Video: Seattle Times photographer Greg Gilbert retires after 56 years

Greg Gilbert has taken some iconic photographs over the span of his 56-year-long career with the Seattle Times. That’s long enough to make Dave Ross look like an intern!

Gilbert was just 21 years old when he was hired on July 10, 1967 by legendary Northwest photographer and photo editor Josef Scaylea.

He sits in with Feliks Banel and the Seattle’s Morning News team to take a look back at some of his best work and give advice that any aspiring photographer would be lucky to hear.

More about Greg Gilbert: Witness to history marks 50 years as Seattle photojournalist

“What does it feel like to be hanging up your camera after 56 years?” Feliks asked.

“It’s pretty strange, for 56 years, I was always thinking about my next assignment or driving around Seattle looking for my next photo,” Gilbert said. “Now I’ll probably still be looking for a photo, but I won’t be getting up in the morning worrying about where I’m gonna get it or making it on the assignment on time. Or dealing with the traffic!”

Gilbert has taken some iconic photos for The Seattle Times, including the last person leaving Seattle photo, a band The Heats, and a photo of Queen Elizabeth, alongside the day-to-day photos needed in a newsroom.

Dave Ross reflected on his experiences working alongside photojournalists like Gilbert.

“I remember when I was doing street reporting that the photographers were always the craziest people in the press gaggle because they had to get as close as possible,” Ross said. “And they didn’t care!’

So, what’s his favorite photo that he has taken in his tenure at the Times?

“Well, the one I have to hang my hat on is, of course, the lighting over Seattle. An old black and white photo that I shot in 1984 that the Seattle Times at one point sold 60,000 copies. They offered a free 11″ x 14″ of it if you subscribed to the times.”

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