A Simple Picture

The opening slide simply read: Bill Eppridge, photojournalist. In a sense, it was a simple picture of the man who stood before us. However, we soon learned that this man has had a far from simple life. He started off at the University of Toronto and then, after being the lead photographer for the school newspaper, transferred to the University of Missouri to study photojournalism. He spent time on the staff of both LIFE and Sports Illustrated. He shot pictures of The Beatles, Woodstock, Vietnam, and many other subjects. He decided that he never wanted to do the same thing twice.

Eppridge has his own opinion of the convergence of journalism today. In some senses he believes that it “impedes” the process; it cuts the amount of money you can make off of one photo, and it can cut the quality. People are shooting for free and people will take anything. But, the competition also makes photojournalists work harder and get better. I agree with his view that photographers are still striving for the same thing: “the moment.” This is the most critical thing to every story. He then showed us exactly how he had captured many critical and significant moments in history. Though technology continues to “threaten” so much of what journalism is today, I agree that it will continue to push photojournalism forward.

Each of the pictures Eppridge showed captured something special. The photograph of the horse held my gaze, and his silly pictures of his cat and fishers kept me entertained. The still life documentary on Heroine made me realize the role photography can play in the social setting. Most of all, his photographs from following Bobby Kennedy made me think. He really showed the differences between modern day society and the way he was treated when trailed Bobby. Because of his ability to closely tail the politician, he caught many moments, including his death. I really enjoyed the documentary style of shooting, and the ability that he has to show true emotion. I find this kind of photography the most interesting, and often the hardest to come across. He was able to get close to historical figures and, therefore, capture historical moments. Though a photojournalist's life may seem simple, and a single picture may seem simple, but Bill Eppridge has shown how both can be far from it.