Herbert Keppler

• Name — Herbert Keppler • Birth Name — Herbert Keppler • Born — 21 April 1925 • Birthplace — New York City, USA • Died — 4 January 2008 • Place of death — Croton-on-Hudson, New York, USA • Known for — Photography, journalism, writing

Herbert Keppler was born in New York on April 21, 1925, to commercial photographer and illustrator Victor Keppler. He started in photography at the age of six and processed his own color photographs at the age of ten. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Harvard University and was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II. After the war, Herbert Keppler was a photojournalist for The Sun (New York) and worked for the Fairchild Fashion Media trade magazine Footwear News, but found his calling, when he in 1950 became an Associate Editor at the photographic magazine Modern Photography. In 1956 he became Executive Editor of the magazine, then Editor and Publisher in 1963 and Editorial Director and Publisher in 1966. He changed the way photographic magazines tested equipment from an, at the time prevalent, subjective analysis to a more objective analysis by introducing a testing lab that could perform scientific tests on cameras, lenses and other photographic equipment—e.g. resolution tests for lenses. He also established a code of ethics for advertisers and would decline advertisers access to the magazine if they were found to use unethical methods in their sales and advertising. In 1987, Herbert Keppler joined Popular Photography and was vice president and senior counselor of this magazine at the time of his death. He died on January 4, 2008, in Croton-on-Hudson and is survived by his wife Louise, son Thomas and daughter Kathryn.

In addition to his work as journalist and author, Keppler was striving for the further technical improvement of photographic cameras and equipment. He regularly traveled to Japan and worked as a consultant for Japan's photo industry.