APPRECIATE PICTURE EDITORS—we would be nowhere without them and their jobs are often thankless.
Maggie Steber, Photojournalist
“Photo editors play a bigger role in photographers’ lives than just choosing their best pictures. Often, it’s an editor’s voice that photographers hear in the back of their mind, urging them to strive harder for the defining image. They become lifelong friends, confidants and mentors. They can become surrogate parents or siblings — and, as with most family members, there’s a good chance they’ll drive you nuts.”
Yunghi Kim / Kenneth Jarecke in The New York Times
Alyssa Adams, TV Guide, Eddie Adams Workshop
Marcia Allert, New York Times, DoP Dallas Morning News
Susan Ackerman, Newsweek
Nancy Andrews, DoP Detroit Free Press
Kimberlee Aquaro, TIME, US News & World Report
Adrienne Aurichio, Sports Illustrated, LIFE
Virginia Avent
Ann Bailie, Long Beach Press Telegram
Martha Bardach, Los Angeles Times Magazine
Jo Barefoot
Donnamarie Barnes, Gamma Liaison
Kimberly Barth, Associated Press
Elizabeth Benard
Jocelyn Benzakin, JB Pictures
I’ve been very lucky in my life and one of the luckiest events was meeting JB and working with her. She was amazing.
Mark Peterson
Maggie Berkvist, LIFE, New York Times Magazine, Time Inc.
Beverly Bethune, University of Georgia, Author
Donna Binder, Impact Visuals
Cecilia Bohan, The New York Times
Elisabeth Biondi, DoP, New Yorker
Biondi was working at American GEO magazine. In the early 80s and then went on to Director of Photography (DoP) of Stern before The New Yorker. GEO was a mix of travel but mostly photojournalism. It should be mentioned.
Jeffrey Smith, Director of Contact Press Images
Debbie Bondulic, Newsweek
Annie Boulat, Cosmos Agency
Katherine Bourbeau, TIME, AARP, ABC News
Thea Breite, The Providence Journal, The Boston Globe.
Sherry Brown
Bobbi Baker Burrows, LIFE
I never knew anyone whose eyes twinkled as brightly as Bobbi’s with such enthusiasm for photographers and photography. —Alyssa Adams in TIME
Sue Brisk, Magnum, SIPA Press NY
Leanne Burden, The Boston Globe
Maria Ragusa-Burfield, The Black Book, Alternative Pick
Nancy Bursky, The New York Times
Joanie Carlin, Albuquerque Journal
Michele Cardon, DoP, Orange County Register
Chris Carey, TIME, Inc.
Cindi Christie, Contra Costa Time
Jane Clark, Smart Money, NY Inc.
Julie Claire, New Yorker
Jennifer Coley, Gamma Liaison
Alex Colow, Fortune
Scotty Comegys, Associated Press
Sue Considine, Money Magazine
Caroline E. Couig, San Jose Mercury News
Claudia Counts, Associated Press
Cathaleen Curtiss, VP global photography at AOL, Director of Photography (DoP), Buffalo News
Amy Deputy, Baltimore Sun
Mia Diehl, DoP, Fortune, Vogue
Claudia DiMartino, Associated Press
Caroline Despard, Smithsonian
Jessie DeWitt, Newsweek, The New York Times
Sonya Doctorian, The Tampa Bay Times, Rocky Mountain News, The Washington Post
Lee Dudley, LIFE
Mary Dunn, DoP, Entertainment Weekly
Sarah Dussault, The San Jose Mercury News
Ayperi Ecer, Sipa, Reuters, Magnum Paris
Sandra Eisert, The San Jose Mercury News, The Washington Post, White House, MSNBC.Com
For me Sandra was a godhead and one of the few women I was aware of who was cutting a leadership path in photojournalism. I drew inspiration from her feedback and her rise. In the early ’90s I was on a Missouri Workshop faculty with her and thought highly of her insights and ability to communicate with the students. In some places photo editors were not much more than cut clerks, supplying “art” to fill predetermined spaces between stories. Sandra offered visual content.
Cheryl Magazine
Sandra Eisert (The Louisville Times) has an intuitive gift for reading a photographer’s mind through their take. She is insightful and supportive.
