Bill Eppridge

When covering a story, journalists have to choose between good and evil, challenge or easy road, fact or speculation. Bill Eppridge is one of the too few journalists who has been willing to cover the darker side of life most people would rather ignore. Through the lens of his cameras, Eppridge captured the raw, unsightly truth that is the past. He so personally captured the moments of a gruesome Kennedy assassination, marines shooting a terrified man in the back, a middle-class heroin addicted couple, and so many other important perspectives of history few have witnessed. Bill Eppridge was never afraid of his surroundings, shooting his camera as others shot bullets around him. And with that same passion, he captured the early life of a budding singer and obsessive perfectionist, the peaceful and often smoky scenes of Woodstock, the vintage and All-American essence of fading red barns, and the smug personality of his first cat. With every click of the shutter, Eppridge has written a new epic poem, telling a story complete with its own characters, personalities, and emotions. He's an amazing journalist who has helped write the past and inspire those who have started writing the future.

The idiom goes a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of Bill Eppridges a thousand words are not nearly enough to capture what each of his picture is conveying. Weather it be the Bobby Kennedy's lifeless body or Mr. Eppridges cat sprawled out a bed, each picture has a story. I find this aspect of photography to be the most integral in the success of a given piece. The most amazing part about Bill Eppridges amazing carrier is the vast array of topics and stories he captured with the lens of his Nikon camera. During the presentation i was transported to the Kenyan savanna, life of heroin addict, core racism in the 60’s, muddy hills of wood stock, dressing of Barbra Streisand. His ability to capture so many of the defining moments of the past 50 years is just remarkable.

Bill Eppridge

There is no room for discrimination in journalism. Journalists everywhere cover the good, the bad, and the ugly. Bill Eppridge, a renowned photojournalist and Mizzou alumni, is no exception. Speaking for an Honor of Medal class at the University of Missouri, Eppridge was introduced as a man “ whose career was as diverse as the camera lenses in his bag.” This couldn’t be more true of Bill Eppridge who has photographed the young Barbara Streisand, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, the Vietnam war, Woodstock, the Beatles in the U.S., and much more.  Those in attendance at the Honor of Medal class were lucky to catch a glimpse of the great works of Eppridge’s career, as well as a few of his current endeavors.  Eppridge also shared his opinion on the current state of photojournalism. He asserted that technology has impeded photojournalism by cutting the profits one can make on a photograph and by reducing the quality of photographs the public can get a hold of.  Eppridge mentioned that many think this problem to be unsolvable, however, he optimistically responded with the remark “ but they said painting was dead when the camera was invented.” The seemingly exponential growth of technology seems to be the dark cloud looming over every journalist and every major media outlet today. It seems that all we can do is embrace this change, but at what price? The media is so interested in controlling the technological world that we seem to have forgotten what journalism is all about.  It seems that the media should slow down a little and remember all the timeless contributions in media made by journalists like Bill Eppridge. It seems like a long time ago where a single black and white photograph could evoke emotion in thousands.

Bill Eppridge's Epic Poem

I throughly enjoyed Bill Eppridge's presentation on his work during his career.  Not only was his photos interesting, but his narration of all of the events made the lecture extremely enjoyable.  Listening to all of the different events he had witnessed and experienced was astonishing.  There were several parts of the lecture that I found to be the most interesting.  The first part was Eppridge's picture of New York Harbor.  The picture contains a boat on the left side of the frame, a waving American flag on the top right, and the twin towers below the flag on the bottom right.  The elements of the picture are fascinating.  Obviously the towers were still intact at this point, so to think about the symbolism this photo would have in years later is incredible.  The other part of the lecture that I found interesting was his experiences with Robert Kennedy, specifically the night of his assassination.  I find it mind-blowing to hear that Eppridge was not just a bystander in the whole event, but actually apart of Kennedy's entourage; to the extinct that he was a member of the formation that was supposed to escort Kennedy out of the event.  The intensity of this story was by far the most enthralling part of the presentation.

