Tanks for the Memories
by Ken McKnight
posted 2004-09-14

A Photographers Profile on Tom Keck

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Tom Keck is one surf photographer who can claim three things few others in our sport can. Firstly, he has shot some of the most indelible images in surfing history that span over four decades. Secondly, he was directly mentored by three of the greatest names in early surf photography, Don James, Ron Church, and his close friend the legendary Leroy Grannis. And Thirdly, he continues to work at his craft some 46 years after he first started. Here now is Tom Keck, "In is own write!"

Tanks For the Memories

While at BYU in Hawaii in 1958, my major was elementary education, I took a photography class and that sent me off in another direction and changed my life. I started shooting for the school newspaper and yearbook and then shot news photos for the Honolulu Advertiser and the Star-bulletin. It seemed that I was always where things were happening and I ended up being a stringer for both newspapers. That got me going on my way to being a photojournalist, but surfing was also part of my life and the main reason for going to Hawaii in the first place. In doing news photos I was also shooting a lot of surfing photos and meeting people with the different surfing magazines such as Surfer, Surfing Illustrated, Surf Guide and then Peterson's Surfing Magazine, which is now Surfing Magazine.

I body surfed from grade school on and started surfing in high school on friend's boards. Pat Curren built my first surfboard in Hawaii for me in 1958. I often wonder where that board is and how much it is worth today?

After 7 years of living and raising a family on the North Shore I had to return to San Diego to help my mom after my stepfather died. Luckily I was able to get my old job back as a lifeguard for San Diego County. Photography was still my main purpose in life and all that I could think of. I had a dream of opening a studio so when summer ended I rented a small studio in Del Mar and opened the door. Things were slow in the beginning so to make ends meet I got a job at night as a waiter at the Chart House, this was 1963.

The news photos were out there and I always seemed to be there. I started shooting assignments for the San Diego Union-Tribune, which I am still doing today. As the photography grew I moved to a larger space and opened a full on studio on the main street of Del Mar. I had a thriving business going and some great clients. I was still doing some news work while running the studio, and I can remember covering the World Surfing Contest in San Diego in 1966 for the LA Times.

I wanted to be outside and not in the studio doing portraits, so in 1969 I sold the studio and started working out of my home for TV news and the newspapers, magazines, and any commercial jobs I could get. Then in 1970 I was offered a position as a news photographer for the ABC station in San Diego, KGTV. It was KOGO then, but the idea of a company car, gas card, and the benefits was hard to turn down. That went on for 20 years until I retired medically with a back injury.

After a year of recovery I started shooting with 35mm still cameras, as I couldn't carry the weight of a TV Camera. As luck would have it I worked right into a stringer position with the San Diego Edition of the LA Times. That was about 1989 and it lasted until the Republican Convention here in 1996. The LA Times actually closed their local edition down about 1993, but they still maintained a very small bureau here in San Diego so I still had some work with them.

Since there was little or no market for news photos in San Diego I started finding other ways of selling photography. The surfing magazines were still calling for older images and I was still contributing regularly when Longboard Magazine started. I do a lot for them and have been sent to Costa Rica five times to cover the Rabbit Kekai Contest. Numerous trips to Hawaii have also been beneficial as far as getting good images and stock shots. The photography stock market has been pretty good and I have a large travel file from Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand, Japan, India, Africa, Brazil and Cuba. Zuma Press and Getty Images represent me. I love those checks that come in as a surprise from time to time.

Here are but a few of Tom's accolades

Schools:
Coronado Jr. and Sr. high School
New Mexico Military Institute
BYU Hawaii
University of Hawaii
UCSD
Brooks Institute
The Streets

Awards:
Golden Mike's for spot news and best news film of wildfires
Sigma Delta Chi for distinguished service in journalism
Emmy's for a SWAT incident and fire coverage in San Diego

Inducted into the Int'l Surfing Hall of Fame for Surf Photography in 1993.

When not on the beach Tom can be found at www.tomkeckphotos.com

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