Neal Hirsh Ulevich (born June 18, 1946) is an American
photographer
A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs.
Duties and types of photograp ...
. He won a
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
in 1977 for "photographs of disorder and brutality in the streets of Bangkok".
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Life
Ulevich was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, where he attended public and private schools before enrolling at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
, where he graduated in 1968 with a BA degree in Journalism. While there, he began a career-long association with Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, first as a campus correspondent, later as part-time staff. Ulevich developed a strong interest in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
while a student, a fascination that determined the direction of his career.
After graduation, he worked for AP as a writer in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, before resigning to study Chinese in Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. In 1970 friends and associates in journalism urged him to travel to Indochina to witness the U.S. incursion into Cambodia, assuring him the cross-border operation would herald "the last two weeks of the war".
He then freelanced as both writer and photojournalist and rejoined AP in the Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, Vietnam, bureau. He returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
fellowship in journalism, later resuming his AP work in Saigon. He covered the chaotic evacuation from Saigon at war’s end, departing by helicopter from the roof of the U.S. embassy.
An AP assignment to Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
followed. A worsening political situation in 1976 culminated in a massacre at Thammasat University
Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...
. There he captured images that won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.
After leaving Thailand, Ulevich worked for AP as Asia Photo Editor in Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and as photojournalist in Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. He returned to Tokyo in 1988 to supervise AP’s electronic communications for Asia.
Ulevich returned to the United States in 1990. He retired from AP to resume freelance photography in 2002.
Awards
* 1985 World Press Photo
World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization holds the annual World Press Photo Contest for press photography. Since 2011, World Press Photo has orga ...
, 3rd Prize, Arts and Entertainment
* 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography
The Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. From 2000 it has used the "breaking news" name but it is considered a continuation of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photogr ...
Works
"Hanged student outside the Thammasat" ''World Press Photo'' Spot News, 3rd prize, 1976
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References
External links
*
"Noise at the Edge of Silence"
- Wisconsin Alumni Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulevich, Neal
Artists from Madison, Wisconsin
American photographers
Photography in Vietnam
Pulitzer Prize for Photography winners
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication alumni
1942 births
Living people
People from Thornton, Colorado
University School of Milwaukee alumni