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Bowie
At the very apex of David Bowie's spectacular rise to rock n' roll fame and glory, photographer Steve Schapiro seized a rare invitation from Bowie's manager for a private photo session with the pop star in Los Angeles in 1974.
Bowie, by 1974, was a man of many faces and as many albums, had already lived the life of Ziggy Stardust and launched Alladin Sane with albums Pin Ups and Diamond Dogs soon to come. A musical force to be reckoned with, Bowie was also widely regarded as a fashion icon, pushing the envelope of sexuality and style and having created an internationally renowned persona.
The mostly never-before-published images in Schapiro's rare collection represent Bowie at his most creative and inspired self and present a glimpse into the intimacy that Schapiro and Bowie shared during their time together. As Schapiro tells it: "From the moment Bowie arrived, we seemed to hit it off. Incredibly intelligent, calm, and filled with ideas, he talked a lot about Alistair Crowley whose esoteric writings he was heavily into at the time. When David heard that I had photographed Buster Keaton, one of his greatest heroes, we instantly became friends."
The first photo session started at four in the afternoon and went through the night till dawn. Bowie went through countless costume changes, each more incredible than the last and each seemed to turn him into a totally different person. Bowie relentlessly created these unique characters, each seemingly alive in their own charismatic space for Schapiro to create visual images to complement their very existence and turn them into iconic images for all time.
Bowie and Schapiro kidded and laughed about shooting a series of close-up portraits on a putrid green background because they felt it was the worst possible background color for a magazine, and so they did on this lark - with the image eventually becoming a People magazine cover.
The last image they made was at four in the morning to wrap up the marathon session when they went outside to shoot Bowie on his motorcycle - the sun hadn't yet risen and the shot was lit dramatically by only the headlights of a car. This image remains one of Schapiro's favorites of all time and is certain to live on in posterity.
Bowie, by 1974, was a man of many faces and as many albums, had already lived the life of Ziggy Stardust and launched Alladin Sane with albums Pin Ups and Diamond Dogs soon to come. A musical force to be reckoned with, Bowie was also widely regarded as a fashion icon, pushing the envelope of sexuality and style and having created an internationally renowned persona.
The mostly never-before-published images in Schapiro's rare collection represent Bowie at his most creative and inspired self and present a glimpse into the intimacy that Schapiro and Bowie shared during their time together. As Schapiro tells it: "From the moment Bowie arrived, we seemed to hit it off. Incredibly intelligent, calm, and filled with ideas, he talked a lot about Alistair Crowley whose esoteric writings he was heavily into at the time. When David heard that I had photographed Buster Keaton, one of his greatest heroes, we instantly became friends."
The first photo session started at four in the afternoon and went through the night till dawn. Bowie went through countless costume changes, each more incredible than the last and each seemed to turn him into a totally different person. Bowie relentlessly created these unique characters, each seemingly alive in their own charismatic space for Schapiro to create visual images to complement their very existence and turn them into iconic images for all time.
Bowie and Schapiro kidded and laughed about shooting a series of close-up portraits on a putrid green background because they felt it was the worst possible background color for a magazine, and so they did on this lark - with the image eventually becoming a People magazine cover.
The last image they made was at four in the morning to wrap up the marathon session when they went outside to shoot Bowie on his motorcycle - the sun hadn't yet risen and the shot was lit dramatically by only the headlights of a car. This image remains one of Schapiro's favorites of all time and is certain to live on in posterity.
104 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 26, 2021
Extraordinary photographs of David Bowie. A must see for fans.
September 27, 2021
Most of these photographs came from a fabled all night 1974 photo shoot session, a kind of collaboration between famous journalistic photographer Steve Schapiro and musician of multiple disguises David Bowie, though there were other sessions represented here, and Schapiro was to photograph him many times over the years. Schapiro got to meet Bowie because the latter saw that he had taken pictures of Buster Keaton, and Bowie was a fan of Keaton. Schapiro was to photograph many celebrities over his career, but he was known for being the key photographer of Bowie, among other things.
I happen to be a friend of Schapiro's son, and in a random conversation that touched on many subjects, I mentioned my admiration for a late Bowie album, and he told me of his Dad's work.
Here's a bunch of the images:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5...
I happen to be a friend of Schapiro's son, and in a random conversation that touched on many subjects, I mentioned my admiration for a late Bowie album, and he told me of his Dad's work.
Here's a bunch of the images:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C5...
