Photographers
Punk was an intensely visual experience with its provocative fashion and look allied to the music counterpointing culture and as such lent itself perfectly to the medium of photography. It was also possibly the first and last youth movement where its followers were as photogenic as the bands and in the initial stages received equal prominence.
This site uses images from all the photographers below without gain and in its enthusiasm often with assumed permission and for that I apologise profusely and hope you recognise the spirit this site is intended. I've got some work to be able to credit all the photos added over 21 years so please bear with me. If you are adamant you want images removed I will comply!
The following is to acknowledge this and to recognise their part in the rise of punk rock and if you are researching photos to use will give you an idea where to get them from.
Adrian Boot
Adrian Boot photos featured in all the music papers but his iconic shots of the Sex Pistols with Rotten as a ted are classics.
Bob Gruen
Bob Gruen was another right place right time, not only capturing the early New York punk scene but also the early Sex Pistols & friends.
Dennis Morris
Dennis Morris was a photographer, designer and singer with Basement 5 – worked for Island and was responsible for design for PIL.
Derek Ridgers
Derek Ridger’s photos of the punk era, though capturing the bands, also focussed on the fans who were often more interesting subjects.
Erica Echenberg
Erica Echenberg was a UK music photographer and girlfriend of The Damned’s Brian James who took great Punk pictures in the late seventies.
Ian Dickson
Ian Dickson photos featured in Sounds and he captured all the punk bands as well as managing The Maniacs
Jill Furmanovsky
Jill Furmanovsky in punk supplied pictures to fanzine Sniffin’ Glue and for record covers for Mile’s Copeland’s labels like Step Forward. She also did cover design like Chelsea’s’ Right To Work’.
Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer was an amateur photographer who ran the fanzine Panache. His shots were from the tumult in the crowd but often captured that magic moment.
Pennie Smith
Pennie Smith is best known for two iconic punk covers – The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ and The Slits ‘Cut.’
Ray Stevenson
Ray Stevenson was in the right time and right place to capture the emerging Sex Pistols and friends and some classic iconic shots.
Roberta Bayley
Roberta Bayley is a New York photographer who captured the early punk scene with iconic shots like The Heartbreakers & Richard Hell and did the first Ramones album cover.
Sheila Rock
Sheila Rock captured the fashions and bands and fans of the punk rock era even photographing the infamous Moors Murderers.