Born in 1947, Michael Putland (1947-2019) grew up in Harrow, London, taking his first photographs at the age of nine before leaving school at sixteen to work as a photography assistant. During this period Putland trained under esteemed Time-Life photographer Walter Curtain, and the legendary motor racing photographer Louis Klemantaski.
In 1969, Putland set up his own studio and by 1971, he was the official staff photographer for the British music magazine Disc & Music Echo. Photographing Mick Jagger in London as his first assignment and Putland’s 1973 tour with The Rolling Stones cemented a long-standing working relationship. This was his first tour with the band. Putland went on to capture them in candid moments throughout the decades.
Employed by, amongst others, Disc & Music Echo, Sounds, and the later Smash Hits and Q Magazine, Putland also shot prodigiously for major record labels including: CBS, Warner, Elektra, Polydor, Columbia Records and EMI. Relocating to New York in 1977, it was here that Michael founded the respected photo agency, Retna.
“It has been a fantastic ride through an incredible period of music history, which combined my two great loves: music and photography. Little did I appreciate, when my Uncle Alan encouraged my photography back in the 1950s, that this would lead me to photographing nearly all of my heroes and thrilled to be still finding new ones. A great never ending journey.”—Michael Putland
It has been rumoured Putland photographed everyone from Abba to Zappa, but upon exploring his archive this is astoundingly close to the truth. He was the man who it is said ‘never took a day off in the 70s.’ Photographing iconic figures ranging from Leonard Cohen to Queen, Putland’s dedicated work ethic and keen eye for the perfect shot has resulted in an incredible extensive body of work.
