Gered Mankowitz is regarded as one of the greatest rock photographers of the last 50 years. During The Rolling Stones' formative years from 1965-1967, he was their photographer and friend, not only responsible for some of the band?s most memorable, and candid, photographs, but for shooting the covers of their albums including ?Out of Our Heads?, ?Between the Buttons?, ?December Children? and ?Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass)?. He also has photographed such luminaries as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Marianne Faithful, Small Faces, Traffic, the Yardbirds, the Jam, Kate Bush, Slade, Sparks, Eurythmics and Jimi Hendrix. His portraits of Hendrix were later used for the cover of his 1993 compilation album ?The Ultimate Experience?.

Gered was born in London in 1946. After an education of sorts at several London co-educational ?progressive? schools, he left at 15 devoid of any formal qualifications. Having displayed a natural eye for photography at school, his photographs were seen by the legendary photographer Tom Blau, who offered Gered an apprenticeship at his famous photo agency, Camera Press, finally moving to the studio and going on various assignments in and around London.

Following stints assisting fashion photographer Alec Murray in Paris, and ?show-biz? photographer Jeff Vickers in London, Gered went it alone, photographing the singing duo Chad and Jeremy for the cover of their debut album. This led to him working with a new generation of producers like John Barry and Chris Blackwell, photographing artists who were of his own age and who felt at ease with him, at a time when the industry desperately needed new, mould breaking images.

At the end of 1963 Gered opened his first studio in Mayfair: on one side the infamous disco ?The Scotch of St. James?, hangout of the pop glitterati of the time, and on the other the art gallery ?Indica?, partly financed by The Beatles and where John Lennon met Yoko Ono. Within a few months Gered was approached to photograph Marianne Faithful, which led to a close relationship with her manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and subsequent work as the Stones? ?official? photographer until 1967, producing the aforementioned album sleeves, documenting their record breaking 48 city 1965 tour, and taking press and publicity shots at home, in the studio and behind the scenes.

In 1982 Gered had a major exhibition of his work at London?s famous Photographers? Gallery, the first ever show in the UK to focus on the music industry. This was seen by over 16,000 people, a record for the gallery at this time, and it then toured the U.K. for over 2 years. He has continued to exhibit regularly over the past two decades in shows around the world, and sell prints from his archive through commercial galleries and his website. His work is held in the permanent collection at galleries including the National Portrait Gallery in London, London?s Focus Gallery and the San Francisco Art Exchange, and his work has been published in numerous books including:

?Stoned? - Music Sales, London (1982)
?Hit Parade? with Harry Hammond - Plexus, London / Harper & Row, New York (1984)
?Satisfaction? - Sidgwick & Jackson, London / Little Brown, New York (1984)
?Masons Yard to Primrose Hill?, Genesis Publications, UK (1995)
?I-Contact? - Genesis Publication, UK (1998)
?The Stones 65-67 82? - Vision On, London (2002)
'Jimi Hendrix - The Complete Masons Yard Sessions' Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin (2004)
'The Rolling Stones - Out Of Their Heads' Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin (2005)

Since the 1980s Gered has been taking prize-winning photos for the advertising industry and contributing to publications including Mojo and the Sunday Times Magazine. He continues to have a passion for photographing musicians, working with new and established artists including Oasis, Snow Patrol, the Duke Spirit and Patrick Wolf.

www.mankowitz.com