The desire for a simple kind of life has brought a highly
experienced news photographer to Hollister as the Free Lance’s new
photo editor.
Christopher Pfuhl recently accepted the position as photo editor
because it seemed to be tailor-made for him at this point in his
life, he said.
The desire for a simple kind of life has brought a highly experienced news photographer to Hollister as the Free Lance’s new photo editor.
Christopher Pfuhl recently accepted the position as photo editor because it seemed to be tailor-made for him at this point in his life, he said.
Pfuhl started at the Free Lance last Monday.
After working at a high-stress job in Sheridan, Wyo., in which he felt too isolated, the scenery and the job in Hollister were too much to pass up.
The proximity to San Francisco, Monterey and Big Sur, and all they have to offer attracted Pfuhl and his wife, Margo, to the town, he said.
“Who wouldn’t want to live around here?” he said.
Pfuhl earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Arizona State University in 1981, but recognized his true calling was photography when he was working on his master’s degree in education at ASU.
“I used to go out and take pictures and I realized that was when I was the happiest,” he said.
His profession and talent have taken him all over the world – from the front lines in the war in Bosnia to documenting life in Finnish prisons, to working for some of the biggest names in photojournalism – the Associated Press in Boston, Reuters and the European Pressphoto Union.
He also ran the Sarajevo bureau for the European Pressphoto Agency.
He took the photos for a book published in 1994 called “Lusijat,” which is Finnish for “someone who does time,” that documented prisoners in Finnish prisons.
The fast-paced and romantic lifestyle of a photojournalist on the front lines finally caught up with Pfuhl and at the end of 1994 he made a life-altering decision.
“I sat down and realized I’d seen more movies in airplanes than I had on the ground,” he said. “It has a certain degree of glamour, but you have no home, no stability, friendships are very transitory and it just wears you out.”
After living all over the world, Hollister isn’t too different from other places he’s lived – there are both positive and negative aspects. But being able to relax a little is worth it.
“It’s like anywhere else on first examination, it’s got an upside and a downside,” he said. “I just want to be somewhere and sit for a while.”
The Free Lance is fortunate to have someone with Pfuhl’s experience and talent, said Associate Publisher/Executive Editor Mike Fitzgerald.
“Chris is truly a world-class photojournalist,” Fitzgerald said. “He is another excellent addition to our award-winning newsroom team.”
