Bernie Boston | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1933-05-18)May 18, 1933 Washington DC, United States |
| Died | January 22, 2008(2008-01-22) (aged 74) Basye, Virginia, US |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Notable credit | Pulitzer Prize-finalist ( × 2) |
Bernie Boston (May 18, 1933 – January 22, 2008) was anAmericanphotographer most noted for his iconicFlower Power image.
Boston was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up inMcLean, Virginia. During his time in high school he was a photographer for the newspaper and yearbook. He graduated from theRochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 1955.[1] He was a member of theGamma Phi local fraternity and RIT, and after it became a chapter ofSigma Pi fraternity he was inducted into the national organization.[2][3] After his time at Rochester Institute of Technology, Boston studied at theUnited States Air Force School of Aviation Medicine. He served in the Army for two years while in Germany practicing radiology "in a neurosurgical unit."
In 1958, he left the Army and returned to Washington, working in custom photofinishing.[4] He started his news photography career inDayton, Ohio with theDayton Daily News. He moved back to Washington to work atThe Washington Star and was director of photography when the newspaper folded in 1981. He then was hired by theLos Angeles Times to establish a photo operation in the nation's capital.
Boston covered every president fromHarry S. Truman toBill Clinton. In 1967 he was commissioned to shoot a portrait of former Black PantherH. Rap Brown. Noticing the trend of a call forcivil rights in the late 1960s, Boston took more images of theCivil Rights Movement, including a portrait of the ReverendMartin Luther King Jr. during hisPoor People's Campaign, and other notable events. On October 22, 1967, he photographed his most famous picture,Flower Power, which showed aVietnam War protester inserting flowers intoNational Guardsmen's rifle barrels.[5]
He was a finalist for aPulitzer Prize for a 1987 photograph ofCoretta Scott King unveiling a bust of her late husband, the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr., in the U.S. Capitol.[1][6]
Boston taught photojournalism classes atNorthern Virginia Community College andRochester Institute of Technology.[4]
An archive of many of Boston's negatives as well as some prints and contact sheets is held at Rochester Institute of Technology. Established as a tribute to his memory and an inspiration for young photographers, it includes most of his work including the original negative forFlower Power.[7]
Boston attributed his success to his knowledge of his equipment. In an age of film, he knew chemistry as well as the capabilities of his lenses. Boston also believed in dressing in a suit and tie. "I'm in the capital of the world and I don't believe you should walk into an office in jeans and a sweat-shirt. I think you should blend in."[3]
Boston died at his home inBasye, Virginia, on January 22, 2008, ofamyloidosis.[1]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).Finalist: Bernie Boston of Los Angeles Times | For his photograph of Coretta Scott King at the unveiling of a bronze bust of her late husband in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
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