Monte Zucker
Encyclopedia
Monte Zucker was an American
photographer. He specialized in wedding photography
, entering it as a profession in 1947. In the 1970s he operated a studio in Switzerland
. Later he lived in Florida, and in 2003 moved to Palm Springs, California.
He was Brides
Magazine's Wedding Photographer of the Year for 1990 and United Nations
Photographer of the Year for 2002, and one of Canon's "Explorers of Light". Additionally, he was a prolific author and teacher, with monthly columns in magazines such as Shutterbug
.
Several manufacturers made equipment bearing his name, most notably Westcott's "Monte Reflector".
Unlike many photographers of his generation, he readily embraced new technology, particularly digital photography and Adobe Photoshop
, featuring digital techniques in his columns right up until the end of his life, and relating them to earlier methods. He did a series of traveling workshops taught by himself and Eddie Tapp, who covered Photoshop techniques.
"If you like the way it looks, go with it! I liked it and I did it! Of course, it takes a lot of experience to develop good taste. When one is just starting out it's easy to like something without knowing if it's really good or not. That works some of the time, but an educated opinion usually works better."
In another column, he alluded to his bisexuality, stating "I've had the good fortune of having had two lifetime partners, Sondra and Fred, both of whom have brought love and understanding into my life and who have helped me through the rough spots and shared with me some of the finest moments a person can have".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer. He specialized in wedding photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, entering it as a profession in 1947. In the 1970s he operated a studio in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Later he lived in Florida, and in 2003 moved to Palm Springs, California.
He was Brides
Brides (magazine)
Brides is an American monthly magazine published by Condé Nast, who purchased the magazine in 1959. As with many similar bridal magazines, it is designed to be an in-depth resource for brides-to-be, with many photographs and articles on wedding dresses, cakes, ceremonies, receptions and honeymoons...
Magazine's Wedding Photographer of the Year for 1990 and United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Photographer of the Year for 2002, and one of Canon's "Explorers of Light". Additionally, he was a prolific author and teacher, with monthly columns in magazines such as Shutterbug
Shutterbug
Shutterbug can mean:*An avid hobbyist in the field of vernacular photography *A song by the band Veruca Salt on the album Eight Arms to Hold You...
.
Several manufacturers made equipment bearing his name, most notably Westcott's "Monte Reflector".
Unlike many photographers of his generation, he readily embraced new technology, particularly digital photography and Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
, featuring digital techniques in his columns right up until the end of his life, and relating them to earlier methods. He did a series of traveling workshops taught by himself and Eddie Tapp, who covered Photoshop techniques.
Quotations
He noted in one column that one of his maxims was "See the finished picture before you even snap the shutter!" but at the same time he stated of a digitally retouched image, "Did I have this in mind when I first created the image? Yes and no. I wanted to create something artistic, something special. Did I know how I was going to do it? Not really.""If you like the way it looks, go with it! I liked it and I did it! Of course, it takes a lot of experience to develop good taste. When one is just starting out it's easy to like something without knowing if it's really good or not. That works some of the time, but an educated opinion usually works better."
Personal life
Unusually for a photography magazine columnist, Zucker mentioned aspects of his personal life in his columns, including his diagnosis of terminal cancer. Shortly after the diagnosis, he arranged a four-generation photo session that included himself, his children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, and photos from that session appeared in his Shutterbug column.In another column, he alluded to his bisexuality, stating "I've had the good fortune of having had two lifetime partners, Sondra and Fred, both of whom have brought love and understanding into my life and who have helped me through the rough spots and shared with me some of the finest moments a person can have".