Bill Eppridge

Bill Eppridge has lived his entire professional career looking through a lens; trying to capture an entire campaign or war in a single split-second shot. He photographed what was not supposed to be seen. He captured war as it was, not glorified and dressed up as was expected. Eppridge's ability to find the perfect shot to tell a story was what separated him from others. As I listened to him speak, I realized how much he had seen and the honor I had of listening to him speak. The big stories of the last fifty years have been seen by Eppridge. I was looking at a man that witnessed Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. I feel that I could learn more from listening to him than I had from going to 100 J-1010 lectures. His real world experience engaged the listeners in a way that we seldom see. It showed me that stories do not need embelishments to be great, they simply need to be covered thoroughly and with great detail. Seeing Bill Eppridge speak and the wisdom I learned from it has taught me how close and how easy it can be talk to the people who know the most about journalsim.

Jill Hunting

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of the honor of medal classes assigned to our FIG and was then assigned to visit one of the J-school’s events. I decided to visit the national book tour reading of Finding Pete by author, Jill Hunting. The memoir was a spin-off from one of the articles she wrote for the Washington Post’s Magazine about the Vietnam War and her brother. Hunting’s brother was killed towards the beginning of the Vietnam War by a roadside bomb; the news of this tragic event left Hunting’s family devastated and broken. I sat in one of the Missourian’s budgeting meeting rooms along with a former friend of Hunting’s brother and other journalism students for the book reading. I really enjoyed hearing the process she went through writing the book, not only because it was a very interesting account, but also because I am interested in book writing. She then proceeded to discuss her past work experience in newspaper editing, writing for “Food and Wine,” publishing and becoming a full-fledged author. I enjoyed hearing her story and it has in-turn inspired me to follow my dreams and work both in newspapers and book publishing. The story told was extremely powerful and everyone that attended the book reading was fully invested in the time spent with Hunting. I am truly grateful for the chance to hear about her novel and the chance to hear about her life.

Bill Eppridge

Bill Eppridge has seen many things in his life. As a photographer for LIFE and Sports Illustrated, he was able to experience and see many things that seem so long ago to most of the people he presented his “Epic Poem” to. Eppridge had many stories to tell. He seemed to relive his memories through his photographs, whether they were of Woodstock, his cat, or Vietnam. He captured the attention of everyone in the room. As Bill Eppridge told the stories of each of his photographs, he had his audience laughing at the pictures of current day Woodstock, his cat, and of other such things, then had them clinging to every word as he told his story about Robert Kennedy. Bill Eppridge was there to see the Beatles arrive for the first time in the United States and he photographed horses. It did not seem to matter to him what he was shooting, as long as it resulted in a photo with a story to tell. He said that he never wanted to do the same thing twice. I am pretty sure that he didn’t. Bill Eppridge captured exactly what he wanted in his photographs, and he instilled many of those memories in the heads of those listening to him tell the stories of his life by way of a roll of film

Bill Eppridge

I attended the Bill Eppridge presentation on his career in photojournalism. Mr. Eppridge discussed his extensive career, from photographing drug addicts to Barbra Streisand, Vietnam, to the Robert Kennedy campaign and assassination. I found the presentation surprisingly interesting. I went into it expecting it to just be a basic presentation of photojournalism, maybe give a few tips. But hearing about the stories behind the photographs made me realize how much more there is to photojournalism than just snapping a few good pictures and leaving. He described how difficult it is to get the perfect shot, how you just have to anticipate and be in the right position at the right time. I learned that to make an “epic poem,” as he described it, you have to get your subjects to not only trust you, but also ignore you. In photographing something as personal as an addiction and a fight to overcome it, he really had to reach a certain type of relationship with his subjects. Finally, I was impressed with his ability to recognize that sometimes you can’t help you just have to document. That would be a difficult thing to do, but his photographs of the Kennedy Assassination were filled with emotion and he was able to capture it because he chose to keep taking pictures. Mr. Eppridge’s presentation really gave me a better look at photojournalism in general and made me realize that it’s a lot more than just taking pictures.

