Loomis Dean (September 19, 1917 – December 7, 2005)
Times Online obituary was a veteran ''

Life Magazine ''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

who shot pictures of circus clowns, crown princes, celebrities, Madagascar

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

s, and

SS Andrea Doria SS ''Andrea Doria'' () was a luxury transatlantic ocean liner of the Italian Line (Società di navigazione Italia), put into service in 1953. She is widely known from the extensive media coverage of her sinking in 1956, which included the rema ...

survivors in a five-decade long career. His low-key manner disarmed his subjects and put them at ease, enabling Dean to capture such images as the prince of Liechtenstein in his long johns and

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

in a tuxedo in the desert.

Early life

Loomis was the son of a grocer and a schoolteacher and was originally from

Monticello, Florida Monticello ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Monticello, the estate of the county's namesake, Thomas Jefferson, on which the Jefferson County Courthouse was modeled. ...

. He became fascinated with photography while watching a friend print a photograph in a

darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

, and later chose to study photography at the Eastman School of Photography in Rochester, New York. His first photography job in 1938 was as an advance man and photographer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was an Army Air Forces photographer in the Pacific Ocean during World War II, and he later got his first job as a press agent for the Ringling Brothers circus. He rode the circus train across the country, shooting clowns, acrobats and lion tamers and processing his pictures in hotel bathtubs.

''Life'' magazine

In 1947, he joined the staff of ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'', photographing celebrities including

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

, and

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer and actor. He was born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish Americans, Polish origin and enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, ...

. He also shot pictures of royal weddings, popes, fashion shows, riots and wars. In 1956, while sailing to Paris aboard to take a job in the magazine's bureau there, Dean photographed the sinking and the rescue of passengers from the ocean liner . In 1965, out of 400 contestants, Dean won the Papal Prize in the Vatican's Ecumenical Council Photographic Exhibition. The winning color photograph showed white-robed bishops bearing the pope's tiara marching in solemn procession through St. Peter's Square. It appeared in ''Life'' on November 2, 1962.

After ''Life''

After ''Life'' magazine folded in 1972, he worked freelance for movie studios and news magazines. He was also an accomplished sailor and a collector of cameras. At any given time, he rarely had fewer than three cameras around his neck.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Loomis Photographers from Florida United States Army Air Forces soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II 1917 births 2005 deaths Life (magazine) photojournalists People from Monticello, Florida