Rich Hein: Sun-Times photo editor whose theatrical work was art

"The Iceman Cometh," directed by Bob Falls, at the Goodman Theatre, 2012 (Photo by Rich Hein)

     Rich Hein looked through the lens of his camera into the hearts of people. He shot the city for nearly half a century, taking thousands of images that captured the human condition, first for suburban newspapers, then for 40 years on staff at of the Chicago Sun-Times, rising to become its photo editor.
     "Rich was a tough but fair boss," said Alex Wroblewski, pausing from shooting the inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday for Agence France-Presse. "I wouldn't be where I am today without him. He opened the door for me. A sweet and gracious man."
     Mr. Hein, 70, died Sunday in Naperville. He had felt chest pains, drove himself to Edward Edwards Hospital, waved off a wheelchair, and walked into the ER, where he collapsed and could not be revived.

     "He was an all-around photographer, he could do anything," remembered John H. White, who won a Pulitzer Prize at the Sun-Times. "He could do any kind of news. I always called him 'The Professor' because he was a teacher; he'd explain things. He took the time to teach me many things. He was a great photographer, a great educator."
     "Rich was always so calm, just always chill and cool, easy to talk to, easy to be around," said Robert A. Davis, a Sun-Times staffer for 14 years before going on to become a top international photographer. "He never got too excited. Slow and steady."
     That steadiness was put to the test in 2013, when the Sun-Times abruptly fired nearly its entire photo staff — except for Mr. Hein.
     "He felt very guilty about it," said former colleague Rich Cahan. "He's sitting there, and everyone else is gone."
     Mr. Hein was left the photo editor — a term he hated — supervising one young videographer, and whatever freelancers he could rope in.
     "He didn't want to be the only guy left," said Ashlee Rezin, the Sun-Times' current photo editor. "His running joke was that, on his tombstone it would read, 'He complied.' Because he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But he did so much more than comply. He was the quiet, calming, level-headed backbone of the photo department."
     But it allowed him to do something he excelled at: nurture a staff of young, energetic photojournalists.
     "I think he really loved giving opportunities to young photographers," said Rezin. "He loved when somebody wanted to work, and wanted to do well and wanted to learn from him. He enjoyed that mentorship role. I used to ask him for a critique: 'How did I do?' Whenever I didn't do the greatest, he would look at me over the top of his glasses and say, 'Do you really want to know?'"
     In addition to his Sun-Times work, Mr. Hein was a fixture on the Chicago theater scene, shooting publicity stills for stage productions.
     "His photos for the theater community were artworks themselves; they were gorgeous, " said Bill Ruminski, a news editor at the Sun-Times.
     "He was a wonderful, wonderful guy, beloved in our community," said Robert Falls, the former artistic director of the Goodman Theatre.

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