Henry Diltz, whose images adorn 400 albums covers, recently described himself as “the Jane Goodall of rock photographers.”
Entering a wild environment, returning with scientific evidence: that could describe the panoply of photographers whose work is on display in Atlanta this spring and summer.
The offerings are plentiful: There’s a blockbuster retrospective at the High Museum, an unusual live show at the Fox Theatre, an American master showing this summer and student work on display.
Here are few highlights:
Behind the Lens
Diltz and his colleague Pattie Boyd will be reminiscing about hanging with rockers such as Joni Mitchell and Ron Wood during a live presentation at the Egyptian Ballroom in the Fox Theatre.
It’s an unusual combination of slide show and lecture. Diltz, 77, photographed such iconic images as the cover for the first Crosby, Stills & Nash album. “They were my friends in Laurel Canyon and they all became famous, which was a lucky break for me,” he said in a recent interview.
On the other side of the ocean, Pattie Boyd’s friends became equally famous. Married, at different times, to George Harrison and Eric Clapton, Boyd had an even more intimate view of the music business.
Info:, 7:30 p.m., April 19. $35-$75. The Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta; 855-285-8499, or www.FoxTheatre.org. www.morrisonhotelgallery.com
Vik Muniz
The Brazilian artist/photographer Vik Muniz is the subject of an extensive retrospective currently on display at the High Museum.
Muniz builds images out of a wonderful variety of materials — toys, junk, chocolate sauce, diamonds — and photographs the constructions, creating what he calls photographic “delusions.” His work delights while it boggles the mind.
The exhibit demonstrates the High’s dedication to the photographic arts. The institution’s permanent collection contains 6,000 photographic prints, many of them by Southern photographers.
Info: Through Aug. 21. $12-$19.50. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-4400, www.high.org.
The Georgia Photography Awards and Exhibition
This show of photographs by students from more than 20 high schools is organized by Pace Academy and Atlanta Celebrates Photography. The latter organization presents and promotes a month-long series of exhibitions and lectures throughout the city every October, what organizers call the "largest annual community-oriented photo festival in the US."
Info: Through April 13, with a reception 5-6:30 p.m., April 10. Pace Academy, 966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW, Atlanta. www.paceacademy.org/page
Walker Evans
Later this summer, Walker Evans, one of the most influential documentary photographers the country has produced, will have a significant show at the High Museum.
"Walker Evans: Depth of Field" will feature more than 120 black-and-white and color prints from the 1920s through the 1970s. Evans is best-known for his stark photos of Depression-era Southerners, and for collaborating with writer James Agee in "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men."
Info: June 11-Sept. 25. $12-$19.50. High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-733-4400, www.high.org.
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