John Loengard, Pictures Under Discussion

Growing up, one of my greatest thrills was when the weekly Life Magazine would arrive in the mail. Eventually Life became a monthly and finally went out of circulation with the new millennium, a casualty of the Internet I suppose. Most of the Twentieth Century’s great documentary photographers were published on its pages. John Loengard was one of them and perhaps the most influential. He joined Life in the early Sixties, became one of its greatest photographers and eventually its Picture Editor. Pictures Under Discussion is his first book, published in 1987 and it’s terrific!!!

The book contains about 80 Black and White photographs; some very famous and iconic, but half were never published before; they are the ones the photographer used for lectures he gave while teaching at New York’s New School. The focus is on people, objects and some landscapes. Of course the pictures are wonderful, but the real bonus is that Loengard provides his very revealing thoughts about the making of each picture, what his inspiration was, along with aesthetic and technical considerations.

Studying this book – viewing the photographs and reading Loengard’s commentary concerning each one is like taking a workshop with a legend!! Something truly to be treasured and learned from!

This master class is readily available both in hard and softcover editions. So there is no excuse not to run out and get a copy for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!

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