Cambodia, October 5, 1971. This is one of the photos that won Kennerly the 1972 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Feature Photography. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: So in your online archives gallery on the Center for Creative Photography website, there’s a section with photographs taken with an iPhone which are stunning. But what do you think about the role of photojournalism changing with technology and citizen journalism as well?

KENNERLY: I agree with the late 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer who said, “Good journalism is structured, and structure means responsibility. I would trust citizen journalism as much as I would trust citizen surgery.” Technology has changed, but integrity hasn’t. Journalism is a profession, and the practitioners have to be honest and trusted. You have to believe what you see or read, otherwise what’s the point? Especially these days. The messenger is important. Photographers for legitimate newspapers, photo agencies, wire services, can’t alter an image. If you work for them and photoshop something in or out beyond cropping, you get fired. Period. That’s how the media pros keep the images they present to the public honest.

With the proliferation of cameras in your mobile phone, it’s still the eye behind that camera that counts. To me cameras are tools. With the evolution of the technology you have a different means of capturing images, but that’s really a technicality, not a difference in a personal point of view. I’m one of the few older guys from my generation who bridged that digital divide because I wasn’t intimidated by switching from film to digital. I did it, but it didn’t change the way I see things. I’m still the same person taking the pictures. When I get hired, I get paid for my perspective, not my medium although these days I shoot almost exclusively digital. These days I use Canon cameras, mainly the 5Dsr and the EOSR. I’d like to think that their autofocus capability has added another 10 years to my career!

HERH: So I have to address what you’re currently working on. You talked a little bit about how you’re photographing the impeachment hearing. What do you hope that viewers and the public will take away from your photographs?

KENNERLY: Before the impeachment hearings, in July, I made a picture of former FBI chief Robert Mueller, a man who has lead a life of distinction, testifying before the House of Representatives about his report on Russian interference in our elections. To me he was a weary warrior. There sat a heroic Vietnam vet being battered and demeaned by Republican congressmen whose only battles have been with each other to see who could curry the most favor with Donald Trump to gain the greatest personal advantage. It was sickening and represented a system in deep trouble. Kathleen Parker, a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Washington Post saw the image on my Instagram feed and said the picture was like, “a Leonardo da Vinci canvas with all its shadows, hollows and his soulful, nearly weeping eyes.” I felt like weeping with him. The look went to my heart, and the image that I saw and documented, was the raw pain on Mueller’s face. We should never forget the expression of that noble person, nor should we forget the hell to which his accusers were willing to put him in service to their personal ambition and master. That same cast of Republican accusers were lined up like a firing squad trying to demean the integrity of witnesses during the impeachment hearings. They included another battle-scarred veteran, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, and several State Department officers who have served our country honorably.

These Cambodian “buffalo boys” ride atop their water buffalo while guiding them down a canal. Even though a battle raged a few hundred yards away, it didn’t affect thjeir exuberance. Krek, Cambodia, December 4, 1971. This is one of the photos that w… — These Cambodian “buffalo boys” ride atop their water buffalo while guiding them down a canal. Even though a battle raged a few hundred yards away, it didn’t affect thjeir exuberance. Krek, Cambodia, December 4, 1971. This is one of the photos that won Kennerly the 1972 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Feature Photography. (Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona: David Hume Kennerly Archive).

HERH: So the one last question that we have for you is what do you hope that young photojournalists keep in mind as they document our time, the current time, and the future times?

KENNERLY: I just hope there are people who want to make news photography a career, even in the face of increasing attacks on the media from those in power who fear the truth. Reporters and photographers are the truthtellers. They are the people who bring forth stories both in words and in photographs that shine a light on our democracy. I admire them and, despite the current climate, believe photography is a great and noble profession for young people. I’ve been at it professionally since I was 19 years old. Much has changed since then. Many of the magazines and newspapers are gone. But photography’s mission and power remains as impactful as ever, perhaps more so. There will always be a role for good and talented people to make pictures. I know a lot of great photographers who work today, one of whom is Carol Guzy, a four-time Pulitzer winner. She was just in Syria recently risking her life and refuses to quit. Carol is one of the best photographers on the planet. We all bring our perspective and life’s experience to bear on our stories.

HERH: Well that’s fantastic advice. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we go, anything you want to elaborate on?

KENNERLY: Oh, I don’t know. I’d just like to thank the Academy!

HERH: (laughs) That’s a good one.

KENNERLY: 2019 has been a big year for me mainly because of the acquisition of my archive by the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography. I’m more at peace now knowing that my pictures are going to be preserved and will be an asset to generations of scholars. If you consider that out of all the hundreds and thousands of photographs that I have taken over my fifty plus years in the business, maybe only one or two of them would have been published on a per assignment basis – and those published images were selected for their journalistic importance at the time. What that means is that more than 99 percent of my photographs have never seen the light. Many of these unseen images that fall outside of the journalistic criteria and might have an even greater impact on the understanding of history, culture, nature, humanity, and our world. The CCP will help make these photographs, and all of the images in their astonishing collection by other photographers, accessible to future generations. That’s exciting. I can die happy--but not right away. There’s still too much work to do!

Jan 16 Interview with David Hume Kennerly

Jan 17 Flash Fiction: Greenhouse

Jan 15 Rural America: Photography as Cultural Narrative

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