Capturing the essence of an era that defined a generation

Transmission 240: Interview with Gered Mankowitz

Rock ‘n’ roll culture was defined by the iconic imagery of renowned photographer Gered W. Mankowitz. He grew up in a creative household; his mother Ann was a Jungian psychologist, and his father was writer and playwright Wolf Mankowitz. He became passionate about photography at a young age and displayed an innate talent. He was swiftly discovered while on a field trip to Holland, and his first professional introduction to the visual arts came when photographer Tom Blau offered him an apprenticeship at London’s Camera Press Ltd. By 1962, while he was just in his teens, he was working as a professional photographer in Barbados, documenting everything from aircraft events to architectural vistas. Before joining London portraitist Jeff Vickers and refining his photographic style, he returned to Europe and briefly studied fashion in Paris.

He opened his own studio at the end of 1963 in 9 Mason’s Yard, which is located in the center of Swinging London, between the Indica Gallery and the storied Scotch of St. James club. He took pictures of Chad & Jeremy and Marianne Faithfull here, before being introduced to Andrew Loog Oldham and recruited by The Rolling Stones for a tour. and became their official photographer, contributing to the visual identity of albums like Out of Our Heads, Between the Buttons, and Got Live If You Want It! His portraits of Jimi Hendrix from 1967 are among the most remembered evoking Hendrix’s enigmatic spirit. He created iconic memories in our mind  defining the shape including Free, Traffic, The Yardbirds, Slade, Elton John, Kate Bush, Eurythmics, ABC, Duran Duran and many others, his lens documenting the evolution of modern music. His artwork was shown at the Photographers’ Gallery in London in 1982, drawing more than 16,000 people and starting a two-year UK tour.

Over the course of the following 22 years, he worked out of his studio in a converted Victorian chapel in North London, creating award-winning advertising campaigns and contributing to prominent magazines such as Mojo and The Sunday Times Magazine. He also continued to photograph well-known musical acts like Oasis, The Verve, Snow Patrol, and Buena Vista Social Club. He’s authored several photographic books, including “The Stones 65–67, The Experience: Jimi Hendrix at Mason’s Yard, and 50 Years of Rock and Roll Photography. His work has appeared in major exhibitions worldwide, such as the “Icons of Pop” at London’s National Portrait Gallery. His work remains vital in understanding the visual history of 20th-century music.

Gered W. Mankowitz‘ official site | Instagram | Facebook

When you look through the lens, what tells you that it’s “the moment” to capture: instinct, experience, or something else entirely? What keeps you curious behind the camera after all these years?

I think it is both instinct and experience as well as always being open to spontaneity! As far as portraiture is concerned, I think my curiosity peaked some time ago and now my photographic focus is purely a personal experience with the hope that someone, somewhere might be interested in what I am seeing!

Has your view of fame and artistic legacy changed after decades of photographing legends who were once just starting out?

I always tried to keep “fame” out of the equation as much as possible, and “artistic legacy” was never even considered. I think I was always happiest when my subjects were relatively unknown and the collaboration of creating an image was fresh.

His initial interest in photography was inspired by the great actor Peter Sellers. He was a friend of his fathers and he came to the family home for Sunday lunch in the summer of 1958 when he was about twelve

Do you believe that photography can reveal something about a person that they themselves may not be aware of?

I suppose that as the photographer I might bring an objectivity that could surprise a subject, but I have never thought about my work as being particularly revealing.

How has your approach to lighting and composition evolved since the early days of shooting on film? What role does imperfection play in your work, have there been “mistakes” that became masterpieces?

Inevitably you are learning all the time, and the youthful and unsophisticated photographer is endlessly being updated by experience, but I have always tried to capture a “feeling” and not get too wrapped up in either perfection or technical purity, remain open to spontaneity, embrace mistakes and claim them as your own!

When working with analog cameras, you had to trust the moment without instant feedback. Do you think digital photography has made us more or less present as artists?

For my first 15 years or so one had to trust the moment completely and engender a trust with your subject which became a sort of bond between you as you continued to work together. By 1975 we had Polaroid which changed everything and allowed the subject more direct involvement, and the process became more collaborative. Although I embraced Digital, first and foremost as a post-production tool in the 90s, and then subsequently for origination, I have never really worked with Digital in any depth professionally and there is a great deal about the process that I don’t care for or enjoy, so, for me it makes me less present at the time of shooting but more involved in post-production. On the rare occasions when I do shoot now, I try to work exactly as I did with film, an Analogue pace in a Digital space, and see the post-production as a luxurious darkroom!

Your sessions with Hendrix produced some of the most enduring images of him. Did you sense you were capturing history in the making, or did it feel like just another day at the time? Can you share with us some anecdotes of that period?

I never thought that I was capturing history, but Jimi was very special, and I wanted to do my very best for him. It was “just another session” but one felt that Jimi was going to be successful, we just didn’t know the scale………………………..

How do you balance capturing an artist’s public persona with revealing their more private, human side? Was there ever an artist you worked with who challenged your perception of what it meant to be a “rock star”?

I think you always hope that the stage persona is directly linked to the human behind the “mask”, otherwise I’m not sure that the image can evolve successfully. Even with an outrageous image like those portrayed during the Glam Rock period the “look” is always representative of the person under the make-up somehow. I don’t think I ever had a single perception of what a rock-star is – they are all musicians to me, and my job is to try and come up with an image that will help promote their music.

From a teenage apprentice to the chronicler of rock legends, Gered Mankowitz’s uncompromising and intimate photographic style captured the essence of cultural icons

You’ve captured artists at pivotal moments in their careers. Did you ever sense the trajectory of their fame or influence while photographing them? In what ways do you think the cultural role of the music photographer has changed since the 1960s?

Of course, with artists who I worked with extensively over a period of years their fame and influence played a big part with how their image evolved and developed and we became increasingly collaborative in how that was presented. I have never considered myself having a cultural role………………………I am a professional photographer who happens to work with musicians!

Do you ever revisit your old contact sheets, and if so, do you see them differently now than when you first shot them? Has any photograph you’ve taken ever haunted you, in a good or bad way?

Because of books and exhibitions, I am continuously looking at old contact sheets and discovering lost or hardly seen images that have new meaning and value as time passes, images that were passed over 50 years ago suddenly have new meaning now because of numerous changes in perception.

I am not sure if I would use the word “haunted” but many of my images have a life of their own, and that has to be a blessing of one sort or another!

He helped to create and popularize the Rock star look

Your archive must hold a treasure trove of unseen images. Are there any “lost” sessions or photographs that you feel deserve more attention or offer a different perspective on a well-known artist?

I recently revisited all my Stones contact sheets under considerable pressure by a publisher who was far more convinced than I was that I had another stones book hidden away, but after months of searching we came up with The Rolling Stones Rare & Unseen and it’s a book I am extremely proud of.

How do you feel your work has contributed to the visual history of music and the way we remember these iconic artists? Looking back at your extensive body of work, are there any particular images or projects that hold a special significance for you personally?

My work with Marianne Faithfull, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, PP Arnold, the Small Faces, Dana Gillespie, Suzi Quatro, Slade, Kate Bush, Annie Lennox & Eurythmics plus many more all hold a special place in my heart and soul and have a life and energy that seems to fascinate a lot of people today, and I am forever grateful that I had the chance to work with them.

Photos courtesy of Gered W. Mankowitz
A special thanks to Iconic Images Gallery

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.