Lucian Perkins
Encyclopedia
Lucian Perkins is an award-winning American photojournalist, who is best known for covering a number of controversial conflicts with profound compassion for his photograph's subjects, including the war in Afghanistan
, Kosovo
and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
. It has been said that Perkins has a developed style that not only portrays the hopes and weaknesses of the people in his photographs but in an unconventional manner. Perkins currently works at The Washington Post
, where he has worked for the past 30 years and resides in Washington, D.C.
during his time at the University of Texas. In 1976, Perkins graduated with a degree in biology
, only to go back to school to earn his teaching degree. It was when he returned, that Perkins discovered a new career interest. After attending a UT exposition workshop on photography
, Perkins began exploring photojournalism. He worked for both the Cactus yearbook as well as the student newspaper, The Daily Texan
. There he studied photography with the well acclaimed Garry Winogrand
. Perkins has additionally acknowledged the UT photojournalism class that he took during his time there, as a strong influence in directing him to photojournalism.
, Perkins went on to an internship with The Washington Post
where he was a staff photographer for 27 years. Perkins was first initially given the job due to a series he shot in his free time on the first class of female "middies" at the Naval Academy
. Once coming on to the paper, Perkins developed a passion for his job in covering extravagant international events. These include the Palestinian
revolution
, both the Iraq
and Afghanistan
wars, as well as wars in what was the former Yugoslavia
. As well as international, Perkins has documented many local and national events all over the United States
. Recently, Perkins has carried on and worked closely with the Post's online version of the paper. He has produced some of the website's first multimedia and interactive projects including the Siberia
and Finland
Diaries. Presently Perkins is working as both an independent photographer and videographer, concentrating on interactive media assignments and video documentaries as well as continuing documenting in photographic form.
in 1994. This was given for a portfolio that included photographic projects in Russia
as well as several images from New York
fashion shows. A year later, in 1995, Perkins and fellow Post reporter Leon Dash
were presented a Pulitzer Prize
in the category Explanatory Journalism for their four-year investigation of the consequences of poverty, illiteracy, crime and drug abuse had on a three generation family living in the District of Columbia. In 1995, Perkins won the World Press Photo
of the year award for his well-known photograph of a young boy looking out a window on a bus full of refugees, leaving Chechnya
, Russia
. In describing the image, The World Press Photo association said "The boy's expression mirrored all that Perkins had experienced and seen himself, and leaning out of his car, he attempted to steady his camera, focus and shoot. He says he knew this was a special image, mostly because of the symbolic meaning it had for him, but it was not an image he believed would win a contest." Five years later, Perkins once again shared a second Pulitzer Prize in 2000 in the category Feature Photography with fellow Post photographers Carol Guzy
and Michael Williamson
. They were awarded for their heartbreaking photos illustrating the plight of Kosovo refugees.
, an international photojournalism conference located in Moscow
with free-lance photographer Bill Swersey. InterFoto was the biggest professional photography exposition in Russia, the Baltic States
and CIS
countries from 1994 to 2004. The conference explored the Russian photographic community, uniting local, regional and international societies of photographers, photography editors, curators, and industrial leaders to swap ideas, share and educate others on the art of professional photography. In 1996 Perkins and Leon Dash published a book illustrating their Pulitzer Prize winning investigation titled Rosa Lee : A Mother and Her Family in Urban America. In 1998, Perkins published his next book Runaway Madness, and had it exhibited nationally. The book has over 100 images of a behind-the-scenes story of a popular New York fashion event. Perkins photographed models Kate Moss
, Naomi Campbell
, Shalom Harlow
, Christy Turlington
and more behind the curtain. Perkins also photographed fashion journalists, fashion editors and buyers as well as the audience. Later, Perkins curated the book and founded the exhibit, Chronicles of Change, which held many Russian photography. Perkins first went to Russia in 1988 to cover a summit between Ronald Reagan
and Mikhail Gorbachev
but ended up spending over a month in the country. Later he went back in 1993 and spent much time with a number of Russian photographers during his six-month visit, which led him to Chronicles of Change.
, The ART in Embassies Program in Sarajevo
, Bosnia, Havana
, Cuba
, Tokyo
, Japan
and Ankara
, Turkey
. In the United States, Perkins has work displayed in The Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, Newseum
in Washington DC, San Francisco and New York
. He also has exhibits in The American Textile History Museum in Lowell
Massachusetts
, The Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida
and The Flint Institute of Arts in Flint
, Michigan
.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. It has been said that Perkins has a developed style that not only portrays the hopes and weaknesses of the people in his photographs but in an unconventional manner. Perkins currently works at The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, where he has worked for the past 30 years and resides in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Student life
Lucian Perkins first began experimenting with photojournalismPhotojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
during his time at the University of Texas. In 1976, Perkins graduated with a degree in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, only to go back to school to earn his teaching degree. It was when he returned, that Perkins discovered a new career interest. After attending a UT exposition workshop on photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, Perkins began exploring photojournalism. He worked for both the Cactus yearbook as well as the student newspaper, The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is entirely student-run and independent from the university. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States with a daily circulation of roughly 30,000 during the fall and spring semesters and bills...
. There he studied photography with the well acclaimed Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand was a street photographer known for his portrayal of America in the mid-20th century. John Szarkowski called him the central photographer of his generation....
. Perkins has additionally acknowledged the UT photojournalism class that he took during his time there, as a strong influence in directing him to photojournalism.
