News photographer
Richard Bastian
California photographer, newsman, and community-supporter Richard
Bastian started taking spot-news photos as a ‘freelance’ back in 1972,
and was self-taught in the art of news-imagery, camera-technique,
lighting, interviews, and more.
In 1978 Richard landed a job as new photographer for a twice weekly
newspaper in San Luis Obispo’s South County, and after a year became
Chief News Photographer and Picture Editor. Prior to that Richard worked
for the Daily Press in Paso Robles, California, and after two years
opened his own photography studio. The Daily Press was Paso Robles’
oldest daily newspaper for many years under newsman Ben Reddick.
Richard has coved major news events while working as a ‘stringer’ for
United Press International, covering Northern Santa Barbara and San Luis
Obispo Counties. UPI provided Richard with a photo transmitter so he
could send his pictures over the ‘wires’ from his home in Atascadero,
California. He also worked as a still photographer for the feature
movie “Who’s Killing The Stunt Men”, Starring Robert Forster and
Richard Lynch.
Richard has also photographed Jose Feliciano, Pat Boon, Wayne Newton and Johnny Rodriguez, Donna Fargo and Kenny Rodgers. Richard photographed an album cover for one of Wayne Newton’s albums, entitled, ‘Aries 11’, with the song, ‘You Stepped into My Life’.
Richard later left a local television station where he had found work in
video, to open his own video production company, ‘Localmotion Video
Productions”. His company specialized in weddings, while also creating
commercials, and video-recording special events.
Richard was bureau chief for Newsreel Video out of Los Angeles, again
covering major news events on the Central Coast for many Los Angeles
television stations, as well as CNN. He was also a cameraman for TV’s
popular show, ‘Bounty Hunter’.
He continued his career with an exclusive jail-house interview with
Lawrence Singleton, the day before he was released from the California
Men’s Colony. Single had been convicted of a brutal rape of a
teenage girl, and then cutting her arms off.
Richard’s footage was seen worldwide, as was his coverage of a PSA plane crash, flight 1771 that killed 44 people after a disgruntled employee, David Burke shot and killed the pilot and co-pilot. A suide note was found near the crash site on Old Creek Road, west of Paso Robles about one mile south of HWY 46 west, were the plane went down. 39 passengers and five crew members perished in the tragedy.
Recently Richard was hired by Benford Standley, promoter of the 2008
Paso Robles Digital Film Festival, to photograph the event.
Richard Bastian is available to photograph or video-tape weddings, or
special events. Still cruising for news, or chasing ‘big news’ events in
this region of California, Richard is often found out in the wilds,
photographing scenic shots and things of interest. You can see many of
his photos of Clint Eastwood, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Johnny Rivers and
others on the Film Fest Website at:
www.PRDFF.com
Richard was awarded Second Place for ‘Best Wedding Demo’ from a national
professional wedding organization during a national competition, held at
the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, and Second Place for the ‘Best Spot
News’ photo, from the California Newspaper Publishers’ Association, for
his photo showing a Paramedic-EMT giving mouth-to-mouth emergency-aid to
a drowning victim.
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