Music photographer Henry Diltz shot more than 250 album covers and thousands of publicity shots in the ‘60s and ‘70s, including the iconic Morrison Hotel cover for The Doors.
Known for his fly-on-the-wall-style portraits, Diltz has shot other musical legends including the Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, America, Steppenwolf, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, The Monkees and David Cassidy. He was the official photographer at the Woodstock festival in August 1969, and Diltz’s work has also appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, LIFE, People, Rolling Stone, High Times and Billboard.
A popular musician in the 1960s himself, Diltz’s career, taking some of the most iconic photographs of our era, just happened. After a globetrotting childhood, he attended colleges in Munich, West Point and Honolulu, where he became known as a musician and founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet. When Phil Spector produced one of the group’s last singles, this led to many friendships with emerging recording artists in the California rock communities of the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Immersed in this world, Diltz discovered a passion for photography, which turned into an obsession and, later, an occupation. His gift did not go unnoticed by musician-friends, whom Diltz documented as he hung out in the scene.
“I only wanted to remember exactly what I saw,” he says. “It was all about capturing images and moments, filling the frame with the essence of what I saw.”
Diltz’s professional career began with the serendipitous sale of a single shot of Buffalo Springfield in 1966. Through a memorable six-year partnership with design legend Gary Burden, the list of album covers and artists he shot grew to read like a “Who’s Who” of rock ‘n’ roll history. Musicians liked him for the natural quality of his photos and because he was not part of the “establishment” press. His work graced magazines like Rolling Stone and included a LIFE cover of Paul and Linda McCartney in April 1971.
Diltz’s photos are distinguished by a lyrical sense of composition that actor Harrison Ford once referred to as “Henry’s framing Jones.” There’s an intuitive, naturalistic luminosity that only available light — which he prefers — can deliver. Whether working with conventional film or digital images, he always finds the perfect balance of illumination, color and reportage.
Diltz and his images are such fixtures in rock culture that he is often interviewed for books, articles and documentaries about the era and speaks regularly on college campuses. He continues to document the music scene from his base in Southern California today.
“I am amazed at the accumulation of images that has resulted, simply by doing what I love to do, day after day after day,” says Diltz. “It’s a result of being with countless people over the years, waiting at the sidelines for the moment to happen. Photography has been my passport, and I have arrived in the present, where I have always been, camera in hand. There! That says it best for me!”
Find original Henry Diltz photography on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Rosenbaum Contemporary)
Neil Young
By Henry Diltz
Located in Mount Pleasant, SC
"Henry Diltz and Neil Young were walking around his ranch one morning and stopped in one of his little barns to look at some guitars. Neil's little dog, Harte followed. It looked so ...
Archival Pigment
Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood
By Henry Diltz
Located in Mount Pleasant, SC
Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on the lear jet in 1979 during the New Barbarians tour. Signed and titled by Henry Diltz
Silver Gelatin
Paul and Linda McCartney
By Henry Diltz
Located in Missouri, MO
Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971 Henry Diltz (American, b. 1938) Photo Print Laid to Foamcore Board 17 x 11 inches (image) 20 x 16 inches (overall) Hand-signed Lower Right Titled and D...
Photographic Film, Color
"Kurt Cobain, Nirvana" 1993 framed photograph by Henry Diltz
By Henry Diltz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Kurt Cobain, Nirvana" 1993 photograph shot at Los Angeles Forum in California by photographer Henry Diltz. This framed photograph was previously displayed in a guest room of the ori...
Photographic Paper
Crosby, Stills and Nash
By Henry Diltz
Located in Mount Pleasant, SC
"The photo on the cover of Crosby, Stills & Nash debut album released in 1969 on Atlantic Records that launched them into stardom. We found an old couch in front of an abandoned ...
Archival Pigment
"Keith Richards, Midwest Airport, 1979" framed photograph by Henry Diltz
By Henry Diltz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Keith Richards, Midwest Airport, 1979" black and white photograph by Henry Diltz. Image size: 21 3/4 x 16 inches. This framed photograph was previously displayed in a guest room of ...
Photographic Paper
"Crosby, Stills & Nash Album Cover Outtake" framed photograph by Henry Diltz
By Henry Diltz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Outtake photo from 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash album cover photo session in West Hollywood, California, by photographer Henry Diltz. Depicts David Crosby, ...
Photographic Paper
"Kurt Cobain, Nirvana" 1993 framed photograph by Henry Diltz
By Henry Diltz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Kurt Cobain, Nirvana" 1993 photograph shot at Los Angeles Forum in California by photographer Henry Diltz. This framed photograph was previously displayed in a guest room...
Photographic Paper
Tania Mallet in the Bahamas (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
1961: Actress Tania Mallet relaxes on a red-curtained four poster in Eleuthera, in the Bahamas. She is best known for her role as the unfortunate Tilly Masterson in the Bond film 'Go...
