Ken Regan developed a passion for photography at a very young age.
Raised in the Bronx, his world was New York City and it was in New York City that he would cut his teeth as a photojournalist. From the New York Yankees to the Fillmore East, Ken’s pictures told the story of a city during a time of transition, while they told his own story as well. Ken’s unparalleled knack for capturing a moment quickly paved the way to him becoming a respected member of the press community.
No story was ever out of reach for him to cover. He could walk into an event without a press pass, and walk out with the next cover of Newsweek or Time. Humility would force him to shrug his shoulders and say “It was just the Bronx way”…but really it was Ken Regan’s way.
He wasn’t specifically a sports photographer, a music photographer, a fashion photographer, or a landscape photographer. Ken was a photographer. To him that meant the self-assurance of knowing that he could approach a concert, a boxing match or a riot with the same visual attack that always gave his editors what they needed for print.
Photo-editors were not the only ones who knew that they could put their trust in Ken. It was his simple gestures of humanity towards those he worked for and with that always kept his name in the conversation. Throughout his career Ken has photographed some of the most private people in politics, music, sports and film. He refused to selfishly exploit those he had the privilege to work with. It was his hardline stance on providing this comfort to his subjects that turned many of them into friends.
Ken Regan passed away on 25 November 2012 after a long battle with cancer.
