As a teen, I'd noticed the name Jim Marshal in countless magazine photo credits, album credits and, especially, that iconic, B&W Hendrix poster on my bedroom wall.
There were others: Moby Grape's first album with Don Stevenson flipping the bird; Johnny Cash flipping the bird; Grace and Janis sitting side by side. This film offers some insight into how he was able to get such great shots. It wasn't about technique, though that was a part of it. It was about the trust between the subject and the photographer which resulted in honest, candid pictures.
One interviewee said that his pictures (like the one of Duane Allman playing guitar in a bathroom) made it feel as if there were only one person in the room, as if the shot had just materialized. Another said Marshall got 'inside' the shot by getting so close to the subject. These observations may seem to contradict each other, but they don't. They're both right.
Marshall is not a warm & fuzzy sorta guy, but if he were, we probably wouldn't be watching this documentary. But here we are, and it's a fascinating lens through which we get to share or re-experience those images that added a dimension to the music we loved.
There were others: Moby Grape's first album with Don Stevenson flipping the bird; Johnny Cash flipping the bird; Grace and Janis sitting side by side. This film offers some insight into how he was able to get such great shots. It wasn't about technique, though that was a part of it. It was about the trust between the subject and the photographer which resulted in honest, candid pictures.
One interviewee said that his pictures (like the one of Duane Allman playing guitar in a bathroom) made it feel as if there were only one person in the room, as if the shot had just materialized. Another said Marshall got 'inside' the shot by getting so close to the subject. These observations may seem to contradict each other, but they don't. They're both right.
Marshall is not a warm & fuzzy sorta guy, but if he were, we probably wouldn't be watching this documentary. But here we are, and it's a fascinating lens through which we get to share or re-experience those images that added a dimension to the music we loved.