Loss of a Legend: Monte Zucker 1929-2007

I’m currently in the Tampa area meeting with a prospect. I also needed a break from the cold weather up north, so Tampa was the perfect place to take a short vacation before I head off to Fort Lauderdale to meet with another client and then back home.

I’m saddened today to hear of the loss of a photographic legend, Monte Zucker who passed away on March 15th after an illness with cancer. I met him for the first time at PPA’s Imaging USA convention in Atlantic City a few years back when he called me out of the crowd and asked me to model for him. His male model didn’t show up; I think he said, “Who’s that handsome boy back there, come help me”. I was waiting for him to hand me a reflector, but the next thing I knew he was posing me cheek to cheek with a female model. (It just so happened that that Female model was one that I had been talking to for a long time about working together, and I was actually waiting for her to finish her set with Monte to chat with her.) For the remainder of that convention, a Monte portrait of me hung at the Canon Booth.

Monte remembered me every time he saw me after that. For years, we would have conversations at every convention I went to; and I always enjoyed listening to him speak at the Canon booth and in his seminars. His sense of humor was probably the biggest thing that brought me back, in those long days at conventions when the days seemed to drag on and on it was nice to laugh and learn at the same time.

Monte has been called, “The Creator”, not because of his age, but because he truly shaped the “classic portrait” – aka the Monte Portrait. Though his style stayed pretty steady throughout his career, but like all masters he has changed with the industry but still kept to his basic principals. He transitioned from analog to digital as the industry has. In 2002, The United Nations honored Monte as Portrait Photographer of the Year. Monte was an educator with a true passion for passing on his knowledge. Near the end of his life, Monte formed ZIPI (The Zucker Institute for Photography Inspiration). I urge the photographers reading this to take a look, maybe even make a donation.

I was drawn to Monte’s site today for some reason I will never know, but I was shocked to find his assistant’s post on the message boards about his passing. Tears came to my eyes. He really means so much to so many and I’m sure thousands of people have memories of Monte as I do.

Image of Monte used with permission from Jeff Medford, Zucker Institute of Photographic Inspiration.

Category: News, Photographers