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Name: Keith McGraw
Job title: Director of photography, University Instructional Services
Background: Native of Spartanburg; petty officer third class, U.S. Navy, 1967-70, Vietnam veteran; associate degree in mechanical engineering technology, Midlands Technical College; bachelor's degree, interdisciplinary studies (journalism), USC, 1980; worked for a mechanical engineering firm and as a newspaper photographer with the West Columbia Journal prior to joining Instructional Services in 1982 as a staff photographer; promoted to director of photography in early 1990s.
Family: One son, Jesse, age 29, a computer network administrator, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
Describe your job. I supervise the non-publications photography required for USC's instructional mission.
How many photographers are on your staff? We have two photographers and one graphic artist. We typically handle about 700 jobs a year and many of them entail several actual assignments.
What's the most memorable assignment you've ever worked on? I was covering the visit by Pope John Paul II to the University in September 1987 and at one point was inside the President's House on the Horseshoe with him to take pictures. Helen Hayes [the Academy Award winning actress who also was in the President's House then] asked me if I thought the pope would bless her rosary. I assured her that he would and she seemed relieved. I later rode to the stadium in the parade on the pope's bus with his staff.
What's the best part of your job? I want to come to work every morning. If I weren't doing it for a living I'd be paying to do it. It has variety, it's fun, and I like the social aspects of it. When I wake up every morning I want to come into the office. Plus, there's always somebody here who is an expert on just about any subject that I want to discuss.
How did you decide to pursue a career as a professional photographer? It was something I'd done as a hobby for a long time. I thought I'd like to make a living at it so that coming to work would be a lot more fun.
How many pictures have you taken during your career with the University? I would guess it's well over 50,000.
What's the most frequent question you get asked about photography from amateur photographers? Right now, it's what kind of digital camera should I buy. My stock answer is to buy one you can afford that feels good when you're using it. A camera is like a pair of shoes: it has to fit and feel good. If you get one that doesn't work the way you want it to, you'll be fighting with it all the time no matter how good the pictures are. I recommend using a camera before making a decision to buy it.
How do you unwind? I like to travel. I used to play golf but luckily my clubs were stolen. I took that as a sign to drop the game cold turkey and I haven't touched it since.
2/06
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Keith McGraw, director of photography, University Instructional Services
