Bob Gomel

John F. Kennedy, Cape Canaveral in 1962 where he spoke to NASA personnel before giving his famous speech at Rice University about going to the moon, 1962

Bob Gomel Biography American photojournalist, Bob Gomel, is known for his iconic images of world leaders, athletes, entertainers, and major events of the 1960s. His photographs have appeared on the covers of LIFE, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, TIME, The New York Times, Forbes, and in more than 40 books. Born in New York in 1933, Gomel earned a journalism degree from New York University in 1955 and served as a U.S. naval aviator stationed in Japan from 1955 to 1958. After serving in the NAVY Gomel went on to be a photographer for LIFE Magazine from January 1959 through June 1969. His coverage included John F. Kennedy, the Beatles, Muhammad Ali, and Arnold Palmer. Gomel covered many major events such as the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the 1963 March on Washington, the 1963 funeral of President Kennedy, the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and many more. In 1964, the University of Missouri School of Journalism honored Gomel with the best news photo of the year. The photo depicted the passion in the keynote speech of Sen. John O. Pastore at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. LIFE ran a full-page as in the New York Times recognizing the award. Gomel’s photograph of the 1965 blackout-darkened New York City skyline lit by the moon alone is believed to be the first double-exposure image published as a news photograph. From the 1970s through the 1990s, Gomel shifted his focus to commercial photography, and moved to Huston in 1977. He shot national advertising campaigns throughout the world for Audi, Bulova, GTE, and the U.S Army. Gomel’s images remain of interest to collectors, news organizations, galleries and museums including the U.S Library of Congress and the Museum of Fine Arts in Huston.