Michael Putland was born in 1947 at Harrow-on-the-Hill near London. Encouraged by his uncle, he began shooting at age nine, and upon leaving school at sixteen he started work at a London studio where he assisted in advertising, fashion and architectural photography. After briefly assisting Time_/_Life photographer Walter Curtain, he decided to go out on his own, sharing a studio with two friends and eventually securing work with the music magazine ‘Disco & Music Echo’. His first assignment was Mick Jagger. He went on to photograph John Lennon and Elton John, among others, before moving to Sounds magazine and contributing photographs of the biggest names in music.

Michael relocated to New York in 1977, where he continued his record company and editorial assignments, shooting artists as diverse as Billy Joel, The Clash and The Bee Gees. Whilst in New York he founded the photo agency Retna and after returning to London in the early eighties, he opened the London branch and continued to shoot mainly musicians, including Madonna and George Michael.

2014 marked fifty years since Michael Putland started out on a career which has seen him witness music history in the making; photographing the faces that changed popular music, in an era when popular music was changing everything else.

The exhibition can be viewed when attending performances or on the following free open days:
Saturday 26 September 2015 – 10am – 4pm
Saturday 3 October 2015 – 10am – 4pm
Sunday 4 October 2015 – 10am – 4pm
Sunday 11 October 2015 – 10am – 4pm

In association with Getty Images Gallery.