After World War II，Life's motto became，“To see Life；see the world.”
《生活》使用配圖文章的法則
In The Magazine in America，1741-1990，one of the most meticulous and important studies of the history of U.S.magazines，authors John Tebbel and Mary Ellen Zucherman refer in chapter 17 to Life's formula：
“The picture essay was a new and different method of communication，one which took first place in the nation's visual life until the coming of television.Editors learned that pictures could be used in several ways.They could stand by themselves or be used with captions and texts in various combinations，with the text subordinate.The point of photojournalism was to communicate，the photograph not necessarily being used for itself alone...In Life，according to Stephen Heller，the picture story was described as an“act”，a reference borrowed，no doubt，from the theater.It implied that the magazine was a stage.And so it was...Life went even further than the European journals to institutionalize the photographic essay by allowing greater page runs...Life responded well to the needs of 20th century men and women for concise visual information...”
《生活》選擇圖片的原則與理念
1.Group journalism.All the professionals who had their initiation at Time magazine were well accustomed to its particular sort of teamwork.
2.Condensed style.Also characteristic of the Time system，and of the mindset of those who had worked there，was the emphasis on a condensed news format.
3.Documentary approach.The favored work style was that of Roy Stryker，who had been director of documentary photography for the Farm Security Administration.Stryker believed that，before going out on a shoot，photographers should immerse themselves in the subject so they could understand the people or events they were photographing.