Ken Zepp remembered as well-known, beloved photographer
Long-time photographer for The Reporter died Saturday
As a photographer for The Reporter, Ken Zepp always had a way of getting the shot, regardless of the situation, according to Dick Shearer, the paper’s former managing editor.
“Since he was always so upbeat and community minded, Ken went to so many assignments on his own,” Shearer said. “In many cases, he never got paid for it.”
On Saturday, Zepp, 65, the father of two who served in the U.S. Air Force, died Saturday at Abington Health-Lansdale Hospital.
Willard Krieble — The Reporter’s former photo chief — described Zepp as a good shooter, a dear friend and a gentleman.
“Ken was so nice to work with,” said Krieble, who worked at the paper for 35 years before retiring in 1992. “He did a fantastic job.”
Shearer said he remembers that Zepp “had a hard time saying no to anybody” regarding a photo.
“He was always taking pictures of something or someone,” Shearer said. “Because he was such a really nice per- son, I never heard anybody say a bad thing about him.”
Zepp also worked as a layout editor for the newspaper, according to Shearer.
“It was Ken’s decision to shift to the news desk,” Shearer said. “He did a really good job there.”
As a photographer, Zepp was universally known in town during the 1970s and 1980s, according to Shearer.
“He loved covering sports,” Shearer said. “That was his niche.”
Zepp had a way of making everyone he photographed feel special, according to Nona Breaux, a former executive editor at the newspaper.
“When you were Ken’s subject, you felt like you were in the limelight,” said Breaux, who worked with Zepp for several years at The Reporter.
In a similar role with Montgomery Media — working as the main photographer for the Souderton Independent and the Perkasie News-Herald, two weekly newspapers — Zepp often served as the paper’s public face, according to Bob Keeler, a staff writer the Souderton Independent.
“Ken was everywhere and knew everybody and everybody knew him,” Keeler wrote in an email. “He was at the high school sports games, the parades, the fires, the accidents. He was there for the first baby of the New Year and always knew who to call to get a picture of the kids leaving for the prom.”
Mike Morsch, Montgomery Media’s executive editor, called Zepp an oldschool photographer who came from the generation that learned to tell stories with pictures.
“When he looked through the lens of a camera, he saw something different than you and I see,” Morsch said. “To me, that’s the mark of a real, true artist.”
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