WOO! The Decisive Moment

The Decisive Moment

WOO!

By David Woo with David Sedeño Introduction by Steve Miller

The Decisive Moment Decisive moments have always been part of our daily lives.

The road we take to work or school, to the grocery store or to a relative’s home. We rarely think of these as big decisions. Other times, we are deliberate with our decisions and they have a profound impact not only our lives but the lives of those around us.

Photojournalists have always encountered decisive moments in their careers. They are on a never-ending quest to give context to images of hope and love; of war and peace; of fame and infamy; of death and tragedy; of joy and agony; of right and wrong. They are competitive and savvy, their skills and instincts as important and valuable as the photo and video equipment they carry.

A photographic decisive moment I often reflect upon involves Jack Beers of The Dallas Morning News and Bob Jackson of The Dallas Times Herald.

They were assigned to cover the transfer of Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin of President John F. Kennedy, from the parking garage of the Dallas Police Headquarters to the Dallas County Jail. It was Sunday morning, November 24, 1963, two days after the president’s assassination.

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Beers took a spot where he could be higher than other reporters and photographers. Jackson chose to be at ground-level, closer to the action, but not too close that his moments would be impeded. As Oswald was being led out of the building, handcuffed to two detectives, Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby rushed from the crowd of journalists and shot Oswald once with a .38-caliber revolver.

Beers got a great photo of Ruby holding the revolver and approaching Oswald. Jackson’s photo captured Oswald grimacing in pain after being shot as a police detective tries to pull Oswald away. The photos were separated by less than one-sixth of a second, similar to the blink of an eye.

Jackson’s photo won a Pulitzer Prize and has become one of the most iconic images of our lives. Beers never got over what he considered his misfire.

Copies of both photos hang in a hallway opposite each other in my home.

Many times, decisive moments are merely forgotten frames in our lives.

Other times, decisive moments can change our lives.

Table of Contents Preface. ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 8 First Day. ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Politics............................................................................................................................................................................13 Texas.............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 World. .............................................................................................................................................................................33 Children of War............................................................................................................................................................40 Father’s Day in Iraq. ..................................................................................................................................................... 45 My Family. ......................................................................................................................................................................53 People, Places, Portraits.............................................................................................................................................. 61 Sports............................................................................................................................................................................ 94 Fashion, Entertainment, Music.................................................................................................................................. 121 On the Road with The Steve Miller Band..................................................................................................................128 Behind the Scenes on Assignment............................................................................................................................. 137 My Son Jake.................................................................................................................................................................146 Final Days.................................................................................................................................................................... 150 When Hate Met Love..................................................................................................................................................156 In Gratitude.................................................................................................................................................................159 Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................................................... 160

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Preface Journalism, in its many forms, brings the joys and travails of the world into the lives of millions of people every day. The digital era has made this connection more immediate and more complex than ever. Yet the one skill that courses through all media is the photographic image. This skill has been the centerpiece of David Woo’s personal and professional life, and he perfected it over decades to become one of America’s most distinguished photojournalists.

This book, WOO! The Decisive Moment, is a compendium of David’s life work. It includes images from every imaginable setting and venue. As such, it is a reflection of the remarkable person David is and fifty years of situations few of us ever experience. The book’s title is a reference to the critical instant in the process of capturing unforgettable images as he’s done for so many years.

From the mundane local venue enlivened by David’s skill, to encounters in El Salvador and Nicaragua, David’s ability to get close to his subjects has animated his photography while winning the admiration of fellow photojournalists, audiences, and the people he has photographed.

David’s first photo was shot using his father’s Leica camera at age 11 when the family was on a road trip.

David tells the story of being fascinated by his father’s use of the camera and carefully sneaking it out of its case while the family was driving through Virginia.

His father, glancing in the rear-view mirror, noticed David snapping pictures through the rear side window and at the next stop in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, showed him how to position and use the Leica. David was on his way.

Yet the decisive moment in David’s career came when he cajoled his way into an assistant role for Frank Cricchio, who owned a studio in David’s

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hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, and was impressed

by David’s growing passion for photography. David’s charisma no doubt played a role as well! Frank had an arrangement to take pictures at high school football games for the Port Arthur News and encouraged David to shoot alongside him. One Friday night, Frank submitted one of David’s photos to The News rather than his own. When the paper was delivered to David’s family’s home the next morning, he found his photo of a running play on the front page.

David’s route to The Dallas Morning News, where he would spend 42 ½ years and share a Pulitzer Prize, was precocious. He moved swiftly from the photography realm of Lamar University to The University of Texas at Austin, where he pursued a degree in photojournalism. He also took art courses, including one with acclaimed New York Street Photographer Gary Winogrand, reflecting a lifelong interest in the artistic dimensions of photography.

