The more good photographs you see of musicians, the better you'll understand the elements that define excellence. Here are some web sites worthy of your attention. If you know someone who should be listed here, please notify us by e-mail.
The godfather of contemporary music-business photography, Jim Marshall has forged a portfolio of memorable images that are burned into the consciousness of at least two generations of music fans. His site provides a good sampling of those images and the means for ordering fine art prints.
Zlo has been the Los Angeles hard rock/heavy metal photographer for almost three decades. His work has appeared in dozens of national and international publications. Check out his great gallery of '70s Guitar Gods.
Altman was Rolling Stone's second chief photographer (following Baron Wolman and preceding Annie Leibowitz). His site is loaded with fine images of musicians and cultural figures from the late '60s and early '70s.
Based in Chicago, Natkin has photographed nearly every musician or band worth covering in the Windy City in the past 20 years or so. His dynamic site contains dozens of rock, metal, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and country images.
Melzer is German, but you don't need to speak the language to appreciate his fine jazz and blues images. His imaginative site also includes animated stills, sound bites, and movie clips.
Based in Southern California, Avery started photographing jazz musicians in the early '50s, documenting the birth of West Coast jazz and the artists who defined the era. Over the past four decades he has covered nearly all of the world's major jazz festivals. This site offers many examples of his work.
The site of this Swedish photographer contains many excellent shots of rock and blues musicians from the '70s and '80s.
A pioneer with a style all his own, this talented Dutchman has produced some of the most powerful portraits of musicians ever seen. Among his subjects: David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, John Hiatt, Johnny Rotten, U2, Ry Cooder, Stevie Wonder, and Captain Beefheart-and they're just the tip of the iceberg.
This young Detroit-based shooter has amassed a remarkable catalog of contemporary rock musicians over the past decade. Her site includes dozens of examples.
Now based in New Orleans, Sinclair has been photographing contemporary jazz, blues, and rock musicians since the mid '60s. Her portfolio includes John Lennon, Miles Davis, The Who, Prince, the MC5, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane.
Clinch, a New Yorker, tends to take a documentary approach in his remarkable black & white portraits. His site contains some wonderful examples of his work with artists such as P.J. Harvey, Perry Farrell, Tupac Shakur, Smashing Pumpkins, Eddie Vedder, Heavy D, Razorfish, and Beck.
This Norwegian shooter has been photographing musicians since 1976. His online portfolio includes shots of Joan Baez, the Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Annie Lennox, Frank Zappa, and dozens more.