Photographer and author Lisa S. Johnson releases 108 Rock Star Guitars, a book for guitar and photography fans that feature intimate portraits of guitars owned by iconic players.
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The book is meant to give you an intimate look at some of the most cherished guitars in the world, cared for and used by some of the biggest rock stars of our time.
This coffee table photo book took 17 years to complete and required the author to travel to a number of destinations worldwide, from backstage hallways of famous concert venues to the artists’ homes. Lisa summarizes the book as “a music and fine-art photography aficionado’s private backstage pass to witness up-close these six-stringed works of art.”
The 396-page book is bound in embossed red leatherette and it features 300 images captured through Johnson’s signature macrophotography style. Her style allows the images to highlight intimate details of the instruments that are not readily seen on other photographs.
Because of the length of time it took to complete the book, the first batch of photos were shot using film cameras including some of the last film stock ever manufactured for Kodak Professional. Being a former technical sales rep for Kodak, Lisa experimented with the various films that she had in her inventory. As the years passed and photography technology transitioned to the digital, Lisa also switched gear while still maintaining the book’s overall style and theme.
The book is dedicated to the memory of Les Paul, whose 1980 Gibson Les Paul became the first guitar the author photographed for the book, back in 1997. Les Paul himself provided the foreword before he passed away in 2009: ““I remember the first black-and-white pictures Lisa took of my guitars…they were wonderfully evocative… I never could have guessed that she would one day produce the extensive, impressive collection of photographs presented here—images unlike any I have ever seen… Lisaʼs passion for her subject is evident on every page of this magnificent book.”
The author then tracked down and photographed the instruments of guitar greats that include Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Rick Nielsen, Slash, Jack White, Billy Gibbons, Ace Frehley and many others. Alongside these images, Johnson added personal anecdotes describing her travels and the stories behind the photos.
The 108 Rock Star Guitars book is set to be published by Glitterati Incorporated and will be available on October 8, 2013 with a suggested retail price of $108. There will also be 540 limited edition copies of the book that will be signed by the author, packaged in a die-cut collector’s box, carrying a tag price of $540. For more information and to pre-order your copy, visit 108 Rock Star Guitars.
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