Elliott Landy Bob Dylan, sitting on his equipment truck. Woodstock, New York, USA. 1968.
“I was asked to photograph Dylan for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. I drove up from NYC to his house in Woodstoc
(...) k and was briefly introduced by a friend, who quickly sped off, leaving me alone with the most famous and mysterious person of my generation.
Bob told me how much he liked my photos of The Band, grabbed his guitar and began playing while I took pictures. He wandered around his property and I followed with my camera, expecting perfect moments to appear by themselves. It occurred to me that millions of people would be thrilled to be ten feet away from Dylan while he was playing and singing but it felt normal to me. I was only focused on composing good images. Although he was comfortable with me, he was nervous in front of the camera, and his uneasiness made it difficult for me. I was never the kind of photographer who talked people into feeling good. I let them be the way they were and photographed it. Because I flowed with whatever mood the subject was in, rather than trying to change how they were feeling, the person usually relaxed after a while and the photograph emerged.”
– Elliott Landy © Elliott Landy | Magnum Photos