The Wonderful Theo Westenberger

Photographer Theo Westenberger  died last Thursday, February 28, and the news has been slowly filtering through the a photo community that mourns her loss. She passed away at her home in New York after a four-year battle with lung cancer. She was 57. According to Photo District News, she worked up until about  four months ago, when she shot her last story for Architectural Digest. Westenberger's website, which is still up, notes that over her career she shot three presidents and actors like Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Aniston. Photo editor Laurie Kratochvil, who worked with Westenberger on several jobs at Rolling Stone, recalls Westenberger as one of photography's sunniest figures: "She always brought laughter, fun, and  energy into every place she ever worked. Her laugh made you laugh. Her work had a positive, uplifting quality to it, and people had a good time on her shoots."--David Schonauer