By LIANNE WOO
SACRAMENTO, C.A. – Steven P. Unger spoke on Thursday afternoon about his popular book “Before the Paparazzi: 50 Years of Extraordinary Pictures”, which features a nostalgic outlook on America.
A turnout of over 50 satisfied students and fans attended co-author Unger’s lecture, watching a slide-show on previews of the book’s pages and Arty Pomerantiz’s famous photos from the 1960s.
“Pomerantz captured the raw truth of American history that was not touched up or photo-shopped—it was real and unique,” said student Vivian Chu.
The Friends of the Library Author Lecture Series presented Unger’s lecture at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday in the Sacramento State University Library Gallery. Unger and renowned photographer Pomerantz collaborated
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Unger’s lecture explained how each photo represents stories of experiences, experiences shown clearly through Pomerantz’s camera lens.
Unger showed pictures of a variety of people Pomerantz photographed, from presidents to celebrities, and musicians to a mob chief.
One of Pomerantz’s famous pieces, “The Last Second in the Life of a Suicide”, was previously nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Pomerantz was able to shoot the man as he let go of the bridge.
Unger explained how Pomerantz was a skilled photographer who has artwork in many newspapers and magazines across the world.
Pomerantz’s picture of a dead mob chief became the cover photo of the New York Post, which was also illustrated in an episode of The Sopranos.
“Arty Pomerantz captured generations of movie stars and normal citizens—like you and me! He shot photos of real events and genuine happiness, which is hard to find in today’s generation of photographs,” said student Nathan
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WORD COUNT:
PEOPLE INTERVIEWED: (in order)
1. Vivian Chu
• Telephone Number: (626) 320-3594
• Email: vivian_092@yahoo.com
• Student at Sacramento State University interested in photography (cameras)
2. Nathan Le
• Telephone Number: (510) 585-5423
• Email:
• Student at Sacramento State University (attended lecture due to it’s publicity)
3. Ruth Ricci
• Telephone Number: (916) 690-2976
• Email: (Does not have an email)
• Attendee of event and fiancé of Steven P. Unger
• Was not in a relationship with Unger during creation of the book
• Interest in Unger’s writing and Pomerantz’s photography
RESOURCES USED:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Before-the-Paparazzi-50-Years-of-Extraordinary-Photographs-289736681039552/info?tab=page_info
• The Friends of the Library Author Lecture Series Page: http://www.folcsuslibrary.com/
• Sacramento State Campus Calendar of Events: http://calendar.csus.edu/MasterCalendar/EventDetails.aspx?EventDetailID=313845
• Amazon:
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