Barry Feinstein

Barry Feinstein died this week at the age of 80. Most folks probably have never heard of Feinstein. But his fingerprints on two of my favorite things--music and photographer--are significant. He is considered by many to be among the best music photographers of all time.

A perusal of Feinstein's work will not reveal technically stunning images. The wow factor so obvious in his work is the seemingly complete comfort his subjects have in front of his lens. I certainly never met him or any of the artists he shot, but in so many of the shots in his portfolio or in the more than 500 album covers he captured, I feel like I can see into the soul of the artist. Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Georgia Harrison, Eric Clapton, and so many others sought him out for album cover photography. And Feinstein served as the photographer for two of Dylan's tours.

Gaining the trust and comfort of a subject, is a worthy lesson for any photographer. How many times do we look through the lens and see a tight, stiff subject transformed by a case of nerves and discomfort. Take a moment to celebrate Barry Feinstein's life by thumbing through his portfolio and the lifes of the artists he captured.