In the introduction to his book, "Snap Decisions," photojournalist Jim Lavrakas calls himself "the last ambulance chaser." A big hunk of the 152-page photo-filled memoir includes pictures of what a 20th century daily newspaper photographer did -- shooting fires, car wrecks, crime scenes and even a fiery bomb blast.
Lavrakas, now a Homer fishing guide, might just as well call himself a veteran of the last newspaper war. He had the luck to work for the Anchorage Daily News during its epic battle against the Anchorage Times. In today's modern journalism world, newspapers fade from publishing daily to publishing online, or even not at all. From 1979 after the McClatchy Newspaper chain bought the struggling paper until 1992 when the Times folded, Lavrakas shot on the front lines, trying to scoop his competitors and the photos they missed -- "head to head with Goliath," he said. ...