Brad Loper (born August 17, 1970) is an American photojournalist, best known for winning the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

for his breaking news photography during

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005. He is also the first recipient of the Don Wilberforce Memorial Scholarship awarded in 1989. Loper is a recipient of numerous honors, including being named Newspaper Picture Editor of the Year three-consecutive years in a row (2008, 2009, 2010), awarded by the

National Press Photographers Association The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is an American professional association made up of still photographers, television videographers, editors, and students in the journalism field. Founded in 1946, the organization is based in at ...

; two National

Edward R. Murrow Awards The Edward R. Murrow Award may refer to one of several awards named after American journalist Edward R. Murrow: * Edward R. Murrow Award (Corporation for Public Broadcasting), given out to individuals in public radio since 1977 * Edward Murrow Awa ...

for video components in 2010 and 2011; two

Lone Star Emmy awards The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional Service club, service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of Creative Leadership, cre ...

for multimedia components received in 2009 and 2011; and his most notable honor, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Personal life

Brad Loper was born and raised in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

. He graduated from Tascosa High school where he moved on to attend Amarillo College, subsequently transferring to the University of Texas at Arlington. While in school (UTA), Loper worked as a staff photographer at The Shorthorn. He graduated from UTA with a bachelor's degree in Communications (Photojournalism) in 1993. Soon after graduating, Loper began interning with the

Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jour ...

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

. Following his time in Kansas, Loper interned with the

Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and ''The Palm Beach Daily News'' we ...

in Palm Beach, Florida, before earning a full-time position with the Arlington Morning News as a staff photographer in Arlington, Texas. The local competitor at the time, the

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, subsequently led to the dismissal of The Arlington Morning News, in Arlington, Texas, allowing Loper to join The Dallas Morning News in 2001 as a staff photographer. In 2005, Loper was one of 20 photographers sent to cover the aftershock of Hurricane Katrina. He was one of the eight photographers awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography. Loper has photographed notable events like the

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster was a fatal accident in the United States space program that occurred on February 1, 2003. During the STS-107 mission, Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere over Texa ...

in 2003 and the U.S.

Republican National Conventions The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 2004 and 2008. He also covered the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

throughout the playoffs, including their appearance in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Finals in 2006. In 2007, he began working as an adjunct faculty instructor at his alma mater, the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...

, use footnote number to link where he now serves as senior lecturer, teaching photojournalism courses. While enrolled at UTA, Loper met his wife Adrienne while working at

The Shorthorn ''The Shorthorn'' is the campus newspaper for the University of Texas at Arlington. It is published online daily with a print digest on Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. During the summer, all content is published online since no pr ...

. He was a staff photographer and she was a beat reporter. The two married in May 1995 and have four children together: three boys, Nathaniel, Ian, Gabe, and their daughter, Jacqueline, whom they adopted from China in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loper, Brad Journalists from Texas 1970 births Living people