Holiday Soundtrack

Herman Leonard was born in Allentown, PA in 1923. At the young age of 9, he witnessed an image being developed in his brother’s darkroom and became enthralled with the magic of photography.

In 1947, after a stint in Burma during WWII, Herman Leonard graduated from Ohio University with a BFA in Photography, the only school in the nation to offer such a degree at the time. He then drove straight to Yousuf Karsh’s house in Ottowa, Canada and asked for a job. Karsh wasn’t hiring but was impressed enough with young Herman Leonard to take him...

American photographer Steve Schapiro (1934-present) was born and raised in New York City and discovered photography at age 9. The photojournalist is often celebrated for his work documenting the American Civil Rights Movement and the Selma to Montgomery march. LIFE Magazine called Steve Schapiro to Memphis to document the tragedy unfolding after Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Although typically associated with civil justice documentary work, Steve Schapiro created some iconic portraits of figures like James Baldwin, Samuel Beckett, Ray Charles, and more, all of which appear in his book Heroes (2007); the collection won an Art...