Career Life
In 1979, shortly after working for The Daily TexanThe Daily Texan
The Daily Texan is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is entirely student-run and independent from the university. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States with a daily circulation of roughly 30,000 during the fall and spring semesters and bills...
, Perkins went on to an internship with The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
where he was a staff photographer for 27 years. Perkins was first initially given the job due to a series he shot in his free time on the first class of female "middies" at the Naval Academy
Naval Academy
-Institutions:* The United States Naval Academy* The Indian Naval Academy of India* The Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy of Bulgaria* The Imperial Japanese Naval Academy* The École Navale of France* The Britannia Royal Naval College of the United Kingdom...
. Once coming on to the paper, Perkins developed a passion for his job in covering extravagant international events. These include the Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
, both the Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
wars, as well as wars in what was the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. As well as international, Perkins has documented many local and national events all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Recently, Perkins has carried on and worked closely with the Post's online version of the paper. He has produced some of the website's first multimedia and interactive projects including the Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Diaries. Presently Perkins is working as both an independent photographer and videographer, concentrating on interactive media assignments and video documentaries as well as continuing documenting in photographic form.
Awards
The first recognized award Perkins received was the "Newspaper Photographer of the Year" by the National Press Photographers AssociationNational Press Photographers Association
NPPA is the acronym for the National Press Photographers Association, founded in 1947. The organization is based in Durham, North Carolina and its mostly made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field...
in 1994. This was given for a portfolio that included photographic projects in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
as well as several images from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
fashion shows. A year later, in 1995, Perkins and fellow Post reporter Leon Dash
Leon Dash
Leon Dash is a professor of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A former reporter for the Washington Post, he is the author of Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America, which grew out of the eight-part Washington Post series for which he won the Pulitzer...
were presented a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in the category Explanatory Journalism for their four-year investigation of the consequences of poverty, illiteracy, crime and drug abuse had on a three generation family living in the District of Columbia. In 1995, Perkins won the World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
of the year award for his well-known photograph of a young boy looking out a window on a bus full of refugees, leaving Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In describing the image, The World Press Photo association said "The boy's expression mirrored all that Perkins had experienced and seen himself, and leaning out of his car, he attempted to steady his camera, focus and shoot. He says he knew this was a special image, mostly because of the symbolic meaning it had for him, but it was not an image he believed would win a contest." Five years later, Perkins once again shared a second Pulitzer Prize in 2000 in the category Feature Photography with fellow Post photographers Carol Guzy
Carol Guzy
Carol Guzy is a four-time Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post photographer.-Life and career:Guzy grew up in a working-class family in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania....
and Michael Williamson
Michael Williamson
Michael Williamson b. 1957, is an American photojournalist whose work has been awarded two Pulitzer Prizes. With writer Dale Maharidge, he is co-author of the book And Their Children After Them, which received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1990...
. They were awarded for their heartbreaking photos illustrating the plight of Kosovo refugees.
Other work
In 1995, Lucian Perkins co-founded InterFotoInterFoto
InterFoto was the largest festival of professional photography in Russia, the Baltic States and CIS countries from 1994 to 2004. It was founded by two American photojournalists, Washington Post photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Lucian Perkins and freelancer Bill Swersey and during the years...
, an international photojournalism conference located in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with free-lance photographer Bill Swersey. InterFoto was the biggest professional photography exposition in Russia, the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
and CIS
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
countries from 1994 to 2004. The conference explored the Russian photographic community, uniting local, regional and international societies of photographers, photography editors, curators, and industrial leaders to swap ideas, share and educate others on the art of professional photography. In 1996 Perkins and Leon Dash published a book illustrating their Pulitzer Prize winning investigation titled Rosa Lee : A Mother and Her Family in Urban America. In 1998, Perkins published his next book Runaway Madness, and had it exhibited nationally. The book has over 100 images of a behind-the-scenes story of a popular New York fashion event. Perkins photographed models Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, Shalom Harlow
Shalom Harlow
Shalom Harlow is a Canadian model and actress.-Life and career:Harlow was born in Oshawa, Ontario, the daughter of Sandi Herbert and David Harlow. Though her mother named her Shalom , meaning "peace" in Hebrew, her family is not Jewish. She was discovered at a Cure concert in Toronto and started...
, Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
and more behind the curtain. Perkins also photographed fashion journalists, fashion editors and buyers as well as the audience. Later, Perkins curated the book and founded the exhibit, Chronicles of Change, which held many Russian photography. Perkins first went to Russia in 1988 to cover a summit between Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
but ended up spending over a month in the country. Later he went back in 1993 and spent much time with a number of Russian photographers during his six-month visit, which led him to Chronicles of Change.
Displayed and Exhibited Work
Perkins has had work displayed in museums both in and outside the United States. Internationally, these places would include: World Press Museum in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The ART in Embassies Program in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. In the United States, Perkins has work displayed in The Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, Newseum
Newseum
The Newseum is an interactive museum of news and journalism located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. The seven-level, museum features 15 theaters and 14 galleries. The Newseum's Berlin Wall Gallery includes the largest display of sections of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany...
in Washington DC, San Francisco and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He also has exhibits in The American Textile History Museum in Lowell
Lowell
- In the United States :* Lowell, Massachusetts** Lowell National Historical Park** Lowell * Lowell, Arkansas* Lowell, California* Lowell, Florida* Lowell, Indiana* Lowell, Bartholomew County, Indiana* Lowell, Maine* Lowell, Michigan...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, The Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and The Flint Institute of Arts in Flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.