The year: 1960. The place: the Kaiserkeller bar in Hamburg, Germany. At only 22 years old, budding photographer Astrid Kircherr has just discovered what would become one of the biggest bands the world has ever seen — The Beatles. And she has already decided she wants to do nothing else but follow them wherever they go.
In the new photography book Astrid Kircherr: A Retrospective, music fans and photo junkies alike are given a black-and-white tour through the hectic career of The Beatles’ first photographer. With her old Rolleicord camera, Kircherr captured some of the most iconic images of the Fab Four during their time in Germany in the early ’60s.
While studying as an assistant to photographer Reinhard Wolf, Kircherr asked the young band (who had yet to meet future-drummer Ringo Starr) if they wanted their pictures taken.
They jumped at the chance.
The resulting photos show The Beatles as young men on the cusp of superstardom — shadowy, pensive shots of the brooding musicians with their greaser, James Dean-esque haircuts and tight leather pants. It was Kirchnerr who is said to have most influenced the band’s switch to their famous moptop look.
Later, in 1964, Kirchnerr would travel to London to shoot behind-the-scenes photographs of the band’s film, A Hard Day’s Night. The new book includes prints of these shots, as well as candid images of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, at home.
By the mid-’60s of course the band had become, in Lennon’s words, more popular than Jesus — a fact that Kirchnerr says pushed her out of photography.
“Every magazine and newspaper wanted me to photograph The Beatles again,” she recalled later. “Or they wanted my old stuff, even if it was out of focus, whether they were nice or not. They wouldn’t look at my other work. It was very hard for a girl photographer in the 60s to be accepted. In the end I gave up. I’ve hardly taken a photo since 1967.”
Lucky for us, her photos are still here for us to see. You can see them on display in museums all over the world, including the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame, or you can check out the amazing new coffee table book.
Already seen the book? What do you think about it? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
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