John Engstead

John Engstead (1912–1984) was an American photographer.

Engstead began his career in 1926, when he was hired by Paramount Pictures Head of Studio Publicity, Harold Harley, as an office boy.

In 1927, he arranged an innovative photo session for actress Clara Bow with photographer Otto Dyer that pleased Harley. Engstead's creative direction of photographs of actress Louise Brooks led to a promotion to Art Supervisor, overseeing the production of Paramount's publicity stills.

In 1932, due to a photographers' strike, Engstead assumed the position of Studio Portrait Photographer despite having never photographed anyone previously. Actor Cary Grant posed for his practice shots.

In 1941, Paramount Pictures fired Engstead, and Harper’s Bazaar hired him for freelance advertising and portrait photography assignments. From 1941 to 1949, he took fashion photography assignments from many magazines in addition to Harper’s Bazaar, including Collier’s, Esquire, House Beautiful, Ladies Home Journal, Life, Look, Mademoiselle, McCall’s, Vogue, and Women’s Home Companion.

In the 1940s, Engstead also photographed celebrities, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Maureen O'Hara, and Shirley Temple. Unlike other photographers, he often shot his subjects at home or outdoors, and his photographs of a young Judy Garland in Carmel, California, were particularly successful. During this decade he built a studio in Los Angeles that became a gathering place for Hollywood stars.

Engstead continued to photograph movie stars and other celebrities through the 1960s. He produced promotional material for many television personalities, including Pat Boone, Carmel Quinn, Donna Reed, Ozzie and Harriet, Eve Arden, and Lucille Ball. He also shot cover photos for albums recorded by singers such as Peggy Lee and Connie Francis, as well as society portraits. Engstead closed his studio in 1970 and continued to accept special portraiture and television assignments until his death in 1984 at age 72.