Bowie Nights: Behind the Lens

Ensnared as a teenager by the ethereal allure of Ziggy Stardust during David Bowie’s penultimate performance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, Denis O’Regan returned a decade later as David’s official photographer on the epic Serious Moonlight tour. Have first encountered the chiselled chap in a floppy hat outside Olympic Studios during the recording of Diamond Dogs, Denis would document David Bowie across two entire world tours, becoming the legend’s most prolific photographer.

Kevin Cummins launched his career in 1973 by capturing David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust tour, initiating a visual chronicle that spanned over 40 years. His work is compiled in the 2023 book David Bowie: Mixing Memory & Desire and ranges from iconic live shots of the Thin White Duke to intimate 1990s studio portraits that highlight Bowie’s permanent pupil dilation.

Chris Duffy set up the archive of the five photo sessions his father shot with David Bowie between 1972 and 1980. The first shoot featured Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, followed by the iconic Aladdin Sane album cover. The Thin White Duke images were taken in New Mexico, then came the Lodger and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album covers. The Scary Monsters shoot took place in Chris’s studio, where he also shot the press photos. 

Tony McGee is an acclaimed British photographer who maintained a close creative partnership and friendship with David Bowie spanning over 30 years. Their collaboration began in 1983 when McGee was hired to shoot the publicity photos for the Serious Moonlight tour, and he famously captured the 1983 cover of The Face magazine.

Geoff MacCormack is a lifelong friend of David’s. He picked up a camera while working and travelling with Bowie from 1973 to 76, capturing images in England, Russia and USA.

Richard Young captured David Bowie during his iconic “Thin White Duke” and Station to Station era in the mid-1970s, notably documenting his high-profile arrival at Victoria Station in 1976 and various candid moments throughout the decade.