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---
description: A former TIME photographer recalls the first time she met the Apple visionary and what she&#x27;ll miss about him most.
title: Steve Jobs Photos: Apple CEO in a Private Light
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---

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# In a Private Light: Diana Walker's Photos of Steve Jobs


by 

[Diana Walker](/author/diana-walker/)


## Diana Walker


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Oct 6, 2011 1:07 PM CUT

![Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte10f7e840e785055/698799c3f887dc6e51e8b793/1110171300191.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.

Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

by 

[Diana Walker](/author/diana-walker/)


## Diana Walker


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Oct 6, 2011 1:07 PM CUT

I first met Steve Jobs on a photo shoot for TIME in 1982\. I had no idea that he was going to be my friend or that he was going to be this incredible genius — a part of all our lives, in what we do and what we see. He was speaking to a group of Stanford students in a dorm living room, and it was hard to photograph him there and not be in the way. You had to have light, and I was creeping around. But he was game. I asked him to stand on top of an Apple sign, and he did it. I asked him to stand in front of an Apple cutout (which ended up on the cover of _Fortune_ magazine), and he did that too. I thought, This is you. This is who you are.

He was so much fun because he was so quick — he was such a fast study. You showed him anything and he could get it in a second. I was always fascinated by his design sense. It was wonderful because he liked my pictures.

I really will miss his inventiveness, his ideas, his eyes — and how bright he was all over. He had some kind of electricity about him. He was very, very focused in the office. He demanded a lot of the people who worked for him. I’m sure Steve wasn’t the easiest person to work for, but what a fascinating person to work for.

_Diana Walker was_ TIME’_s White House photographer for 20 years, where she captured intimate moments with five Presidents._ 

![Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte10f7e840e785055/698799c3f887dc6e51e8b793/1110171300191.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs rests on a flight to the Macworld Expo in Boston in 1997, the year he took back the reins at Apple after a 12-year hiatus. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs has a laugh with John Lasseter of Pixar in the animation studio's headquarters.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt021b590b61f108d9/698799c40b72e30bec6df09e/1110171300661.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs has a laugh with John Lasseter of Pixar in the animation studio's headquarters. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs told photographer Walker that this 1997 image with his wife Laurene at their Palo Alto, Calif., home was one of his favorites.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7c019059843cfe7/698799c2a988ca4c816adbf8/1110171300221.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs told photographer Walker that this 1997 image with his wife Laurene at their Palo Alto, Calif., home was one of his favorites. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs sits in his Woodside, Calif., home in 1982.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7680d3f93445e7a7/698799c2cd684878e909b077/111017130018-bw1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs sits in his Woodside, Calif., home in 1982. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME


![Jobs with the Lisa, an early — and revolutionary — Apple computer, in 1982.
](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4bd0be5b85bb1b7/698799c1524fc018addedcc4/1110171300251.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs with the Lisa, an early — and revolutionary — Apple computer, in 1982. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs prepares for a Macworld keynote speech in which he would announce a major deal with Bill Gates.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt87d41bc2b1fad7f2/69868567810bbb239fc907ae/1110171300171.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs prepares for a Macworld keynote speech in which he would announce a major deal with Bill Gates. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs presides over a lunchtime huddle with his design team at Apple's headquarters in 1982.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d9f7d34c620a80f/698799c306f2c115ec335444/1110171300211.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs presides over a lunchtime huddle with his design team at Apple's headquarters in 1982. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME


![Jobs puts in a day at the office before heading to Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89422d216ac85b2c/69868567adae441077541f41/1110170600341.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs puts in a day at the office before heading to Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Jobs delivers remarks at Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf253a2915381ede2/698799c3e20a8763eca8675f/1110171300261.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs delivers remarks at Boston's 1997 Macworld Expo. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

![Lying on the floor after a long day, Jobs finalizes a deal with Bill Gates over the phone, whereby Microsoft would purchase $150 million worth of Apple stock.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt337f4f2896e0ab8f/698799c3cd68487e9909b07c/1110170600351.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Lying on the floor after a long day, Jobs finalizes a deal with Bill Gates over the phone, whereby Microsoft would purchase $150 million worth of Apple stock. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME


![Jobs in his home office in December 2004, the last time Walker ever photographed him.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ae5c26df7277776/698799c455a859f714a872f5/111017060031_b.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Jobs in his home office in December 2004, the last time Walker ever photographed him. Diana Walker—Contour by Getty Images for TIME

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