For more than a half-century on the faculty of HLS, Professor Emeritus Henry Steiner ’55 has focused on international human rights, including as the founder of the school’s Human Rights Program. During that time, he has also focused his camera on countries around the world. He shares his deep passion for photography in a new book, “Eyeing the World.” It reflects both his artistic eye and the dignity of the people he championed—ordinary people participating in activities that engage us all, he writes. The book also contains shots of nature and architecture, with stories of how he discovered the scenes he captured.
Last fall, Steiner spoke to a standing room only crowd at Harvard Law School about his book at a talk hosted by the Harvard Law School Library. At the event, Steiner shared how he went from taking snapshots to starting to think of himself as an artist. He also told the stories behind some of the photos in the book, which were taken in the disparate locations Steiner’s work in International and Human Rights Law has taken him over his long career.
“Photography is not my pastime. It’s not a hobby. It is my deep passion. I published this book because I wanted to leave a personal legacy. I very much doubt that any of my grandchildren will read that brilliant article that I wrote some time back, but they are going to look at a photography book.”
—Henry Steiner
Below is a sampling of the images featured in “Eyeing the World.” Visit Steiner’s website to view more of his photos and learn about his photography.
