{"id":175,"date":"2023-03-09T03:11:07","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T03:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluekcstg.wpengine.com\/resource-center\/?p=175"},"modified":"2024-11-26T10:56:04","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:56:04","slug":"pulitzer-prize-winning-photographers-picklers-and-pals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluekc.com\/blueprint\/community-and-culture\/healthier-communities\/pulitzer-prize-winning-photographers-picklers-and-pals\/","title":{"rendered":"Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographers, Picklers and\u00a0Pals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eli Reichman and Dan White met at The Kansas City Star during the summer of 1981. The two staff photographers clicked right away, becoming fast friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When tragedy struck at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City on July 17, 1981, their photos would help tell the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to go in and shoot this type of devastation,\u201c shares Eli. \u201cIt was not just a difficult day, night, and following day, the entire staff spent most of the summer documenting the shattering impact it left on the lives of so many.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan\u2019s iconic photo showing the scene of destruction ran across the top of the Sunday Star\u2019s front page, as well as in newspapers around the world. Ultimately, the staff at The Star won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of one of the worst commercial structural failures and the heartbreaking loss of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than four decades later, Eli and Dan are still passionately engaged in their craft. Both knew early on they wanted to see the world through the lens of a camera. Both have enjoyed long, successful careers as freelance photographers. Both have earned local, national, and international acclaim along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s The True Test of a Picture?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Eli and Dan, the answer is: how well it withstands the test of time. This has always been the measuring stick of their careers. Eli asserts, \u201cWe strive to make images that will be as relevant in the future as they are today.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli and Dan\u2019s online portfolios more than measure up. What you\u2019ll find are hundreds of timeless and arresting images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan\u2019s portraiture is nothing short of amazing. His talents for lighting and composition have resulted in a stunning exhibition of Kansas City jazz musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His other notable works include the Lost Boys of Sudan, cowboys in western Kansas, and Aboriginal peoples in Australia. He has also produced books on Independence, Missouri and Cambridge, England. \u201cI continue to get excited about making beautiful images,\u201c says Dan. \u201cI don\u2019t plan to ever stop. I\u2019m passionate about my work. It provides meaning and purpose to my life.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Every morning on the Nile River in Uganda, fisherman check their submerged traps for bait fish. These traps aren\u2019t marked with a buoy. Diving into the Nile without the aid of a mask, Tenwya David retrieves his traps by memory and touch. Here, David returns to his boat with a trap set above Kalagala Falls. Photo: Eli Reichman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eli\u2019s compelling brand of photojournalism makes it impossible to look away. In a Special Report for The Tulsa Tribune in October 1984 titled \u201cWasting Away in Oklahoma,\u201c Eli\u2019s photographs exposed the ill treatment and neglect of persons with severe mental disabilities. His images painted a haunting and disturbing picture of a broken and archaic system of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Eli produces photography and videography for Soft Power Health, a healthcare clinic providing care to disadvantaged communities throughout Uganda. And since 2006, he has been shooting a documentary film on a ranching community in North Dakota. He anticipates a 2024 release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friends That Play Together, Stay Together.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan recalls getting to know Eli. \u201cYou go from talking about photography to discovering that you have a lot of similar interests,\u201c he says. Over the years, the friends have shared a mutual love of travel, hiking, and a friendly game of Euchre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnything with a racquet, we\u2019ve done together,\u201c says Dan. \u201cWe\u2019ve played tennis, racquetball, squash, and ping pong.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan introduced Eli to pickleball. And America\u2019s fastest growing sport continues to grow on Eli. It\u2019s not only a good workout, but the social element keeps \u201cpicklers\u201c coming back for more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Eli and Dan meet on the court, there\u2019s a lot of laughter and friendly competition. Dan is 66. Eli is 65. Both like to win. They relish the back and forth of the game and are quick for their age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan laughs, \u201cYou know what our biggest problem is Eli? We think we\u2019re still 32. We\u2019re out there running stuff down that we probably shouldn\u2019t be. As we get older, we\u2019ve got to learn to say \u2018nah, I\u2019m not gonna go for that one.\u2019\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli finds pickleball to be enjoyable and challenging. \u201cIt\u2019s a great sport. You can get the same endorphin rush as tennis, only you don\u2019t feel as beat up afterwards,\u201c he laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan likes the camaraderie of the game, too. \u201cThe people are great. They\u2019re willing to give you advice and throw a lot of encouragement your way,\u201c expresses Dan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snapshots of Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After living in Oregon and Virginia, Eli and his partner Anastasia returned to their hometown of Kansas City in April 2021. The couple bought a fixer upper home they share with their three Labradors, Prize, Solomon, Micah, and cat, Rafa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m not working or playing pickleball, I\u2019m out in the field training my dogs, mountain biking, working on the house, or travelling to see my kids. It\u2019s a very full life,\u201c Eli shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan is a native of Flint, Michigan. He\u2019s called Kansas City home for 42 years and currently resides in the West Bottoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m very involved in the local music, art, and food scenes. And I enjoy travelling,\u201c says Dan. \u201cMy longtime partner, Melissa, lives in LA but we regularly spend time together.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Eddie Saunders outside the Mutual Musicians Foundations, 18th<\/sup> & Vine district, from Dan\u2019s Jazz Musicians of Kansas City series. Photo: Dan White. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pictures of Health? You Bet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked Eli and Dan to share their thoughts on aging well. Eli follows an adage from his grandfather: Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything in moderation, life is about balance,\u201c says Eli. \u201cEat well, exercise, find something you\u2019re passionate about. I think a potential casualty of retirement is not having something that drives you every day.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan advises, \u201cTake care of yourself. Get out and move. Be curious. And if you can operate from a position of gratefulness and gratitude, that\u2019s always a good thing.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography has given Eli and Dan a unique window on the world. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s opened our eyes a bit more than some,\u201c suggests Eli. \u201cIt\u2019s really important, as Dan said, to be grateful for what you have.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli concludes, \u201cTo me every day is a new challenge. I wake up and see how I can put my best self out in the world today. I think that\u2019s part of staying young.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Y0126_23-572_C<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City\u2019s Blue Medicare Advantage includes both HMO and PPO plans with Medicare contracts. Enrollment in Blue Medicare Advantage depends on contract renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The HMO products are offered by Blue-Advantage Plus of Kansas City, Inc. and the PPO products are offered by Missouri Valley Life and Health Insurance Company, both independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and wholly-owned subsidiaries of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.<\/p>\n\r\n\t\t\t

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