Mazhar Abbas - Pakistan: A Case Study about Working in a Hostile Environment

American media often comes under petty criticism, especially from consumers. We often hear the typical, ignorant complaints that our news is too biased, our TV shows too violent, our ads too misleading, and so forth. Needless to say, Americans often take for granted the benefits of a free press and forget just how fortunate we are to have journalism that functions freely and independently of the government.

It's difficult, however, to take such 1st Amendment rights for granted after hearing Pakistani journalist Mazhar Abbas' presentation on his experience in a dangerous profession that is a far cry from the western equivalent. Before a crowd of young, aspiring journalists, Abbas recalled instances in which his family was attacked as a result of his involvement as a journalist. "I have seen death from very close," Abbas said, emphasizing that being a reporter was neither safe nor easy.

It was indeed a humbling experience to have this brief glimpse into the world of journalism outside of American borders. Mr. Abbas was very sincere and honest in delivering his message, expressing how important journalism is to him and how he risked his life to report the truth. It allowed me to further appreciate the opportunities we have in America.

Bill Eppridge

From Woodstock to Robert Kennedy's assassination to his own back yard, Bill Eppridge has seen and shot it all. This man knows how to look at what is around him through the eye of a camera. His pictures were some of the most inspiring that I'd ever seen personally.

A good part of his time was spent talking about his time following Robert Kennedy in the time leading up to his assassination. Hearing him talk about how different things were then, being able to be right there with the action and not being pushed aside on things they didn't want him to see made me a little sad that I'll never get a chance similar to that as a photographer. Hearing his play-by-play account of the day of the assassination brought a tear to my eye even though I wasn't alive to witness that day for myself. Hearing how he was inspired to record history rather then help was also a very interesting comment to consider. His statement embodied what being a journalist is all about. It's not taking part in the action but sitting back and recording it and keeping an account of it as it goes on.

Bill Eppridge

Bill Eppridge has had a long and storied career in photojournalism. He has spent the better part of his life not only to seeing some of the world's most shocking events but also having a hand in how they were shown to the world. Working with Life Magazine from its heyday to its demise, allowed Eppridge to photograph some of the world's most challenging moments. From Woodstock to Vietnam to the explosion of Mount. St. Helen's, he saw it all. But, as he recounted in detail, the project that most affected him was the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Although most of the people in the room were too young to remember Kennedy, his pictures and his stories of the event captured the attention of everyone present. His life's work (which he calls an Epic Poem) is simply, something to be envied. It makes me wonder what major events I will be around to see and if I could only be so lucky to be a part of their story. 

Doug Crews

Doug Crews is a journalist and newspaper enthusiast. He began his speech by telling us about one of the major influences in his life, his high school journalism teacher. His name was Robert Cobb. Doug said that Robert was a great journalist and mentor. He also explained how Robert enjoyed playing golf and baseball even though he had a physical disability. Robert never let his disability get in the way of his teaching or hobbies. This part of Doug's speech was really interesting to me because I was also fortunate enough to have an exceptional high school journalism teacher. His name was Mr. Doyle, I will never forget all he taught us and his goofy, eccentric teaching methods.

Doug wrote for a local newspaper in Fairfax Missouri. Doug believes that at the heart of every lively city is a lively newspaper. A few of the locals would occasionally request that Doug take pictures and write about very strange things for the paper. For example one farmer asked Doug to take a picture of a potato he had grown because he believed it resembled Abe Lincoln. Also, he explained the importance of small newspapers and why he believes they will survive the recession. The part of his speech that had the largest impact on me was when he showed how important it is that newspapers can be used as a tool for studying our past. People use newspapers from twenty years ago to look back and see what was going on locally and to get the facts. Doug said he wonders what will happen in a hundred years from now when people try to surf for old websites to find out what had happened in past years. This scenario left me puzzled but intrigued. I hope people do not take for granted the power of the local newspaper.

