Irving Penn (born Irving Pennowitz; February 4, 1925 – January 8, 2016) was an American photographer. He was best known for his black-and-white street photography, which he produced in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several books of photographs, including Portraits (1966), The Sixties (1968), and The New York Times Book of Sports Photography (1971). Born Ira Weinstein in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents, Penn attended the Parsons School of Design for two years
While still a student, he began working as a still photographer for Vogue magazine. He was the first to photograph Marilyn Monroe for publication in 1952. Throughout his career he photographed celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jerry Lewis and Elizabeth Taylor.
A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective.Irving Penn
Photographing a cake can be art.Irving Penn
Using simple equipment and daylight alone is for me a pleasure and a replenishment.Irving Penn
