{"id":5015,"date":"2023-06-15T13:52:47","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T20:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/?p=5015"},"modified":"2026-08-30T21:11:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T04:11:53","slug":"ed-foster-a-man-of-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/ed-foster-a-man-of-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Foster \u2013 A Man of Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chic<\/span><\/div>
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This article was printed in<\/em>
\nChic Compass Magazine - Issue 15<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Ed Foster \u2013 A Man of Grace<\/h1>\n

BY JOAN S. PECK
\nPHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ED FOSTER<\/p>\n<\/div>

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When anyone does something for 80 straight years, you know it is something they must love to do. And to do it successfully makes it more profound. Enter Ed Foster, the photographer extraordinaire.<\/p>\n

What started this photographer on his journey? The simple act of his brother leaving behind his camera when he went into the service. Ed picked it up and has never been without a camera since then.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, when Ed entered the service, it wasn\u2019t his photography but his voice they wanted for the Air Force Band. Once out of service, a family friend opened the 1203 Club in Washington, D. C. where he sang in a trio. He soon discovered that was not what he wanted to do. Ed didn\u2019t feel as his friend Joe Williams did, that \u201cI sing because I have to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Ed<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photograph of Ed Foster<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Ed has had no official training in photography, but before he went to college, he worked for Pagano\u2019s Studios in New York City. Using the GI Bill, Ed attended Brooklyn College in his hometown, where he was the photographer and co-editor of the college yearbook. Ed earned his Bachelor\u2019s degree and later his Master\u2019s degree in Fine Art. Ed laughs and says, \u201cThe total cost of my attending college was less than sending my son to his first summer camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education has always been important to Ed. He was an Art teacher on Long Island for eight years, where he introduced technology, language labs, and the first Apple computers in 1978. Later, I asked him what he was most proud of doing, \u201cMy impact on education. It was fun and innovative. When I left, they replaced me with four people.\u201d Ed continues, \u201cThere are so many distractions in education today. I would have all students put away their iPhones for one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Antelope<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Antelope Canyon<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

We spoke about how technology has changed the art of photography. \u201cDigital cameras provide greater flexibility because you can immediately see if you got the photo you want. So much handier than waiting it out in the darkroom to see what you\u2019ve got. And the different computer applications give greater flexibility in the processing aspect. Even the cameras on the iPhones are great.\u201d<\/p>\n

After visiting Las Vegas in 1992, Ed decided to live here and bought a house in 1994. He immediately became known for his photography of the stars. Ed lets them know he is available and, after seeing his work, is invited to be their photographer when they perform in Las Vegas. \u201cSo, I get to photograph them and see their show!\u201d<\/p>\n

He can be spotted sliding into position without bothering anyone around. Ed\u2019s sharp eye and quiet demeanor make it easy for the performers to befriend him. And he seems to know so many. What is his favorite star to work with? Clint Holmes. \u201cHe is a special performer. Earl Turner is another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed also enjoyed photographing Ben Vereen and completed a book of his photos for him. \u201cEvery song he sings is a three-act play.\u201d Ed smiles.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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The apple doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree. Ed\u2019s son David is a professional graphic artist with his own Beatles Tribute band in New York City. His eldest grandson Reuben is studying art at New York College for graphic design. He created a design for Valentine\u2019s Day work as if it were the cover for the New Yorker<\/em> Magazine, of which Ed is proud.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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New Yorker Magazine mockup cover design by Reuben, Ed's grandson.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

Camera-ready, Ed enjoys the desert area and loves how Mother Nature provides him with shots that make your heart twist with its beauty.<\/p>\n

What fulfills Ed Foster these days? Ed chairs the \u201cJoe Williams Every Day Foundation for Jazz. Clint Holmes, Naomi Mauro, and Michelle Johnson also serve on the board. \u201cLast year, we gave $100,000 to UNLV; this year, the foundation gave $80,000 to UNLV and $20,000 to the Jazz Outreach Initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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At 94, Ed Foster is not stopping from enjoying life and what he loves to do. \u201cI love living in Las Vegas. I think it is the entertainment center of the country.\u201d And so says a man of grace.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Photo<\/span><\/div><\/div>

Photo of Ed Foster at age 94 by Art Sachs Photography.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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When anyone does something for 80 straight years, you know it is something they must love to do. And to do it successfully makes it more profound. Enter Ed Foster, the photographer extraordinaire. What started this photographer on his journey? The simple act of his brother leaving behind his camera when he went into the service. Ed picked it up and has never been without a camera since then.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4522,3973],"tags":[3874,609,707],"class_list":["post-5015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-issue-15","tag-ed-foster","tag-joan-s-peck","tag-photography"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5015"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5028,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5015\/revisions\/5028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chiccompass.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}