Background
He was the son of Jewish immigrants and grew up in Brooklyn. His father worked as a children's portrait photographer.
He was the son of Jewish immigrants and grew up in Brooklyn. His father worked as a children's portrait photographer.
After dropping out of high school at the age of 16, he gained a job in the mail room at Look magazine. He became art director at magazine, where Stern learned how to develop film and make contact sheets, and started taking his own pictures. In 1951, Stern was drafted into the United States Army and was sent to Japan and assigned to the photographic department.
By the late 1970s Stern returned to the United States. to photograph portraits and fashion.