James K. W. Atherton was a veteran news photographer in Washington D.C. for over 40 years. For 20 years, he was a staffer for the wires at United Press International, covering every U. S. President from Truman to Nixon as well as the major events of the day, such as the McCarthy hearings, the 1963 March on Washington, JFK’s funeral, and the first seven space shots. Few world leaders escaped his lens. In 1970 he became a staff photographer and picture editor at The Washington Post. Following his award-winning photo coverage of the Watergate hearings, he continued to cover Capitol Hill through the Iran-Contra hearings. He retired in 1990, but continues to make himself available to students and teachers in photojournalism. Always striving for “something a little different,” each Atherton photo offers an editorial comment on the meaning of an action, the character behind the face, the story behind the story.James Atherton recommends the work of Frank Cancellare.
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Book Recommendation: 150 Years of Photo Journalism by Nick Yapp.
