that belonged to the school’s news department.
“You wouldn’t suspect my career had taken off on the basis of that one shot,” he said.
Following high school, Kennerly enrolled briefly at Portland State University before he was hired at the Oregon Journal, the largest afternoon newspaper in the northwestern state. When it came to choosing between school and jump-starting a career in photo-journalism early on, he chose the latter.
In 1967, he was hired at UPI at the age of 20. By then, Kennerly had amassed a nice portfolio, including feature shots of Robert Kennedy, Miles Davis and The Rolling Stones.
Following his return from the Vietnam War, Kennerly was hired as the last photographer at Life Magazine before the publication folded. In the 1970s, he began covering the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to his stay at the White House.
“I had been covering (Ford) when he was vice president and had gotten to know his family well,” Kennerly said.
On the night Ford assumed the presidency, Kennerly sat at the former vice president’s home in Alexandria, Va., the two discussing their future in the White House.
Kennerly would become the White House photographer. He was 27 years old.
The two would remain friends through the years, past Ford’s term in office and up until his death in December 2006. Kennerly served as the official photographer during Ford’s funeral.
“It really completed the circle,” Kennerly said.
Included in Kennerly’s portfolio are shots of some of the most polarizing figures in history, including one of his favorite subjects to photograph — communist leaders.
“I think because their societies are so closed that any time I can get close to people like that, it was always a big deal for me as a journalist and as a photographer,” Kennerly said.
One of his most frequent subjects was Fidel Castro.
“The minute he entered the room, you knew he was there,” Kennerly said. “He had the romantic revolutionary thing going, smoking a cigar... his eyes alive with mischief and intelligence.”
Today Kennerly is a contributor for NBC News, shooting occasional stories and appearing on television segments. Kennerly, who is married to Santa Monica-Malibu PTA Council President Rebecca Kennerly and has three sons, also shoots book covers, his most recent being a yet-unpublished book featuring “The Apprentice” villain Omarosa Stallworth.
Amongst his favorite shots is a photo of five presidents at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library dedication ceremony in November 1991, the first time that all five leaders — George H.W. Bush, Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Ford and Richard Nixon — had gathered at the same place.
Kennerly recalls seeing nearly every photographer capture shots of the presidents head on, likening the pictures to a “cardboard cut-out.” Hoping to catch something unique, Kennerly went off to the side, when Reagan glanced over to Kennerly.
He instantly snapped the photo. “That was what makes the picture work,” he said, referring to Reagan’s look. “In the back of my mind, I thought ‘thank you, Ronald Reagan.’”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.