Herman Leonard
| Herman Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 6, 1923 Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 14, 2010 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | U.S. |
| Alma mater | Ohio University |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Years active | 1947-2010 |
| Known for | Jazz musician portraiture |
| Spouse(s) | Elisabeth |
| Children | Shana and David |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Leonard and Rose Morrison |
| Awards | 1995, Honorary Master of Science in Photography, Brooks Institute of Photography 1999, Milt Hinton Award for Excellence in Jazz Photography, Jazz Photographer’s Association 2000, Excellence in Photography Award, Jazz Journalists Association 2004, Lifetime Achievement Award, Downbeat Magazine 2008, Lucie Award for Achievement in Portraiture |
| Website | hermanleonard |
Herman Leonard (March 6, 1923, in Allentown, Pennsylvania – August 14, 2010, in Los Angeles, California) was an American photographer known for his unique images of jazz icons.
Leonard's parents, Joseph Leonard and Rose Morrison, were Romanian Jewish immigrants who emigrated from Iaşi to the United States.
Leonard gained a BFA degree in photography in 1947 from Ohio University, although his college career was interrupted by a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during World War II. In the military he served as a medical technician in Burma, while attached to Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese troops fighting the Japanese.
After graduation, he apprenticed with portraitist Yousuf Karsh for one year. Karsh gave him valuable experience photographing public personalities such as Albert Einstein, Harry Truman and Martha Graham.
In 1948, Leonard opened his first studio in New York's Greenwich Village at 200 Sullivan St. Working free-lance for various magazines, he spent his evenings at the Royal Roost and then Birdland, where he photographed jazz musicians such as Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and others. The number of shots possible at a time was limited. Using glass negatives at this time, Leonard increased the sensitivity of the plates by exposing them to mercury vapor.
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