MICHAEL PUTLAND: A LIFE IN MUSIC – 50 YEARS ON THE ROAD
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"MY TALENT ISN'T TECHNICAL, IF ANYTHING IT’S CAPTURING THE REAL PERSON" – MICHAEL PUTLAND
Getty Images Gallery is presenting an extensive array of Putland’s captivating and candid shots, a well-deserved celebration of an illustrious career. Photographer Michael Putland is someone who it seems was always there, capturing stars on-stage and off in their most confident and vulnerable moments.
Born in 1947 just outside London, Putland left school at 16 opting for a job as a photographer’s assistant over formal study. By 1971, he was the official photographer for the British music magazine Disc & Music Echo.
His first assignment ever was to shoot Mick Jagger, and as a Stones fan he couldn’t believe his luck. His picture made the front cover, and from then on there was no looking back. In 1973, he was asked to accompany the Stones on their tour – probably the defining moment of his career.
He relocated to New York in 1977, had his own studio and founded his own agency Retina.
Levelling on his career, Putland says: “It has been an incredible ride through an incredible period of musical history, which combined my two great loves…music and photography.”
Michael Putland: A Life in Music – 50 years on the Road runs from 22 October-22 November Getty Images Gallery, 46 Eastcastle Street, W1W 8DX
text by Irene Pazzanese