Lambda
RFK and Ethel Kennedy Campaigning in Indiana, Color Photograph, 1968
By Burt Glinn
Located in New york, NY
Robert Kennedy (RFK) and his wife Ethel Kennedy, campaigning in a small town in Indiana USA in 1968 is a color photograph, 16” x 24,” an archival pigment...
Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Photographic Film, Archival Pigment
$1,850
H 13 in W 19 in
Portrait Fernando Botero, Color Photograph, 13x19, Limited Edition of 5, Signed
By Jean-Michel Voge
Located in New york, NY
Fernando Botero in his Studio, Paris, 1992 by Jean-Michel Voge is a 13" x 19" archival pigment print in an edition of 5, printed by the photographer on handmade Japanese Awagami pape...
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Arc...
"The Long Vacation"
Located in Astoria, NY
Lawrence Siskind (American, XX-XXI), "The Long Vacation, Varanasi, India", Gelatin Silver Print, signed verso and inscribed to the reverse, unframed. Image: 6" H x 9.25" W; mat: 11"...
Silver Gelatin
Sarah's BBQ, Fourth of July
By Melissa Incampo
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition 1 of 21. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is p...
Silver Gelatin
$302
H 5.12 in W 7.09 in D 0.04 in
The Royal Family Visits the Vatican - Vintage Photograph - 1959
Located in Roma, IT
Royal Visit to the Vatican is a black and white vintage photo, realized in April 1959. The photo depicts an official moment of the English Crown. The Queen Mother Elizabeth, the Pr...
Photographic Paper
Untitled from "Pia"
By Christopher Anderson
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes free shipping in the US and a 14-day return policy. All prints are made to order and will arrive in mint condition directly from Christopher Anderson...
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital P...
"Pensacola", 1992
By Michael McLaughlin
Located in Hudson, NY
American, architecture, trees, urban, black and white, Florida, text, romance, sign, Americana, blur, rural, palm trees, surrealist, blur, blurry, landscape, american, photography, black & white, b&w, film photography, architecture, landmark, vignette, nostalgia A surrealist, blurred landscape...
Silver Gelatin
$6,000
H 43 in W 29 in
Groovy Portrait. Hippy at Psychedelic Head Shop St. Mark's Place, East Village
By Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Groovy portrait of a hippy in from of a Head Shop in St. Mark's Places, East Village. In the 1970s, color photography was still not recognized as fine art. As a street photographer, ...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$3,895
H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Tennis in The Bahamas, 1957 - Tennis Players Socialise after Tennis Match in Sun
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Tennis in The Bahamas, 1957 - Tennis Players Socialise after Tennis Match in Sun by Slim Aarons 16 x 16" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
$3,895
H 16 in W 20 in D 0.1 in
Monaco Grand Prix, 1973 - Monaco Grand Prix Formula One James Hunt
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Monaco Grand Prix, 1973 - Monaco Grand Prix Formula One James Hunt by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. 'Monaco Grand Prix' is a beautiful Limited Edition Estate Stamped Digital C-Type print from 20th Century photographer Slim Aarons. A unique view from the driver's height of Formula One Grand Prix...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Hitchcock
By Ted Adams
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 25. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. Ted Adams’ first solo show at the Robin Rice Gallery juxtaposes surrealism with the documentary art form. What differentiates Mr. Adams’ work from traditional photojournalism is his keen eye for capturing the irony in the events that unfold before our eyes. It is the found objects in everyday life to which Adams is most attuned. He creates a subtle mood and visual mystery that conveys meaning not only from the image itself but also through imagining what exists just beyond the frame. "I see photography as a way of cropping the world—selectively taking things out of context—which often results in stripping the meaning out of the original subject matter, or at least making the image open to interpretation. It’s the opposite of traditional photojournalism whose intention is to create ‘narrative’ and context rather than discard them." While he has exhibited artistic photography in a variety of genres, in the past five years he turned his artistic eye inward to reflect a more autobiographical tone. While some people compare his work to that of Robert Frank, Adams finds himself more and more influenced by Larry Clark whose career was built on pictures drawn from his own life and drug-addled friends rather than a specific documentary mission. The unique presentation of this collection of twenty-three silver gelatin prints enhances the voyeuristic sensibility of Mr. Adams’ work. Each photograph is jewel box in size, measuring 4" x 6" to invite the viewer in to make an intimate appraisal. The craftsmanship of the wide, dark wood frames hearkens back to late 19th-century Shaker design—yet the aesthetic is boldly contemporary, providing a strong backdrop to draw the viewer’s gaze directly to the subject matter. This artisanship extends to the printing where Adams exhibits his skills in traditional darkroom processes. He shoots mostly with Leica and Nikon 35mm film cameras...
Silver Gelatin
Janis Joplin
By Henry Diltz
Located in Mount Pleasant, SC
Janis Joplin performing at Woodstock. 1969. Taken by the legendary photographer Henry Diltz Signed by photographer
Archival Pigment
The Doors "Pot".
By Henry Diltz
Located in Mount Pleasant, SC
The Doors on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles, CA. Taken by the legendary photographer Henry Diltz Signed and numbered by photographer
Silver Gelatin