At UT-Austin, just as he did with Frank Cricchio, David built relationships that resulted in freelance work for The News, the AP, Newsweek and Time in addition to his assignments for The Daily Texan. His obvious talent brought an offer from The News to join our photo staff in December 1975 even before he had graduated. David accepted the offer sporting a 4.0 GPA with the proviso that he could take his last remaining course credit during the spring 1976 semester.

Since then, by his own reckoning, David has shot about 29,000 assignments. These have taken him to every part of the United States and to many parts of the world. He has photographed every president from Richard M. Nixon to Barack Obama and became one of the most familiar photographers of Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. This should come as

no surprise since one of his early role models was Pete Souza, Ronald Reagan’s Chief Photographer. White House Chief Photographer was the only job David ever aspired to other than being at The News, but it was filled during his early days on The News’ staff.

Like all great news photographers, David is not easily intimidated and has a special ability to win the trust of his subjects. These traits may have saved his life and that of Newsweek freelance photographer John Hoagland in 1983 when they were kidnapped for16 hours by guerillas in El Salvador while covering the war there and in Nicaragua. They basically talked their way out of captivity. For his coverage of those conflicts David was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 1986 for his coverage of the Mexico City earthquake along with News photographers Richard Pruitt and Juan Garcia. He ultimately received a Pulitzer as a member of The News’ team that covered Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The quality and effect of all photography is defined by how the photographer embraces his or her subjects.

The collection of David’s pictures underscores this idea. One can see and feel the person and the situation in deep, emotional ways, even in some of the more “mundane” images. For photojournalists, connections are central to capturing the moment—and this often depends on speed and reaction time, which are far different than most other forms of photography.

Having this touch, and maintaining over four-plus decades, is a remarkable and rare achievement.

This is David Woo.

Robert Decherd Former Chairman and CEO A.H. Belo Corporation

The Leica D.R.P. camera belonging to Thomas Woo, the author’s father, and the inspiration for his photojournalism career. The author received the camera after his father’s death on September 1, 1989.

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Introduction I’m writing to celebrate the photography of David Woo and to thank David for all the time we have shared together on airplanes, at concerts, in studios and on the road. He has photographed my band and me for the last 37 years.

We met in 1986 at an interview for The Dallas Morning News and he turned a routine photo session into creative fun. He was imaginative, inventive with his camera and he was very fast. When the interview was over, he invited me to lunch for some Texas Bar-B-Q. We struck an immediate friendship.

I was excited to have lunch with David. I was 12 years old when my dad taught me how to develop film and make prints and I was always eager to learn more. David indulged all my questions about cameras, lenses and lighting techniques and gave me some great ideas for photography for the band. I was in camera heaven. All I needed was a camera just like David’s and I would improve.

I invited him to travel with us to shoot the next concert and while I was trying to figure out how to turn on the correct autofocus, David was taking great photos of the band. Thus began a great journey. My

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favorite photo David shot of me is from a benefit concert we did for Kids Rock Free, an American non-profit organization whose aim is to help children ages 7 to 17 receive a music education. The smile on those kids’ faces says it all.

Over the years we have worked on many music projects together, and I have seen a lot of David’s work. I’m amazed by the quality of his photography and the broad range of his subject matter. No matter the situation, dangerous war zones, a president in the Oval Office, a defining moment at a Super Bowl, or people with their hilarious pets, nothing is forced or artificial.

There is always respect for the subjects. Everything is presented with empathy and honesty in a subtle, relaxed style that is uniquely David’s. He is a gentle soul who captures moments that touch the heart.

Steve Miller New York City August 26, 2023

The First Day

The Dallas Morning News January 19, 1976

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I WENT TO WORK AT THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS on January 19, 1976. I was 23 years old.

I had been trained in photojournalism at The University of Texas at Austin, one of the best journalism schools in the country, and I had worked not only at The Daily Texan, but also at my hometown newspaper, the Port Arthur News. Throughout college, I also freelanced for The Associated Press in Austin, the wire service deadlines providing the best training for a future photojournalist. Ted Powers, the AP photographer in Austin, had put in a good word for me at The Dallas Morning News.

So, here I was in downtown Dallas, eager to prove myself at one of the best newspapers in the country.

I didn’t have to wait long.

When I walked into the photo department that first day, Tom Dillard, the director of photography, looked up from his desk and greeted me. He handed me what would be my lifeline in getting around Dallas—a MAPSCO, literally a map of Dallas-Fort Worth broken down by pages with an index to find nearly every street in the area.

He then pointed to a metal cabinet across the room.

“See that over there?” he asked. “Get some fresh film. Take just one box.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“You’re shooting the Cowboys at Love Field.”

He looked at me, expecting a question.

“Ok,” I said, trying to be cool, but my chest was pounding.

The Cowboys had lost to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X the night before.

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Four-year-old Sheri Mitchell holds up a sign to greet Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys at Dallas Love Field on January 19, 1976, the day after the Cowboys’ loss in Super Bowl X.

They had not yet attained the moniker of “America’s Team,” but for me the Dallas Cowboys were sports royalty, my father’s favorite team and mine, too, unofficially.