April 8, 2024
Now there’s no shortage of lazy Bowie cash-ins out there and this is a fine example. This is very thin on quality and even thinner on material. If it was a Bowie audio re-release, it would be the album equivalent of the third disc with all the demos and other crap that you listen to once before consigning to the charity shop/recycle bin/bin.
Like millions of others, I remain a huge fan (insert another random spiel about how he soundtracked my life and blah blah blah), and yes some of these images are interesting but I found nothing striking, memorable or distinctive to merit their inclusion in such a book. The text appears to be confined to short forewords and afterwords by some of the creatives involved or on the periphery, but there's little in the way of insight or interest and I would say this is more for completists or obsessives.
November 13, 2016
First of all I am unabashedly a huge fan of Bowie and knew that I had to have this volume for my collection.
Many of the photographs I have never seen before; rare for me as a fan now for 30 years. These black and whites reach a candid, introverted Bowie, less the made-up mid-performance man.
I love this book because it is of a specific time, 70s Bowie, one of my favourite incarnations.
Whether you are an old time fan or just discovering him, his quiet beauty and genius is captured here.
Many of the photographs I have never seen before; rare for me as a fan now for 30 years. These black and whites reach a candid, introverted Bowie, less the made-up mid-performance man.
I love this book because it is of a specific time, 70s Bowie, one of my favourite incarnations.
Whether you are an old time fan or just discovering him, his quiet beauty and genius is captured here.
December 5, 2016
I am a massive David Bowie fan, as I know many people out there are. That said, I am clearly biased. That said, my bias doesn't seem to matter when there are many rare and previously unreleased photographs in this book that I, a massive David Bowie fan and record store employee, have never seen before. There isn't much writing, but that is to be expected of a photography book. It's a beautiful, beautiful edition, and a must have for all the massive fans out there.
March 24, 2017
Like most photography books, this collection by Schapiro was a bit of a random conglomeration of images that he has taken of David Bowie over the years; some are absolutely fantastic, but some (especially in the longer series) are a bit of a miss. Having the longer series of shots included is useful though, since they often showed the progression of a photoshoot towards that perfect shot where many options have to be tried out before a final product is realized. In some cases I felt like Schapiro was aided by his subject matter - Bowie is an incredible looking human being who has unique features to work with, and his creativity in costume and set (because let’s be honest, most of these were not orchestrated by the photographer) is unparalleled - but that doesn’t really take away from the beautiful images that were created by this partnership.
September 15, 2022
Steve Schapiro captures images of Bowie during his most psychically confused period. His frame and mind wasting away while trying to discover meaning as he adjusts to modern America, looking like an otherworldly cosmic vampire.
April 26, 2017
Although I may not agree with every word of the interpretation of Black Star, I certainly appreciate the insight of the photographer who captured some of the original inspirations therein. Also, Schapiro's text is fairly humble and easy to read and the recounting of his personal experiences are also welcome.
The images are what you're really here for and, well, they speak for themselves; an excellent selection and certainly some of my favorite work. It's nice to see the grain in older photos, the simple "flaws" of a real (though extraordinary) human face. It was also good to see limited edition items from the album Black Star if one hadn't already invested in it themselves. I've read a lot about this artist, but there were still a few facts I hadn't heard before and enjoyed knowing. If you collect Bowie's work, this would definitely be a book for your collection. If you aren't that familiar with the rock star...this could serve well to pique your interest -- enough of a comprehensive taste from specific iconic periods to whet the appetite (particularly beyond Ziggy Stardust).
A retrospective book that is like a ouroboros a -- accidently modern due to the various circumstances of life -- both Bowie's and our own; a universe feasting upon itself.
The images are what you're really here for and, well, they speak for themselves; an excellent selection and certainly some of my favorite work. It's nice to see the grain in older photos, the simple "flaws" of a real (though extraordinary) human face. It was also good to see limited edition items from the album Black Star if one hadn't already invested in it themselves. I've read a lot about this artist, but there were still a few facts I hadn't heard before and enjoyed knowing. If you collect Bowie's work, this would definitely be a book for your collection. If you aren't that familiar with the rock star...this could serve well to pique your interest -- enough of a comprehensive taste from specific iconic periods to whet the appetite (particularly beyond Ziggy Stardust).
A retrospective book that is like a ouroboros a -- accidently modern due to the various circumstances of life -- both Bowie's and our own; a universe feasting upon itself.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews