Dennis Stock became an apprentice to Life magazine photographer Gjon Mili and won first prize in Life’s Young Photographers contest. He joined Magnum in 1951. Stock managed to evoke the spirit of America through his memorable and iconic portraits of Hollywood stars, most notably James Dean.

From 1957 to 1960 Stock made lively portraits of jazz musicians for his book Jazz Street. In the late 1960s, he captured the attempts of California hippies to reshape society according to ideals of love and caring. He worked as a writer, director, and producer for television and film and his photographs have been acquired by most major museum collections. He served as president of Magnum’s film and new media division in 1969 and 1970.