I grabbed the box of Tri-X black-andwhite film and was assigned a couple of camera bodies and lenses. After a quick orientation of the department, the newsroom and a couple of other floors, I was back at my desk, checking my equipment.

I was soon in my Volkswagen Rabbit, a few things weighing heavy on my mind. How had I gotten here? Yes, I was a pretty good photographer, but that was in college. I wasn’t at the level of the guys I would be working with or competing against.

I thought about the photo gear in the back seat. Did I have the right equipment? Did I really have enough film? I had to stop second-guessing myself.

I thought about my father and the first time I had picked up a camera on a vacation trip more than 10 years earlier—the quick lessons he had given me and what I had learned along the way.

Mostly, I kept repeating in my head what Tom Dillard probably meant but never said, “Don’t screw up!”

Dallas Love Field was a 15-minute minute drive from the newspaper building. I got to the designated area and headed toward the spot where television

A dapper Roger Staubach smiles at fans on his way to the team bus at Dallas Love Field on January 19, 1976, a day after the Cowboys’ loss in Super Bowl X.

crews were congregating. Several hundred fans were on the other side of the chain link fence, many of them carrying signs.

I knew how to tell a story through multiple photos. I thought that’s what I needed to do. I knew Tom Landry.

Surely, he’d be wearing his famous fedora. I knew I could pick out Roger Staubach from the crowd. Running back Robert Newhouse, too, and probably a few others.

If other photographers or TV camera guys were converging on a player, then I would too. Ditto if some of them were signing autographs. Even so, it was a bit daunting.

As soon as the chartered plane landed and the coaches and players began deplaning, the fans erupted in cheers. I started shooting, alternating cameras, getting elbowed by competing photographers, but throwing a few of my own. I was now on autopilot.

A few coaches and players were smiling, playing to the crowd. Others were grim-faced. I decided I would get the names of the players I didn’t know later—smart enough not to embarrass myself by trying to ask their names.

And almost as quickly as the frenzy had started, it had ended—like a parade over too quickly. Players and coaches were on the team bus en route to the practice facility to clean out their lockers and begin their long off-season.

I got into my car and drove to the newspaper. My heart was racing. I tried to remember the photos I had shot and which ones I thought I should look at first. I processed the film and after the rolls had dried, I cut the roll of negatives into strips of six and put them into plastic sleeves. I selected the best ones, made prints and took them to the editors in the newsroom responsible for laying out the next day’s edition.

After a couple of hours, I went back to my newly rented apartment, my first day as a daily news photographer behind me.

Three photos with my credit line appeared in the newspaper the following day—January 20, 1976— including a photo on the front page.

It was exciting.

“Dad, good morning” I said when my father picked up the telephone at his house in Port Arthur. “I got my first pictures in the paper today.”

“Great! Of what?”

“The Dallas Cowboys!”

“Excellent!” he said.

Then there was silence.

“Dad, you there?”

He came back on the line, his voice trembling a bit.

“I’m so proud of you, son!”

I told him about Tom Landry and the other players I had seen and photographed. He asked if the linemen were really that big.

“Massive,” I said.

After a few minutes I hung up the phone. I just sat there on the edge of my bed, recalling the success of the previous day, convinced that I was ready for the next challenge.

“I love my job,” I told myself.

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A smiling Tom Landry returns to Dallas Love Field on January 19, 1976, after the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X a day earlier.

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Politics

“The basis of a democratic state is liberty.”— Aristotle 13

Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson relaxes in his private room at the Loews Anatole Hotel in Dallas on April 25, 1984.

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ABOVE: Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, with running mate Al Gore, checks out the comic books at Dee's Place in Corsicana, Texas, during a campaign stop on August 28, 1992.

AT LEFT: Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford stop to answer questions during the dedication of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas, on November 6, 1997.

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Clouds reflect on the glass of the Omni Dallas Hotel on June 23, 2012, as window washers Victor Acevedo, J.J. Hernandez, José Barboza and Rogelio Sifuentes make their way down the building tethered to safety harnesses.

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Actress Janet Leigh, in Dallas for a book tour about the effect the horror movie Psycho had on its original cast, crew and others, recreates the iconic shower stabbing scene in a makeshift studio at The Dallas Morning News on June 12, 1995.

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Sunlight peers through a host of giant redwood trees at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California in this black-and-white photograph captured in the early afternoon using a Sony a7III camera and 16mm Sony lens, shot at f5.6 at 400 ISO.

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Model Jerry Hall poses with a cat that she shares with the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger in their apartment in New York City on September 8, 1981.

Houston socialite Gudrun Evans wanted to pose hanging from a helicopter with no safety ropes or safety net under her in Houston, Texas. The helicopter lifted about 50 feet from the ground before landing. Evans was one of 75 Texas women who posed for the author and fellow photographer Richard Pruitt for their 1984 book of the same title.

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