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.
Industry consultant 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.
Honors and awards Keppler was included in the
Photo Marketing Hall of Fame in 1985, and honored for his lifetime achievement by the
Photographic Manufacturers and Distributors Association in 1991. ==Selected publications==