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obitoftheday:

Obit of the Day: “Bad Light” Atherton

James Atherton always wanted the unique angle. He was willing to sacrifice the perfect environment to get the best shot. (Other photographers gave him his nickname for his apparent disregard for light.) Sometimes this got him into trouble. The above photo was not taken by Atherton but taken of Atherton. Once again trying to capture that unusual look Atherton took to the stage during a speech by President John F. Kennedy to try and capture a “Hail Mary” shot - one taken without looking through the viewfinder. When Kennedy’s press secretary saw what happened he was livid but JFK when he saw the photo in the paper, cut it out, signed it and sent it to Atherton with a note: “Two men at work.”

Atherton, who took pictures for Acme (which became part of UPI) and the Washington Post retired in 1990, after five decades which included covering every president from Truman to Nixon.

He also covered the civil rights movement. His iconic image of that period was taken on August 29, 1963 during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom which is best known for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech. Atherton attached his camera to a bamboo pole, hoisted it over the shoulder of Lincoln’s statue and took this:

Amazing what a different angle can illustrate.

Mr. Atherton was 83.

(Main image is courtesy of the Post via the Atherton Family. The second image is copyright of Atherton/UPI.)