• LIFE

Behind the Picture: Portrait of a Young Man With a Camera

3 minute read

Andreas Feininger’s striking 1951 portrait of what, at first glance, might be a cowled cyborg—complete with mismatched lenses for eyes—is one of LIFE magazine’s most recognizable and frequently reproduced pictures. It’s one of those photographs that we feel we’ve known all our lives.

In fact, though, most of us likely know very little about why or how the photo came to be.

The picture first appeared in LIFE in a June 1955 issue of the magazine, a full four years after it was made. The partially obscured face in the photo belongs to a young Army veteran and photographer named Dennis Stock (1928 – 2010), who himself would go on to a storied, decades-long career behind the camera. The brief but telling text that accompanied this and a few other Feininger pictures in that 1955 issue explained why Feininger made the picture:

LIFE photographer Andreas Feininger is a meticulous and patient craftsman who sometimes spends months thinking about a story before taking the first picture. [After shooting the Dennis Stock portrait] Feininger had to set the picture aside to take up other assignments. But in the back of his mind he kept thinking about making a set of stylized portraits to show how the instruments men use at their work and play often become an almost indivisible part of the men themselves.

Whenever he had some free time between other stories, Feininger added one picture at a time to his collection of masked men until he was satisfied that he had done what he set out to do.

Meanwhile, in John Loengard’s indispensable book, LIFE Photographers: What They Saw (Bulfinch Press, 1998), the 85-year-old Feininger sheds light on how the picture was made, telling Loengard that he “had to get a picture of this person and, frankly, didn’t quite know what to do.”

Contact sheet of famous portrait of Dennis Stock, shot by Andreas Feininger, 1951.But then we played around with lights and [Stock] said, “Why don’t you try just a spotlight?” Okay, so I got a spotlight. And I focused on him and immediately saw the power of this picture. He came up with a camera, and I said ‘Hold it, hold it.’

And there it was. In a way, we did that together. We worked together on getting the picture.

It should have made a cover. Some people at LIFE thought it would be the best cover ever, and others said, “It’s gruesome! We can’t have it.” As usual, the wrong people won.

[NOTE: Click thumbnail above for a larger version of a contact sheet from Feininger’s 1951 portrait session with Stock.]

Andreas Feininger died in February 1999; Dennis Stock died in 2010. Their photographs, including more than a few of the most celebrated pictures of the 20th century, can be found in galleries and major museums around the world.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Feininger’s portrait of Stock did, eventually, make for a great cover. It’s the image that graces the front of Loengard’s What They Saw.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

UA Riot
Students clashed against Tucson Police officers on University Avenue Saturday March 29, 2014 in Tucson, Ariz. after Arizona's loss to Wisconsin 64-63 in the West Region NCAA final.Andreas Feininger—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Dennis Stock photographed by Andreas Feininger, 1951.
Caption from LIFE. "Cameraman has viewfinder for left eye, camera lens for right."Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A swimmer and his face plate take on the look of an old lantern.
Caption from LIFE. "A swimmer and his face plate take on the look of an old lantern."Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A fencer's face behind his saber mask looks like a death's head.
Caption from LIFE. "A fencer's face behind his saber mask looks like a death's head."Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Doctor's head mirror transforms his face into a single huge eye.
Caption from LIFE. "Doctor's head mirror transforms his face into a single huge eye."Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A man in a welder's helmet.
Not published in LIFE. A man in a welder's helmet.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Jeweler's magnifying glasses give him a face of many eyes.
Caption from LIFE. "Jeweler's magnifying glasses give him a face of many eyes."Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Closeup of a man wearing a megaphone.
Not published in LIFE. Closeup of a man wearing a megaphone.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Man in a diving mask.
Not published in LIFE. Man in a diving mask.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Man in a catcher's mask.
Not published in LIFE. Man in a catcher's mask.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A diver wearing a metal helmet.
Not published in LIFE. A diver wearing a metal helmet.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Man wearing a gas mask.
Not published in LIFE. Man wearing a gas mask.Andreas Feininger—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
LIFE magazine, June 27, 1955.
LIFE magazine, June 27, 1955.LIFE Magazine

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com