Meet Henry Diltz | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Henry Diltz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Henry, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
I have always been curious about people… who are we?, what are we here to do? & why do we act the way we do? This is why I majored in Psychology in college. Years later, when I picked up a camera, I realized it was a vehicle to observe people. & That’s just what I did with all my friends in the music business, who slowly all became famous.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was a folk singer in the 60’s then randomly picked up a camera in a second hand store while I was on tour with my band, The Modern Folk Quartet. I began photographing everyone around me everyday, most of whom were fellow musicians and hippies in Laurel Canyon. These photos began to be used for publicity and album cover use by those musicians. This then lead to me being asked to be the official photographer at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 & Woodstock Music Festival in 1969.
It all happened very naturally and organically… almost by accident… if there are “accidents”.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I like to sleep in, I’m a night owl, so I usually wake up around noon. We’d start by getting breakfast at Art’s Deli in Studio City. Then we’d walk down to the magazine stand on Laurel Canyon blvd and Ventura. After that, a drive through Laurel Canyon to the Sunset Marquis hotel to visit the Morrison Hotel Gallery to look at all their amazing photos (some of which happen to be mine!) Then we’d drive back over the hill and stop by Mirabelle, our favorite local wine bar for happy hour, before going to dinner at Casa Vega… OR if we wanted to stay in Hollywood, we’d eat dinner at Jones. In the early days, the evening would always end at the Troubadour to see one of our friends play. If we were feeling very spontaneous, we’d drive to Joshua Tree to sit under the stars and watch the sun rise!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Two people: Cyrus Faryar, who inspired me to purchase a camera one random day in the 60’s and Art Director Gary Burden, who became my partner in creating many photoshoots and album covers.

Website: https://linktr.ee/henrydiltz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henrydiltz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/henrydiltzphoto/

Image Credits
Photo of Henry Diltz by Paul Zollo
All other artist photos by Henry Diltz Photography.