Baron Wolman facts for kids
Baron Wolman (born June 25, 1937 – died November 2, 2020) was an American photographer. He is best known for his work in the late 1960s. He was the first chief photographer for Rolling Stone magazine. He worked there from 1967 until 1970.
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Baron Wolman's Early Photography Career
Baron Wolman studied philosophy at Northwestern University. His professional photography career began in the 1960s. He was stationed in West Berlin with the U.S. Army. From Berlin, he sold his first photo story. It showed life behind the new Berlin Wall. This made him decide to become a photojournalist. After leaving the army, he moved from Germany to Los Angeles. He then moved to San Francisco and later to New Mexico.
Becoming Rolling Stone's First Photographer
In April 1967, Wolman met Jann Wenner in San Francisco. Wolman was 30 years old, and Wenner was 21. Wenner was planning to start a new music magazine. Wolman had been photographing rock bands. He agreed to join the new magazine, Rolling Stone, and work without pay. He also made sure he would own all the photos he took for the magazine. This gave Rolling Stone permission to use them as much as they wanted.
Wolman started working for Rolling Stone from its very first issue. He continued for three years. He had amazing access to many famous musicians. His photos of Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Phil Spector, Jim Morrison, Ike & Tina Turner, and Peter Rowan were central to Rolling Stone's look.
Wolman usually avoided using a studio. He also never used flashes on his camera. He preferred taking informal pictures. This style fit well with the musicians he photographed. It also suited the people who would see these pictures. Over time, more styled studio photos became popular. These photos were often only published if the musician and their team approved. You can see this change by looking at Rolling Stone covers over the years.
Creating Rags Magazine
Even though he is famous for his Rolling Stone work, Baron Wolman also did many non-music projects. After leaving Rolling Stone in 1970, Wolman started his own fashion magazine. It was called Rags. The magazine was located in Rolling Stone's first San Francisco offices. Rags was a unique fashion magazine. It focused on street fashion, not just clothes found in stores. It was creative and fun. The magazine published 13 issues from June 1970 to June 1971. It was an artistic success, but not a financial one.
Later Photography Projects
After Rags, Baron learned to fly a small Cessna plane. He took aerial landscape photos from his plane's window. These photos became two books: California From the Air: The Golden Coast (1981) and The Holy Land: Israel From the Air (1987). He published these books through Squarebooks. Wolman started Squarebooks in 1974. It still publishes many different illustrated books.
In 1974, Wolman spent a year with the Oakland Raiders football team. He had full access to photograph their entire 1974 season. This resulted in the book Oakland Raiders: The Good Guys, published in 1975.
In 2001, Wolman moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He continued to take photos and publish books there. In 2011, he released an autobiographical book. It was full of images and called Baron Wolman: Every Picture Tells A Story, the Rolling Stone Years. This book talked about his career from the start of Rolling Stone. It also shared the stories behind his famous photographs.
Wolman received an award as a VIP at the 2011 Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards. He famously smashed a camera on stage. This was a tribute to musician Pete Townshend.
Baron Wolman's Passing
Baron Wolman passed away on November 2, 2020. He was 83 years old. He died from complications of ALS at his home in Santa Fe. In a final message on social media, he wrote, "It’s been a great life, with Love being my salvation always."
Selected Books by Baron Wolman
- The Rolling Stone Years: Every Picture Tells a Story
- Woodstock
- Groupies and Other Electric Ladies
- Classic Rock & Other Rollers
- California From The Air: The Golden Coast
- The Holy Land: Israel From The Air
See also
In Spanish: Baron Wolman para niños
