Don Hunstein: Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo, New York, 1963
“I have photographed the famous
and the not so famous: business execs and athletes and especially musicians –
jazz, classical and pop. The resulting pictures have appeared on over 200 LP
and CD covers and on promotional flyers and press kits, in magazines and company
reports and advertising.”
--Don Hunstein
Don Hunstein’s iconic photographs
have become symbols of an era. In the history of music photography, Don’s work
during his 30 years at Columbia records is unsurpassed in its scope and
breadth. Through his subtle humor and quiet nature, he was able to record many
great moments in music history. He photographed the famous and the not so
famous. Hundreds of album covers and behind the scenes work. His photographs
documented a rare time when musicians spent time on their art, rather than
their publicity.
Don Hunstein grew up in St.
Louis, MO and attended Washington University, graduating in 1950 with a degree
in English. After college he enlisted in the US Air Force and was stationed in
Fairford, England, and assigned a desk job. It was this assignment that allowed
him to travel around Europe. He began photographing casually, taking pictures
to send home to his family, and then with the help of a Leica M3 purchased in
the PX, and inspired by a book of renowned street photographer Henri Cartier
Bresson’s work, his hobby began to take him on a lifelong path. After a year in
Fairford, Don was transferred to a base outside of London. There he
joined a local camera club and took evening classes at London’s Central School
of Art and Design, becoming influenced by the artists and designers whom he met
there.
He returned to the States in
1954, ending up in New York City, where he eventually landed an apprenticeship
in a commercial photography studio. There he honed his photography skills by
mastering large format cameras and lighting. At the time, photography
was, as Don put it: “ not a glamorous profession,” but he didn’t have a pull in
any other vocational direction and it satisfied his creative side. As chance
connections were made, he soon met and became mentored by Deborah Ishlon, who
worked in the publicity department at Columbia Records. She offered him a job
helping her run the photo library there and supplying prints to the press. As
he began to take his own photos for the company, they recognized his talent,
and he gradually worked his way into the position of Director of Photography
for CBS Records
Don’s most notable role was as
chief staff photographer for Columbia Records during its heyday in the realms
of rock and roll, jazz and classical music. Fortunately for Don, this was a
time when the company was under the direction of Goddard Lieberson, who thought
it important to document in photographs the cultural history of the music of
their time. So he had the opportunity to do far more than album covers and
publicity shots, covering their recording sessions and even visiting them on
their home turf. Don had the ability to listen with his camera.
Instinctively he understood that to capture artists at their best moments,
patience, trust and humility were needed. This ability to set both new
comers and experienced stars at ease in his presence is evident in his
photographs, which captured the intimate personal moments as well as the
quintessential portraits.
Don’s access to a broad range of
musicians, in a wide variety of musical styles, was unparalleled in the
photographic world. Over the course of his career at CBS, he shot hundreds of
album covers and documented the recording of many of the great albums in music
history.
We were tremendously fortunate to have known Don for many years, and send our condolences to DeeAnn and his family
