Legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz, who has captured some of the most iconic images in music history, is bringing his extraordinary collection of photographs and captivating stories to New England audiences. The 86-year-old photographer, known for climbing mountains with The Eagles, riding horseback with the band America, and sharing intimate moments with music legends like Neil Young, will present his "Legends in Focus: The Photography of Henry Diltz" show at Boston's Emerson College on August 14 at 7 p.m., with tickets priced at $60.
Diltz's journey into photography began almost accidentally in 1966. As a folk singer with the Modern Folk Quartet, he was touring in a Clark Cortez motorhome when the group stopped at a second-hand store in East Lansing, Michigan, following a performance at the University of Michigan. "Right inside the door was a table with little second-hand Japanese cameras, like 20 bucks," Diltz recalls. His bandmate Cyrus Faryar grabbed one without hesitation, and Diltz simply followed suit. "I was behind him, and just imitated him. Why not?" This spontaneous purchase would change the course of his life forever.
The transformation from folk singer to photographer happened during their two-week journey back to Los Angeles. Diltz photographed everything that caught his eye – cows in fields, a toilet with a flower growing out of it, and even captured his bass player's old cardboard case exploding with M-80 firecrackers in the desert. "The thing went boom! and flew 30 feet. I got a picture of it up in the air and him running away in the background," he laughs. When they returned to LA and developed what turned out to be slide film, Diltz organized his first slideshow for friends including Mama Cass and Stephen Stills.
Living in the 1960s California music mecca of Laurel Canyon, Diltz became what he describes as "a tiger in the bushes" – quietly observing and capturing candid moments without directing his subjects. This unobtrusive approach led to some of the most natural and memorable photographs in rock history. "I never get in anybody's face. I don't start walking in and clicking. I quietly observe and take a picture of a real thing happening," he explains. His philosophy as a photographer mirrors his Chinese zodiac animal: "Tigers are playful, sociable – but they're loners. They like to hide in the bushes and watch other animals."
Diltz's first major break came through Buffalo Springfield when Stephen Stills, whom he had met years earlier in New York City, invited him to a folk club in Redondo Beach. While initially planning to photograph beachgoers for his slideshow, Diltz ended up taking what would become Buffalo Springfield's publicity photos when he asked the band to stand in front of a large pink mural of a man riding a bicycle. This accidental beginning led to his first album cover work with The Lovin' Spoonful, when producer Erik Jacobsen invited him to New York for practice.
One of Diltz's most famous adventures occurred in 1972 during the creation of The Eagles' debut album cover. The band left Los Angeles at 2 a.m. after the bars closed and drove three hours into the California desert. "An Indian medicine man named Semu had given us peyote buttons. We were sucking on those as we climbed the mountain in the dark. We got to the top as the sun came up," Diltz recounts. This type of adventure became his signature approach – turning photo shoots into memorable experiences rather than sterile studio sessions.
Diltz's connection to Woodstock came through Massachusetts native Edward Herbert Beresford "Chip" Monck, a Wellesley-born lighting designer who had worked on the Newport Folk Festival. In late July 1969, Monck called from New York about a "huge concert" and convinced producer Michael Lang to hire Diltz as the official photographer. "He said, 'Chip says we need you. I'm sending you an airline ticket and $500.' Click. That was all he said," Diltz remembers. He spent two weeks at the site before the crowds arrived, documenting the preparation process.
His most memorable Woodstock moment came during Jimi Hendrix's performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at dawn on Monday morning. Initially puzzled by the choice – "We were all anti-war hippies. Peace and love. Certainly against the whole idea of going over to Vietnam and killing strangers" – Diltz realized as Hendrix added sound effects that the guitarist was "reclaiming" the national anthem. Standing next to Hendrix on stage during this historic performance remains one of his most treasured memories.
The photographer's work with Crosby, Stills & Nash resulted in one of rock's most iconic album covers, though it almost didn't happen. Originally intended as publicity shots, the three musicians spontaneously jumped onto an old couch they found during their photo session. When they decided to use the color image for their album cover, they realized they were seated in the wrong order – they had been called Stills, Nash & Crosby when the photo was taken but had since changed their name to Crosby, Stills & Nash. When they returned to reshoot, they discovered the house had been bulldozed for a parking lot, perfectly embodying Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi."
James Taylor's first album cover also emerged from an accidental moment. In 1969, producer Peter Asher called Diltz to photograph the young musician. Diltz found Taylor sitting on the floor finger-picking "Oh! Susanna" on guitar, creating what he describes as a "music box" sound. They moved to better lighting at a friend's commune, where Taylor naturally posed against a tall post. "He put his arms on the post. And it looked so good, the way he filled the frame," Diltz recalls. Peter Asher immediately recognized it as album cover material.
Throughout his career, Diltz has maintained strong friendships with his subjects, often visiting Neil Young's Broken Arrow Ranch for weekends of what he diplomatically calls "smoking God's herb" – now legal marijuana – while observing llamas and geese. One spontaneous barn visit resulted in a classic photograph of Young with a small farm dog in the doorway. Similarly, his neighbor Joni Mitchell needed publicity photos, and Diltz captured her naturally sitting in her front window, waiting for their arrival.
Beyond his famous album covers, Diltz has photographed virtually every major rock star of the 1960s and 1970s, including Paul and Linda McCartney, Brian Wilson, David Crosby, The Who, and Keith Richards. His approach remained consistent throughout – creating adventures rather than formal shoots. With the band America, he rode horses through the desert to find "a bubbling oasis with palm trees in the middle of the desert." For The Eagles' "Desperado" album, the band spent a day at an old Western movie set playing cowboys with real guns loaded with blanks, until fire engines arrived thinking the Santa Monica Mountains were ablaze from the gun smoke.
Diltz's philosophical approach to his career reflects his study of Indian spiritual texts, particularly influenced by gurus like Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Satchidananda Saraswati, who performed the morning wake-up ceremony at Woodstock. "I read the Indian gurus," he explains. "In 'The Golden Present,' [Satchidananda] says: 'We're all here to learn. But you should think of yourself as the only student, and everyone you meet is your teacher.'" This perspective has shaped how he views the remarkable coincidences that defined his career.
Recognition for Diltz's contributions to music history has grown in recent years. He received a Recording Academy Trustees Award during Grammy Week in 2023 and served as a Herb Alpert Scholar in Residence at Berklee College of Music in 2019 and 2020. However, his true passion remains the slideshow presentations that sparked his initial interest in photography 60 years ago. "I didn't become a photographer the moment I bought the camera – I became a photographer the moment I saw the first slide on the wall," he reflects.
New England audiences will have multiple opportunities to experience Diltz's work and stories. In addition to the main Boston presentation, there will be a free public gallery showing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 14. Adventure-seekers can also travel to King Pine Ski Area in Madison, New Hampshire, on August 16 for a barbecue dinner, meet-and-greet, and full show with cash bar for $85. At 86 years old and approaching his 87th birthday, Diltz continues to share his extraordinary journey, viewing his accidental career as perhaps part of his "divine plan here on Earth."
