Michael Putland
May 27, 1947 - November 18, 2019
It has often been suggested that Michael Putland did not have a single day off during the 1970s. As one of the decade’s most successful, popular and ubiquitous music photographers, with an archive that runs from ABBA to Zappa and just about everything in between, it’s easy to see why such an opinion could be true.
Born in Harrow, just outside of London, Putland picked up his first camera at the age of nine. After leaving school he began work at a photographic studio, and eventually became a regular contributor to Disc & Music Echo. After being hired as the official photographer for the Rolling Stones’ 1973 tour, he never looked back, and went on to take iconic photos of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Elton
John, The Beatles, Marc Bolan, The Who, Yes, Pink Floyd, Traffic, Patti Smith, Blondie and John Lennon and countless others. His photos adorned the covers of High Voltage by AC/DC, Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert and Son Of Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson.
During a spell living in New York, in 1977 he co-founded the picture agency Retna.
In 2014 Putland said: “My style was always more photojournalistic; I didn’t want to do glossy. My talent isn’t technical, if anything it’s capturing the real person.”
He died peacefully at home in the UK after a short illness, aged 72. The Music I Saw, an exhibition of his work, runs at the Lucy Bell Gallery in Hastings until January 16. For details go to www.lucy-bell.com or call 01424 434 828.