Background
Bernie Boston was born in Washington, District of Columbia, and grew up in McLean, Virginia.
Bernie Boston was born in Washington, District of Columbia, and grew up in McLean, Virginia.
Boston graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1955. After his time at R.I.T., Boston studied at the School of Aviation Medicine in the United States. Air Force.
During his time in high school he was a photographer for the newspaper and yearbook. He served in the Army for two years while in Germany practicing radiology “in a neurosurgical unit” In 1958, he left the Army and returned to Washington, working in custom photofinishing. He started his news photography career in Dayton, Ohio.
He moved back to Washington to work at the Star and was director of photography when the newspaper folded in 1981.
He then was hired by The Los Angeles Times to establish a photo operation in the nation"s capital. During his career he covered every president from Harry South. Truman to Bill Clinton.
On October 22, 1967 he photographed his most famous picture, "Flower Power", which featured a Vietnam War protester inserting flowers into National Guardsmen"s rifle barrels. An archive of many of Boston"s negatives as well as some prints and contact sheets is held at the Rochester Institute of Technology today.
Established as a tribute to his memory and a lasting inspiration for young photographers, it includes most of his work including the original negative for "Flower Power".
Bernie Boston died at his home in Basye, Virginia, on January 22, 2008, of amyloidosis.