Lynn Goldsmith (born February 11, 1948) is an American recording artist, a film director and a celebrity portrait photographer. Her work has appeared on the covers and in publications in many countries for the past 45 years. She has done over 100 album covers. In addition to her editorial work, Goldsmith has also focused on fine art photography with conceptual images.
Early life
Goldsmith was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her mother was an interior decorator and her father was an engineer. Her older sister, Ellen Nieves, is a painter living in upstate New York. Goldsmith lived in Detroit until high school when she moved to Florida. She graduated from Miami Beach High School and then attended the University of Michigan where she graduated in three years with 2 degrees in English and Psychology. She was magna cum laude. She was the youngest woman director ever accepted into the Director's Guild of America as a director. She has numerous awards for her photography from the Lucien Clergue to The World Press. Though she has had multiple careers: co-manager of Grand Funk Railroad, Island Record's recording artist Will Powers, etc. she is most widely known for her portraits of rock and rolls biggest icons. It's been said that story of rock lives in Lynn Goldsmith's photographs. She chronicled Bruce Springsteen's passage to glory, the Rolling Stones' legendary stadium tours, Michael Jackson's staggering ascent, and the brooding force of Bob Marley. Culture heroes like Bob Dylan and Patti Smith became frequent subjects for her lens, as she joined the community of artists whose songs shaped our era. The range of her work is staggering.
Career
After college, Goldsmith worked for Elektra Records. In 1971, she met Joshua White and worked with him as a director for Joshua TV, the first company to do video magnification for rock groups entertaining at large venues. That same year, Goldsmith became the youngest member ever to be inducted into the Directors Guild of America. In 1972, Goldsmith directed ABC's In Concert, the first rock show on network television. After directing a documentary piece on Grand Funk Railroad for ABC, Goldsmith made a film on Grand Funk called "We're an American Band" in 1973. This led to her becoming the band's co-manager.
In the mid-seventies, she left managing and directing to focus on her photography. Goldsmith started the first photo agency that represented images of famous people in the entertainment field. The company, LGI, grew over the next 20 years to represent over 300 photographers worldwide.
During that time, Goldsmith also wrote songs and performed as Will Powers, and was signed to Island Records. In 1997, Goldsmith sold LGI to Corbis so she could concentrate more fully on her fine art photography and work with the Will Powers Institute.
Books
- "Rock and Roll Stories"
- Rock and Roll
- The Police: 1978â€"1983
- Bruce Springsteen Access All Areas
- The Police
- Marky Mark
- NY Times Bestseller New Kids
- Circus Dreams
- PhotoDiary
- Flower
- "The Looking Glass"
Societies
- Director's Guild of America
- American Society of Media Photographers
- American Federation of Musicians
- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Awards
Photo
- 1981 â€" NPC International
- 1982 â€" NPC International
- 1985 â€" World Press â€" Portraiture
- 1986 â€" Lucien Clerque Award
- 1987 â€" NPC International
- 1990 â€" Art Director's Club â€" Magazine Editorial for People Magazine's Most Beautiful People issue
- 1991 â€" Art Director's Club â€" Book â€" 70th National Exhibition Merit Award for NEW KIDS
- 1992 â€" Art Director's Club â€" Book â€" 71st National Exhibition Merit Award for Circus Dreams
- 1994 â€" NPC International
- 2005 â€" Photowork 05 â€" Barrett Art Center â€" Poughkeepsie NY for Tea Cup Dreams
- 2005 â€" B&W Spider Awards Vintage 1st place winner
Video
- 1984 â€" Int'l Television and Film Festival of New York â€" Gold Medal
- 1984 â€" Int'l Television and Film Festival of New York â€" Silver Medal
- 1984 â€" Monitor Award
- 1984 â€" ArtExpo NY featured in Electronic Art
- 1984 â€" Museum of Modern Art Circulating Video Library
- 1985 â€" Int'l Television and Film Festival of New York â€" Silver Medal
- 1985 â€" Houston International Film Festival â€" Gold Award
- 1985 â€" Int'l Television and Film Festival of New York â€" Silver Medal
References
External links
- Official website
- Goldsmith Interviews The Police
- Goldsmith Interviewed by Robin Leach for the show "Talking Food"
- Goldsmith Interviewed by Bill O'Reilly for the show "Straight Forward"
- PDN-Online Master Series-Lynn Goldsmith
- Goldsmith photo shoot with Elvira
- Dyna-Lite Photography Flash Equipment, Lynn Goldsmith
- Will Powers Institute