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Paul McCartney, the documentary photographer
By Kevin Ames
PHOTOFOCUS
Posted on August 12, 2024
Paul McCarney documented the rise to stardom of his band The Beatles in 1963-64. His behind-the-scenes photographs in Paris, London, New York City, Washington DC and Miami are in a traveling exhibition that began in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
The exhibition has 250 prints, contact sheets and videos on at the Brooklyn Museum through August 18, 2024. It moves to the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Oregon, on September 14, 2024, through January 19, 2025.
Paul McCartney, Photographs 1963-64, The Eye of the Storm
The show’s official description says:
Captured by McCartney during a pivotal three-month period for The Beatles in late 1963 and early 1964, the photographs evoke an affectionate family album, picturing his fellow band members, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, at a time when their lives were changing irrevocably. The exhibition gives visitors a highly personal glimpse into an extraordinary time with one of music’s enduring legends.
The exhibition also captures McCartney’s interest in the visual arts, with his photos reflecting the aesthetics and popular culture of the period. The range of work, from portraiture and landscape photos to documentary images, reveals McCartney’s familiarity with the formal styles of early 1960s photography. References to New Wave, documentary filmmaking, and photojournalism can be found across the exhibition.
The Portland Museum of Art website
Asahi Pentax 35mm film camera
McCartney, along with the other members of The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, all had these cameras. McCartney was the photographer in the band. His interest in photography was almost as long as his love of music.
Lost negatives
The photographs in the exhibit are mostly made from high-quality scans from the contact sheets made at the time McCartney had his film developed. The negatives have been lost. The contact sheets were found in his archives. Remarkably, the prints are quite good, if a bit soft.
Contact sheets are made by placing the strips of negatives on a piece of photo paper, covering them with glass and then exposing them to light. After exposure, the paper is developed in chemicals.
A few of the negatives were available for printing. A video in the Miami section shows the printing and processing of the print of John Lennon’s wife, Cynthia, who is in the show. These prints were made by London’s National Portrait Gallery.
Grease pencils
Paul McCartney marked the frames on his contact sheets using a grease pencil. They are also called “china” pencils. His marks show up on several of the show’s prints.
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show
60 years ago, on February 9, 1964, The Beatles appeared for the first time on American television. They were the featured act for the popular variety production, the Ed Sullivan Show, which was broadcast live every Sunday evening in New York City. Over 70 million viewers tuned in.
A clip from the show plays in the exhibit.
Thoughts
Paul McCartney’s love of photography has brought us an intimate look into The Beatles as they became famous. His off-handed pictures border on being “snapshotty.” At the same time, they are very authentic. When he puts color film in the Pentax camera during the group’s stay in Miami, the colors jump at the viewer.
McCartney is a far superior musician than he is a photographer. That said, his exhibition is a must-see.
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