Bill Eppridge

The career and the art of photojournalism requires much more than simply the ability to take a high quality photograph. It demands determination, drive, and the ability to view things from alternate angles. Bill Eppridge explained the importance of those characteristics in a photojournalist while showing through his own work. He did a piece while working with Life magazine about a white, middle class, couple struggling with heroine. He had to essentially live with them for three weeks. Nothing about that job could be easy, Eppridge was there through the couple's toughest times, even for and arrest and jail time.

Bill Eppridge has really captured some incredible things in his career and created some very influential pieces. I found it very interesting to hear about his experience with Bobby Kennedy and other important or famous people and how different his experience would be if he were following the same people now. Things were different then, and he was able to just hang around with Bobby Kennedy and photograph him the night he was shot. Although a life in photojournalism would be extremely demanding, it would be incredibly rewarding and would bring so many extraordinary experiences.

Bill Eppridge

A picture is a moment in time. Many moments in time are mundane and not worth remembering, but for the few moments that are life changing and earth shattering, it takes real genius to find those, and very few people have that talent. It is an essential skill to becoming a successful photojournalist, and Bill Eppridge is the perfect example of this. To say he is a successful photojournalist doesn't do him justice. He covered huge events from Woodstock to Vietnam and he was there the moment Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. Any one of those things is something to brag about, but having all three under your belt is simply unbelievable.

When he was talking through his presentation, at first I thought it must have been a team of people doing all of these things and going to all of these places, but when it finally hit me that just one man did all of this, I knew that I was staring at a master of his craft. He positioned himself in key positions and was able to identify that moment in time everybody is hunting for. He is a true example for all future journalists, whether they intend to be photojournalists or not.

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.

Honor Metal Blog

I went to Bill Eppridge's presentation on photojournalism. The presentation at which Eppridge discussed his carrer as a photojournalist and the various projects he worked on. The presentation helped me to understand exactly how a photojournalist works and just how much a photojournalist puts into his projects. For example when Eppridge talked about his project for LIFE magazine and how he had to live with and follow around a couple struggling with heroin addiction, I learned just how dedicated a photojournalist has to be in order to get photos. Before his presentation I thought that a photojournalist simply took a few pictures for a story and then left. Eppridge's presentation helped me realize just how wrong my prediction was and that being a photojournalist takes a lot more effort than I initially thought.

How To Save Journalism From Itself

Editor of Slate Magazine and author of The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, David Plotz began his speech reminding us that journalism and the internet still have a very young relationship. He described how, in 1996, Slate was published for the first time online, and updated only once a week. As the need for speedy news progressed, their writers gradually increased the frequency of posts to once a day, and then to three times a day, until the present where it is normal to find 20+ posts per day. He also made it known that no matter how prestigious or popular a writer may be, a story written 24 hours after an event is ancient in internet time, and therefore useless in the news room. However, he stresses that his magazine is more dedicated to the content rather than speed, and appreciates readers that are loyal to that aspect. "Slate technically has 7 million readers, 500,000 of which we consider to be dedicated readers." He says.

I agreed with many of David Plotz's views on today's internet media and thought his speech was very well put together. I liked his sense of humor and the way he incorporated very recent events into the examples he used. A memorable quote was "The insta-story of the day is sometimes a silly balloon hoax and not something more prominent or important. You as a magazine can develop a reader following that is not looking for the Jon and Kate stories, but for quality journalism." One of the things I respected greatly about David Plotz was an opportunity he gives to each of Slate's writers to take 6 weeks off work to write one story - and write it well. It does not have to be about something of-the-moment, but rather something that maybe has been occurring for some time and has yet to be surfaced by the news. I thought that was a very cool way to intrigue readers about things they never put much thought in to. He finished with the following: "Convince your future employers not to drain you of adrenaline or dope you up on methamphetamine to produce of-the-moment stories; to be sucessful in journalism you need to have free time to screw around and stumble upon your own thing."

Assignment #2: Honor Medal Blog

For this assignment, attend one of the Missouri Honor Medal events and write a blog describing who the person presenting the class was and what your reactions to that person's presentation were. The assignment is due Tuesday, October 27th at 12 a.m. -Danny