"If you've ever wondered what it takes to bring you that 90 second report on the evening news, Shoot First gives you a true insider's look.  Hank Schoepp takes you on a journalist ride through some of the biggest stories of the last three decades. Hank was there for all of them and offers a fascinating account of the people, pressures, and the perspective that only an insider could have. A first-rate, first-hand look at life behind the camera lens of a veteran news photographer."
- Kate Kelly, Anchor/Reporter, KPIX/CBS San Francisco

Reviews

"As for Shoot First: compelling - couldn't put it down - great memories of worldwide events, un-staged, up close and personal.  Would make a GREAT MOVIE!!!"
---David M. Walsh, Director of Photography, Local 600 IATSE

Los Angeles

"Author Hank Schoepp, a master storyteller behind the camera, now brings his keen vision to Shoot First, a remarkable journey into the frantic, frenzied world of broadcast news.  Along the way, he reveals juicy tidbits about what really happened behind the scenes of many major events in Bay Area history, from the murder of a mayor to the kidnapping of an heiress.  His stories bring laughs, tears, and nostalgia for the way it was; the adrenaline rush, the need, both professional and personal, to "get the shot."  And he does it with wisdom, and warmth, revealing the man behind the machine.  It's all about telling a good story and Hank Schoepp gets the story right."
--Pam Harper, former Reporter, KPIX/CBS San Francisco

"Hank Schoepp's precision, artistic, God-given talents as viewed through a prism and documented in Shoot First are extraordinary.  Imagine what he would have accomplished if he had opened the other eye."
--John Lester, former Reporter, KPIX/CBS San Francisco, author of Girl in the Box: The Definitive Story of the Kidnapping of Patricia Hearst

"Hank Schoepp lived and worked as a news cameraman during one of the most exciting periods of San Francisco history.  Through his viewfinder we get an informed, inside look at the major stories which captured that era, for San Francisco and for the nation."
---Kevin J. Mullen, San Francisco Deputy Police Chief, retired, author of Chinatown Squad: Policing the Dragon from the Gold Rush to the 21st Centery

"A masterful photojournalist puts his own story in sharp focus.  A great read for anyone who has watched TV news.  The stories behind the stories."
---Harris Cohen, former CBS News Cameraman, San Francisco Bureau

"From the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst to the abduction of a busload of school children to the campus riots that spread across the nation....It's all there and more as Schoepp takes the reader along for the thrills and dangers faced by a big city news photographer."
--Ben Williams, former prize-winning Newspaperman, San Francisco Examiner and Reporter, KPIX/CBS

"Shoot First" says it clearly, everything covered, telling it as it is.  I will recommend the book to everyone I know. It certainly leads in all the 'War Stories'."
--Al Bullock, former News Cameraman, KGO/ABC San Francisco and U.S. Navy Combat Cameraman during World War II

"A wonderful living history as captured through the lens and mind of a great television news photographer.  His insights now are as sharp as his focus when it was happening."
- Ron Magers, Anchor/Reporter, WLS/ABC Chicago

​"Hank puts you inside the challenging occupation of news cameraman during those times when we were all figuring out how it was done and, not the least, surviving."
--Chuck Hastings, former News Cameraman, KRON/NBC San Francisco

"With clarity, humor and at times a touch of pathos, Hank Schoepp gives us a glimpse of what the cameraman sees beyond the lens.  He shows the human side of news coverage and the people who bring it to life.  Reading it brought back fond memories.  I love it!"
--Anne Korff, former Continuity Director and on-camera personality for KCSJ-TV, Pueblo, CO WHTN-TV, Huntington, WV and WSAV Radio and TV, Savannah, GA

​"I always was impressed with Hank Schoepp as an artistic and gutsy cameraman.  After reading his Shoot First manuscript I'm equally impressed with his writing ability.  He is a writer of exceptional talent.  He has brought to life the trials and tribulations of covering some of the major stories over the past years.  To my knowledge, this is the first account by someone the viewer never sees, probably the most important person responsible for those stories which captivate viewer attention.  Schoepp's book is a gem!"
--Ed Arnow, former News Bureau Chief for NBC-TV and Radio in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro and Reporter, KPIX/CBS San Francisco