(FORTUNE Magazine) – To say Howard Stein, CEO of mutual fund giant Dreyfus, likes things in black and white has nothing to do with his job. But it has lots to do with his new hobby: still photography. ''I had a darkroom when I was a boy,'' says Stein. ''So maybe this is a return to childhood.'' That childhood wasn't your typical CEO's. Raised in New York City upstairs from the Stage Delicatessen, Stein, 66, studied violin at Juilliard but dropped out after recognizing that he was no Jascha Heifetz. He worked on a loading dock in Queens until 1953, when he landed on Wall Street and made a name as a growth-stock picker (one winner: Polaroid). Twelve years later he became CEO of Dreyfus, which now has $85 billion in assets. In 1968, Stein took a break from brokering to join Eugene McCarthy's presidential campaign as national finance chairman. What renewed Stein's interest in snapping pictures? Several years ago Dreyfus started a collection of historic prints and photographs, including works by Walker Evans and Alfred Stieglitz. ''Those pictures are full of energy and history,'' says Stein. ''They really inspired me.'' He specializes in close-ups and portraits. One recent subject: his old pal McCarthy.