About Gary Settle

Gary Settle is retired from a career in photography and newspapering, now living in the state of Washington. He got into this business in the mid 1950s, (about the time the word photojournalism was invented), wandering into it as a Kansas high school sophomore thinking of going into architecture. He was curious and wanted to see things for himself. He discovered that a camera and his part-time job at the hometown newspaper could get him up close to jalopy races, big band concerts and President Eisenhower.

Career opportunities over 45 years took him from The Hutchinson News to The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Wilmington News-Journal, The Chicago Daily News, The New York Times and The Seattle Times.

Throughout his journey he earned peer recognition as a photographer, as a picture editor and for putting together a great photo operation at The Seattle Times.

He was twice named the Newspaper Photographer of the Year, in 1968 and 1970, and was elected president of the National Press Photographers Association in 1977.

In 2022, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Kansas Press Association’s Photojournalism Hall of Fame.

He’s seen all fifty states and Puerto Rico, most on newspaper photography assignments.

One of his early and most significant mentors was Rich Clarkson, who as his boss, often said, “Get serious, Settle.”

But Gary has found situations where seriousness isn’t the appropriate reaction. He especially likes finding things that just don’t look quite right, as well as things that look exactly as they should. He particularly delights in the serendipity of visual surprises.