Sharjah24: The 8th edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival (Xposure 2024), staged an insightful talk by the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, David Hume Kennerly, on Wednesday. Leading a talk titled ‘Behind the Scenes of History’, the 76-year-old recollected pivotal moments from his 60-year career as a political and war photographer during which he captured and chronicled era-defining moments that have shaped the modern era.
Starting with the experience of photographing US senator Robert Kennedy in 1966, which solidified Kennerly’s aspiration to document political history and changed his life’s trajectory, he said: “After following the Kennedy motorcade headed to the airport one night, I realised I wanted to witness history being made firsthand by travelling with people who were making the world go around, making decisions affecting lives. Thanks to Robert Kennedy, I really devoted my career to history and politics.”
He was also present the night at the Ambassador Hotel when Kennedy had just won the California primary, went off-stage, and a minute later was shot down. “My photograph was of (his wife) Ethel in the back of this ambulance, as it was leaving with him inside. He died the next day.”
Kennerly’s famous image of boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier appeared on the front pages of The New York Times. “It was a big deal and it appeared on March 9, 1971, my 24th birthday. And this was also the last assignment I covered before I went off to Vietnam.”
His work as a combat photographer during the Vietnam War, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize at only age 25, highlighted the human cost of conflict and the essence of the human experience amidst chaos.
A highlight of his presentation was the discussion of his relationship with President Gerald Ford, who offered Kennerly the job as Chief White House photographer when he was just 27. “I said, ‘Mr. President, I would love to do it. But there are two conditions. I want to report directly to you and I want total access to everything going on in the White House. He started laughing and said, ‘You don't want to fly Air Force One on the weekends?’ And I took the job right off the bat.”
The photographer showcased many of his iconic images.His two favourites include the famous freight elevator photo of then US president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, sharing a tender moment, with Obama’s coat around her shoulders. “And this is my first and probably only really ‘viral’ picture, but I got some 200,000 likes and retweets. Michelle Obama giving a hug to George W Bush. It’s a Republican, a Democrat, a white guy and a black woman. It was a symbolic thing and it was a genuine moment,” he said.
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