Melissa Farlow
Debbie Edelstein, Newsweek, ESPN, People
Ruth Eichhorn, German GEO
Maria Eisner, Magnum
Julie M. Elman, Virginian -Pilot
Kirsten Elstner, National Geographic Visions Workshops
Rose Engelland, DoP, Chronicle of Higher Education
Carol Enquist, National Geographic Traveler
Anne Farrar, DoP, National Geographic Traveler, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News
Linda Ferrer, Fortune
Beth Flynn, The New York Times
Beth Filler, People
Maura Foley, DoP, People, The New York Times
Mary Lou Foy, The Washington Post
Laurel Frankel, Sports Illustrated
Nikki Frost, Newsweek
Alice Gabriner, US News, TIME, Nat Geographic
Elizabeth Gallin, Magnum, Newsweek,
Alice Rose George, TIME
Yonca Erdogan Gerlach, Producer, Eddie Adams
Sandy Gets, The New York Times
Susan Gilbert, DoP, Rocky Mountain News, The San Francisco Chronicle, Charlotte Observer
Paula Gillen, New Yorker
Lucy Gilmore, DoP, Wall Street Journal
Susan Glen, Network Photographers, Independent
Nancy Glowinski, Gamma Liaison
Margie Goldberg, New York Magazine
Charlene Pinckney-Goldberg, Newsweek
MaryAnne Golon, TIME, DoP, US News & World Report and The Washington Post
Esin Goknar, Conde Nast Traveler, Vogue, New York Times
Angela Gottschalk, Seattle Times
"Angie Gottschalk is a photo editor at The Seattle Times. She’s championed photographers from behind the scenes and worked the shittiest shifts imaginable while raising two daughters. Some of the women photographers at the Times affectionately call her Mama Bear because she fights for them in the newsroom.
Melissa Farlow
Kelli Grant, DPO (Director of Photo Operations) Newsweek, Yahoo News
Alice Rose George, Fortune
Linda George, TIME
Alex Gregson, Forbes
Deborah Haberstadt, Associated Press
Michele Hadlow, Forbes
Angelika Hala, Stern
Lisa Roberts Hahn, The Sacramento Bee
Liz Hafalia, The San Francisco Chronicle
Naomi Halperin, DoP Allentown Morning Call
Nakyung Han, New York Times
Meg Handler, Powerhouse Books, Village Voice
Sarah Harbutt, DoP Newsweek
Mary Hardiman, New York Times
Hazel Hammond, Travel & Leisure
Stephanie Heimann, Newsweek, Time Asia; DoP, The New Republic
Barbara Henckel, Sports Illustrated
Kathleen Hennessy, DoP, San Francisco Chronicle; White House
Sari Henry, TIME
Susie Eaton Hopper, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Nancy Jo Johnson, Fortune
Vanessa Hillian, LA Times, The Washington Post
Vanessa Hillian groomed a lot of talent. She came from picture editing at the Washington Post and After a few years as DoP (Director of Photography) in the Valley Edition of the LA Times, she returned to Washington Post in 1998 before retiring..She was impactful on several of LA Times current staffers. She also opened doors for many.
Todd Bigelow
Leora Kahn, LIFE
Selma Kalosek, New York Times Magazine
Kaile Kaplan, DoP, Swann Auction Galleries
Kathy Kieliszewski, DoP, The Detroit Free Press
Midge Keator, co-founder, Woodfin Camp & Associates
Laurie Kratochvil, Rolling Stone, InStyle
Myra Kreiman, Newsweek
Evan Kriss, New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine
Elizabeth Krist, National Geographic
Alex Korab
Stella Kramer, Newsweek
Eliane Laffont, Sygma Agency
Bronwen Latimer, Sports Illustrated; DoP, US News & World Report, The Washington Post
Sue Lapsien, Stern
Mary Leatherbee, Life
Carolyn Lee, DoP, New York Times
Nancy Lee, DoP, New York Times
Nancy had a way of making everything work, and work smoothly. At the time, interns were not allowed to work as photographers. But Nancy understood the importance, and thrill, of being published.
Darcy Padilla in New York Times Lens Blog
Sarah Leen, DoP, National Geographic
Ruth Lester, Life
Tiina Loite, New York Times
Megan Loorham, Fortune; DoP New York Times
Miriam White Lorentzen, DoP, Parade magazine
Natasha Lunn,New Yorker
Shauna Lyon, Producer Eddie Adams, New Yorker
Kathy Seward Mackay, US News & World Report, Newsweek, TIME
Cheryl Magazine, Louisville Courier Journal, US News & World Report, AME, Hartford Courant
Cheryl Magazine (Courier Journal) was an editor with vision and clarity. She was able to see when a small assignment was worth developing into a long project and help keep photographers focused. In college, Cheryl took me under her wing (Indiana University) and showed me the ropes. She always believed in me which helped me believe in myself.
