Feature
AND THE OSCAR GOES I TO.... by Jeremy Lenart (Monmouth '19), contributing writer
magine hanging out backstage of the Oscars with Brad Pitt as U2 performs live. That might sound like a dream come true for the average person. For Al Seib (Valparaiso '75), lead photographer at the LA Times and Sigma Pi alumnus, it is just another day in the office. Working as a photographer for many years, Seib has won numerous awards for his extraordinary photographs. His work has helped win four Pulitzer Prizes for Spot and Breaking News Reporting awarded to the LA Times staff. These pictures have evolved from a truly diverse and exciting job. Seib has gone places and seen things that many people will never get the chance to. He has captured the fall of the Berlin Wall, wildfires, earthquakes, the inside of prisons, ICE raids, professional sports, and has shot the beauty of California’s coast and national parks, to name a few. Of all these fascinating places to visit, Seib had a lot to say about the Oscars.
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In the 18 years that Seib has been shooting the Oscars, he has developed a great relationship with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the red carpet, most photographers are crammed behind a waste-high wall, leaning over each other and craning their necks to get a decent shot of the Hollywood stars. However, Seib is on the carpet rubbing elbows with Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson as he chats up Hollywood’s finest. Then, he heads backstage and takes pictures of the winners as they leave the podium and celebrate. Seib said that he only receives these privileges because of the mutual respect between himself and the Academy. He said, “there were really great moments that I didn’t capture but could have. They might have embarrassed the actor. That’s where the respect comes from.” A great moment that Seib did catch on camera, and one of his favorites, was when the Oscars messed up and announced the wrong title for
Summer 2021
