What was your first job as a journalist?
Summer replacement at UPI Newspictures in Boston. It changed my life forever.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I wrote three books on my IBM.
How is social media changing news?
It lets everyone get in on the act, although generally for entertainment rather than actual journalism.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
William Boot in Evelyn Waugh's "Scoop."
What does it mean to be a journalist?
After 50 years of journalism, I love it more than ever. It's my place in the world.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
None of them seemed funny. There's a lack of humor in today's journalists.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer to be trusted to interpret an event in light of my experience and professional values rather than pitched.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Canon camera, Photoshop and Cyber Duck...very routine. Equipment changes but "the eye" is what counts.
What's your favorite social network?
My friends, colleagues and family.
Who do you wish followed you?
The current generation of photojournalists is so competent that I humbly respect their talent and hope I measure up.
Why did you become a journalist?
I fell in love with the journalistic process at my school newspaper and I've been doing it ever since.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes! I was their only photographer.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The 1970 Harvard Square antiwar riot. It was scariest and most exciting assignment I've ever done.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Spend time with a journalist you respect -- watch, listen and learn.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"You're hired."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
To take distorted pictures of an author in disfavor with the magazine who assigned me. I declined the assignment.
What's your favorite drink?
"Suffering Bastard" -- brandy, gin, bitters, lime juice and ginger beer.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Sharing a life with my wife of 48 years.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times...wish I worked for them.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The annoying fact that everyone thinks they are a good photographer.