Melissa Farlow
Jocelyne Manfredi, SIPA
Maria Mann, DoP AFP
Liz Massin, Newsweek
Cathy Mather, The New York Times
Moya McAllister, Associated Press
Kerry McCarthy, Getty
Wendy McCLean, Reuters
Jeanne Mell, Associated Press, ABC News
Carol (Greenawalt) McKay, Louisville Courier Journal, US News & World Report, The Washington Post, White House
Carol was Reagan’s photo editor all eight years, then came to U.S. News as international photo editor after Reagan left office. I loved working with her there. Her sense of the world was so broad after her White House experience. And remember, we still did all our communicating via phone and eventually fax at that time (it was the late 80s, early 90s, you could not communicate directly with anyone in USSR. We had to work through photo agencies in Paris to get assignments covered in Moscow.).
Cheryl Magazine
Carol Greenwalt McKay (Courier Journal) had an amazing ability as an editor to make phone calls ask questions to get a photographer to the assignment at the right time to be there to make the best photographs possible.
Melissa Farlow
Marion Mertens, Gamma Liaison, Paris Match
MC Marden, People
Kathy Seward Mackay, US News & World Report
Michele McNally, DOP, Fortune and The New York Times
Dot McMahon, Dot Pictures, TIME, Inc.
Bernice McWilliams, Newsweek
Meg McVey, Newsweek
Jeanne Mell, Associated Press, ABC News
Evelyn Merrin, TIME
Sabine Meyer, National Geographic Traveler
Linda Meyerriecks, National Geographic Traveler
Geri Migielicz, DOP, San Jose Mercury News
Sue Miklas, Newsweek Maddy Miller, People
Joanne Milter, The New York Times Magazine; DoP New Yorker
Kathy Moran, National Geographic
Kathy Moran (National Geographic) is s tough, patient editor who is honest and kind with you. She is very good about helping photographers make choices between images that compete in a story.
Melissa Farlow
Sue Morrow, San Jose Mercury News, AME Tampa Bay Times, The Sacramento Bee, Boston Globe, Editor NPPA's News Photographer.
Sarah Morse, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal
Mary Jo Moss, San Jose Mercury News
Karen Mullarkey, LIFE, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, DOP, Newsweek
Mullarkey. Director of Photography (DoP) at Newsweek but she was also DoP at Rolling Stone, long before, when photojournalism and documentary style WAS the initial style of the magazine during the late 70s and 80s. A lot of great photojournalism was published there in 70s.
Jeffrey Smith, Director of Contact Press Images
Jolie Muller, Associated Press
Jean Mulvaney, The Boston Globe
Lynn Murray, Glamour, Marie Claire
Charlene Murphy, National Geographic
Giuliana Nakashima, The Washington Post
Florence Nash, Gamma Liaison, People
Paula Nelson, DoP and AME The Boston Globe
Cathy Newman, National Geographic, Women Photographers at National Geographic books
Meredith Nicholson, DoP, Forbes
Margaret O’Connor, DoP, The New York Times
Carolyn Patterson, National Geographic
Jodi Peckman, Rolling Stone
Deborah Pierce, DoP, Money
Françoise Piffard, Magnum NY
Janice Pikey, Fortune, Forbes
Catherine Pledge, Contact Press Images
Catherine Pledge keeps me to the task of organizing my archive. Her skills and vision keep Contact Press Images firmly rooted in the future, present and past by organizing our images going back decades. When in doubt of locating any image, she is all knowing as to its whereabouts.
Lori Grinker
Diane Pleines, Associated Press
Jenn Poggi, US New & World Report, RIT (professor)
Vivette Porges Newsweek</em, LIFE
Marcia Prouse, AME, The Orange County Register, The Detroit Free Press
Crary Pullen, TIME
Jodi Quon, New York Magazine
Amy Raab, TAB Newspapers, New England
Liane Radel, New Yorker
Hillary Raskin, Magnum, TIME, Newsweek, Newsday
Anne Raup, Visual Editor, Anchorage Daily News
Sylvie Rebbot, DoP, French Geo
Janet Reeves, DoP, The Rocky Mountain News
Patty Reksten, DoP, The Oregonian
Susanne Revy, US News & World Report, Yankee, Photographic Resource Center
Julia Richer, TIME
Suzanne Richie, TIME
Jeannie Rhodes, US News & World Report, Vanity Fair
Lisa Roberts, Sacramento Bee
Leah Painter Roberts, DoP National Geographic World
Molly Roberts, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, National Geographic
Julie Rogers, LA Times
Amy Rossetti, US News & World Report
Carolyn Russo, Smithsonian Institution
Eileen Ryan, The Baltimore Sun, USA Today
Kathy Ryan, DoP, The New York Times Magazine
Barbara Sadick, Picture Group, Contact Press Images and founded Matrix
Peggy Sargent, LIFE
Cristina Scalet, TIME, Sports Illustrated
Ann Schneider, Vogue
Andi Schreiber, People, The New York Times
Marie Schumann
Tracy Lee Silveria, The Los Angeles Times
Phaedra Singelis, The New York Times,White House, DoP, ABC News
Rande Anmuth Simpson, Associated Press
Rosanna Sguera, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone
Jeanie Adams-Smith, The Chicago Tribune
Mary Griswold Smith, National Geographic
Susan Smith, National Geographic
Nancy Smith, TIME
Ahn Stack, Black Star
Anh Stack, who had been the Assignment Director at Black Star Photo Agency for years by the time I got there in the early 90s, had worked with Lynn Johnson and Donna Ferrato, in addition to Chris Morris and the Turnley brothers. Anh was a force and got an important personal project of mine placed with Kathy Ryan at NYT Magazine which led to future assignments.
