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.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com