MaryAnne Golon Out As Time Photo Director

We learned this afternoon that MaryAnne Golon will be leaving her job as director of photography at Time magazine. I don't know the full story-- the official to Time's staff from managing editor Rick Stengel, which was sent to me, is ambiguous. MaryAnne is a true talent and one of the strongest advocates of photojournalism in the media today. She has been with Time for many years, working for much of the time with former DOP Michele Stephenson. (The duo were listed at number 8 in the 2005 edition of American Photo's "100 Most Important People in Photography.) My  instinct is that this has something to do with the paucity of photography featured in Time these days. Just a few years ago the magazine was a photojournalistic bible; after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, Time led the world in photographic coverage. Nothing like that is to be seen in the pages of the increasingly thin magazine these days. Continue reading for Stengel's announcement

To: TIME Edit Staff

From: Rick Stengel

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that MaryAnne Golon is ending her remarkable tenure as TIME's director of photography. MaryAnne told me that she is determined to have a "second act," and while I am sad that she will no longer be running the photo department, I'm happy to say that as part of her second act, she will continue her role as an ambassador for the magazine to the international photo community.

For the last 24 years, MaryAnne has not only been the voice of TIME's photo department, but its heart and soul, a passionate and inspirational advocate for outstanding photojournalism. She brought to that role something that cannot be taught or imitated: a great eye. Under MaryAnne's leadership, TIME has solidified its reputation as the world's premier publication for news photography and has become a
showcase for the greatest photographers working today, from James Nachtwey and Christopher Morris to Yuri Kozyrev, Diana Walker and Callie Shell. To the outside world, the legacy of her career at TIME is marked by international photography awards too numerous to count. But to those of us here, she is valued for her unfailing good humor and high spirits combined with an unrivalled commitment to excellence.

MaryAnne joined TIME as a summer intern in 1982 and was hired as a permanent employee in August 1984. She was the on-site photography editor for TIME and Life magazines during the 1990-1991 Gulf War in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.  After a stint at U.S. News and World Report, she rejoined TIME in 1999. As photography editor, MaryAnne led the team that produced the Hurricane Katrina special edition and the September 11, 2001 special black-bordered edition, each winning a National Magazine Award for single-issue topics. She has received numerous individual picture editing awards from the POYI (Pictures of the Year International) and the NPPA's (National Press Photographer’s Association) Best of Photography competitions. Please join me in thanking her for her extraordinary service and in saluting her new role as a contributing editor who will represent TIME at juries and awards and at the Visa Pour L'Image Photojournalism 20th anniversary celebration this summer in Perpignan, France.

At the same time, I am pleased to announce that Alice Gabriner has been promoted to a new position: chief picture editor. In this position, Alice will oversee the editorial quality of images for the magazine and will leverage TIME’s photographic heritage for the 21st century in print and on-line. In addition, Alice will serve as acting director of photography. As MaryAnne's deputy, she shares the same commitment to excellence and great photojournalism. She has ably filled in when MaryAnne has been away, and she has the deep respect not only of her colleagues here but of our photographers around the world.

Please join me at a pour for MaryAnne--and Alice--on Thursday.