Todd Bigelow
Madge Stager, Associated Press
Sally Stapleton, The Miami Herald, Deputy Executive AP Global, ME, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Maggie Steber, AP, National Geographic, DoP, The Miami Herald
Jodie Steck, Associated Press, White House
Jane Stein Loret Steinberg, RIT professor
Alrun Steinrueck Betty Statler, TIME
Michelle Stephenson, DoP, TIME
Michele Stephenson remained someone you could always reach out to. Your suggestions were always taken seriously, and I can think of a few times when she decided to go with something which might not have seemed obvious at the time. She was loyal to her photographers, backing them as needed, and never one to be chintzy with compliments when she thought you’d done a good job. The best thing about her, as a boss, was, whatever you the photographer thought might work, she’d be willing to give you a chance to make it work. She would encourage instead of micromanage, always giving the person in the field the benefit of the doubt, or maybe the benefit of local awareness. The photo world could have used a lot more like Michele.
David Burnett
Michele was excellent at matching stories with the right photographers. Her reputation in the world of photography editors was unsurpassed. She always stood by her team, and was respected and admired by photographers, correspondents and editors alike. She not only knew her stuff, she was known as one of the finest people in her field. I was honored to work for her.
Diana Walker
Sujong Song, DoP, South Korea Geo
Mary Studley, TIME
Michele Stueven, People
Edna Suarez, The New York Times
Nina Subin, The New York Times<
Jay Sumner, Washingtonian, National Geographic Society
Cara Sutherland, Newseum
Leah Suzuki, The San Francisco Chronicle
Eleanor Taylor, TIME
Mary Themo, TIME
Marie Tobias, TIME
Marianne Thomas, The San Francisco Chronicle
Ellen Tolmie, UNICEF
Bernadette Tuazon, DoP, CNN
Donna Tsfura, Sports Illustrated, TIME
Gillian Tucker
Susan Vermazen, Rolling Stone, The New York Magazine, Boston Globe
Maggie Walker, AP
Ronnie Weil, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal
Sarah Weissman, The New York Times
Susan Welchman, National Geographic
Indira Williams, DoP, Newseum
Susan Wirth, Der Spiegel
Susan Wise, Associated Press
Susan White, Vanity Fair
Deirdre Wilson, LIFE
Lauren Winfield, Fortune,Magnum
Barbara Woike, Associated Press
Karen Wyatt, Newseum
Chikako Yatabe, Senior Photo editor of Asia, Associated Press
Notable
Vin Alabiso, The Boston Globe and Associated Press. David Yarnold and J. Bruce Baumann • The San Jose Mercury News and Pittsburgh Press • Howard Chapnick, Black Star • Michel duCille , The Washington Post • Bob Gilka, National Geographic • Stan Grossfeld, The Boston Globe • Tom Kennedy, National Geographic • John Davidson, The Dallas Morning News • Bob Lynn, The Virginian-Pilot • Steve Larson, US News & World Report • Carlo Mastricolo , The New York Times and The Boston Globe • Mark Morris, The Sacramento Bee • Bryan Moss, The San Jose Mercury News and Rocky Mountain News • Robert Pledge, Contact Press Images • Steve Rice, The Miami Herald • Jeffrey D. Smith, Contact Press Images • Tony Spina, The Detroit Free Press • Glenn Stubbe, The Washington Times.
FOOTNOTES
Many photo editors worked at multiple publications. We listed a couple of higher profile publications next to the names. Photojournalists who went on to be director of photography are listed both in photojournalists list and editors list.
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