Chief Photographer Ken Bradley -- a 25-year WDRB News veteran -- retires

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Today, we say goodbye to our chief photojournalist, Ken Bradley.

He's retiring after 25 years at WDRB News -- and even longer than that in Louisville television. You've rarely seen him on camera. However, you've seen his video in stories from all over the world.

One question that follows Ken. Just what's under Ken Bradley's ball cap? Only a few, select people will ever know. He never takes it off. We really wouldn't know him without one.

Ken -- and his hats -- have been a part of WDRB News for 25 years. Now he's retiring -- on his own terms -- and that's a rarity in the broadcast business.

Ken is one of the original WDRB "News at 10" employees. Look closely -- and quickly -- in the vintage video above. He's in the red plaid shirt -- with a grin -- and no hat.

What started with a scrappy group of journalists, a half-hour newscast and nay-sayers from the competition has grown into Louisville's largest TV news operation. Ken has helped us expand to eight hours of news a day and the continued momentum to keep growing.

He brought to WDRB experience that included covering the Carroll County bus crash just a few miles from his home.

The next year, camera rolling, Ken walked just one turn-of-the-corner away from the workplace shooter at Standard Gravure.

Don't let his mild manner, soft-spoken voice and the occasional "aw-shucks" fool you. Ken endured dust and almost-unbearable conditions as the pool photographer for a Kentucky Air National Guard mission to Somalia in 1994.

He and Lindsay Allen spent several weeks with guard members in Afghanistan in 2010, enduring more of the primitive conditions -- and documenting the work of Kentucky soldiers and airmen to restore parts of the country after years of war.

He's worn a bullet-resistant vest for the occasional story, even in Louisville. He found a bullet hole in his news truck after rioting in Lexington, and he's driven thousands of miles so we can cover news via satellite.

The Orange Bowl in Miami brought broken sunglasses and long hours, but also plenty of camaraderie and decent eats, as always on assignment with Ken. He does know all the best places for lunch.

Ken's earned plenty of awards for his work. One Best of Show Emmy comes from his story on pig racing at the state fair in 2004 -- long before the GoPro camera.

Watch in the video above for the "Pig Cam."

But Ken likes horses a bit better. He's leaving news to raise them with his wife Kari. It wasn't an easy decision, but he says now is the time to retire and take care of his farm and his family.

He leaves behind a grateful WDRB family, a standard of excellence in news, and a legacy that will never be forgotten.