P-I's Phil Webber, 67, longtime photographer

After seeing Phil Webber's outfits, you might figure out that he was colorblind — he would wear a purple jacket with orange pants, and his shoes rarely matched.

But then you might wonder how a man who couldn't tell one color from another was able to become one of Seattle's best-known photojournalists.

The answer is that his trademark style and his knack for news photography helped him build a name for himself.

Mr. Webber, a longtime Seattle Post-Intelligencer photographer, died Saturday of complications related to emphysema. He was 67.

"He was one of the last of a breed of photojournalists," said P-I staff photographer Gilbert W. Arias. "He was the ultimate news-photo hound."

Mr. Webber, who was approaching his 50th anniversary at the Seattle P-I this year, lived through years of changes in the profession, Arias said. From flashbulbs to color to digital photographs, Mr. Webber stuck with the profession because of his love for it.

"He saw quite a few changes and I think he handled every one professionally and to the best of his ability," Arias said. "I think he's been admired by almost every photographer here."

Though he had been in poor health recently, Mr. Webber continued working at the P-I when he could, said Barbara Downs, his girlfriend.

He even made it into the office on Friday, she said.

"He said he always hoped he would go out feet first at the P-I," she said. "He was very proud of the fact that he had 50 years with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer."

Mr. Webber started taking photos when he was a teenager, Downs said. While still in high school he would chase ambulances and then sell his photos of accidents and crimes, she said.

"He did that long enough that they finally hired him," said Arias, who worked with Mr. Webber for 25 years.

He graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle and worked for the paper ever since, Downs said.

Part of what made him a good news photographer was his attention to police scanners, Arias said.

He had scanners in his car and at home and would rarely miss an important call, Downs said.

"When he wasn't working, he was calling other P-I photographers to tip them off," said Seattle Times staff photographer Greg Gilbert. "Webber was a master news photographer. That was his forte."

Mr. Webber's photos will be remembered as well. He took pictures of the Beatles and Bob Dylan and of the Kingdome imploding, said his son, Kevin Coryell of Puyallup.

"It's just the history of Seattle. His life was the history of Seattle that he caught in pictures," Coryell said.

Mr. Webber took one particularly memorable photo of two private ambulance workers from competing companies fighting over a patient, Gilbert said. That photo helped change ambulance service in Seattle, he said.

In Mr. Webber's private time, he enjoyed his beagles and taking trips to the Washington coast, where he owned a condo.

"He loved the sunsets and the sound of the waves," Coryell said.

In addition to his son, Mr. Webber is survived by his twin brother, Bill Webber of Seattle, and Downs.

Remembrances can be made to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society or Planned Parenthood, Downs said.

Brian Alexander: 425-745-7845 or balexander@seattletimes.com