Book Review: Shooter
David Hume Kennerly: War Photographer and Photographer Of Presidents
Introduction
I was gifted this book by my daughter, who is a photography and art history student, and knows I am very interested in documentary photography.
David Hume Kennerly (born March 9, 1947) is an American photographer. He won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his portfolio of photographs of the Vietnam War, Cambodia, East Pakistani refugees near Calcutta, and the Ali-Frazier fight in Madison Square Garden. He has photographed every American president since Lyndon B Johnson. He is the first Presidential Scholar at the University of Arizona.
source: Wikipedia
Although it contains several images by Kennerly, it is not a photobook. It is his story in his own words from how he became a photographer, his time as a war photographer, covering Gerald Ford’s presidency, and later his coverage of other important global events.
Published: 1979
Publisher: Newsweek Books
ISBN: 0-88225-265-8
Size: 7. 1/4” x 9. 1/4” x 7/8”
Review
The book has five main sections, grouped around Kennerly's most significant portfolios:
The time from him being a young rookie shooter up to the moment he won the Pulitzer Prize For Feature Photography for his Vietnam War coverage in 1971;
His photographic and other activities during the Asian wars in general;
His White House coverage, during the presidency of President Ford (2 sections);
And, finally, his coverage of critical global events and photographs of world leaders.
Kennerly's narrative provides an excellent insight into what it was to be a press photographer during the Vietnam War era and covering major world history events.
The five portfolio sections that divide the book contain impressive images. To name a few examples: President Richard Nixon in his last public appearance as Chief Executive, President Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the Oval Office, Leonid Breshnev at the Helsinki Conference, and President Anwar Sadat in his home.
Conclusion and Recommendation
This book is an immensely impressive document by and about one of the great documentary photographers of the 20th century.
It provides a unique, intimate insight into the 'how' and 'when' of some of the most famous images of that era. And in the life and thoughts of the photographer who created them.
The curse of the shooter is that he is always an observer, never a participant.
For me, one of the most critical observations the author makes is, "The curse of the shooter is that he is always an observer, never a participant."
While Kennerly relates this to the fact that he felt that he was never able to see the stories he documented through to the end, it emphasizes that as a (social)documentary photographer, you need to record, not impact or change the events you are photographing.
This notion relates very much to my vision of straight photography, which I elaborated on in a previous blog post.
In conclusion, this is one of the best photography books I have read. Although written more than 40 years ago, it is still very current, and I recommend that every photographer get their hands on a copy to read.