Paul Natkin is widely considered Chicago’s greatest music photographer. The son of a photojournalist, Paul’s career flourished in the heyday of rock and roll as he traveled from show to show, documenting both rising stars and icons of the music industry. As a true music fan, Natkin’s passion and workmanlike approach to his trade has made him the photographer to the stars over a four-decade career. He was the official touring photographer for the Rolling Stones and the only photographer allowed into Prince’s 26th birthday party. He continues to attend shows and shoot portraits at his studio on Chicago’s north side.
When you're talking about Paul and you're talking about photo shoots and he's showing you some old stuff and then you see a photo of Sinatra in between images of Guns N Roses and Slaughter, you're like, who is this guy? We recognized he's not entering our world, we're entering his. And that's just the thing, as time went on and we understood what Paul had already done and how great he is at what he does, it was always a pleasure to know he was still hanging around. -- Steve Gorman, the Black Crowes