Just five short minutes from campus in the Quadrangle lies Afterimage Gallery, one of the oldest art galleries in the world devoted solely to photography. After 36 years of operation, Afterimage Gallery still shows the works of some of America’s best contemporary photographers and photojournalists. The gallery may be small, but the directors are friendly and the organization is wonderful.

The setting adds a lot to the gallery’s appeal. The Quadrangle is a business complex located in the Uptown area which also houses several wonderful restaurants and boasts great décor apart from the gallery itself.

Currently on exhibition at Afterimage are the works of LIFE magazine photographer John Loengard. Loengard worked for LIFE from 1961 until 1987, during which time he was responsible for the magazine’s “rebirth” as a monthly publication.

Among other things, he has authored several books. The photography featured is from one of his more recent books, “As I See It,” which constitutes the show currently at Afterimage.

As a photographer for LIFE, Loengard met many extraordinary people and had many unique opportunities. Among the photographs included in the exhibition are several pictures of famed artist Georgia O’Keeffe.

Although he authored a photo essay of the Southwestern artist, several pictures of her were also included in “As I See It,” including a stunning portrayal of a very off-centered O’Keeffe in front of a desert expanse in New Mexico. The picture tears the viewer in two with the distress of determining whether to look at the desert in the background or the aged face of a legend.

Also included in the exhibit is an incredible photograph of the portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz precariously perched atop a gargoyle attached to the top of the Chrysler Building in New York City.

Although Loengard’s work includes many photographs of other artists, whether photograph or otherwise, his work at LIFE also included the rare opportunity to photograph some of the biggest celebrities of the 1950s and 1960s.

One assignment took Loengard to Florida, where he met and photographed the Beatles during the band’s first trip to the state. The photograph included in the exhibit at Afterimage is a classic LIFE cover from 1964 and shows John, Paul, George and Ringo in a swimming pool laughingly looking at the camera, appearing to be utterly enjoying themselves. It isn’t until the viewer reads the accompanying description of the scene that one would learn the pool was actually freezing and the band members were turning blue.

Loengard photographed numerous other celebrities throughout his career: icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Bill Cosby and Ronald Reagan.

When asked about the importance of photography, Loengard once famously said, “Perishability is important in a picture. If a photograph looks perishable we say, ‘Gee, I’m glad I have that moment.'” That is exactly what viewers will think when admiring the work of Loengard currently on exhibit at Afterimage.