Michael Halsband Has Been Along for the Ride
From capturing the Rolling Stones and photographing Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to finding zen with surfers like Joel Tudor and Kelly Slater, and teaching at New York City’s School of Visual Arts, Michael Halsband has lived a remarkable life behind the lens.
If the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” were a photographer, he might very well resemble Michael Halsband. While many artists spent their formative years tethered to desks and easels, Halsband was drawn to the world beyond—seeking out life’s raw, unfiltered moments with his camera. “I love celebrating cultures, especially countercultures,” he says, a statement that encapsulates the ethos of his decades-spanning career.
Yet, it wasn’t always easy for Halsband to embrace the title of “photographer.” Perhaps it was the look of envy on people’s faces when he casually mentioned partying with Mick Jagger or making a film about the unpredictable beauty of surfing. Unlike most, Halsband’s life has been anything but ordinary—marked by a carefree approach to the future and a career built more on passion than on plans. “Sometimes I envy people who have this incredible foresight,” he admits. “I just don’t have it.” His reluctance to share his career path wasn’t rooted in doubt about his abilities but rather a mindfulness of the complex interplay between passion and profession. “Over the years, I started to feel as if I was guilty of something I wasn’t even aware of,” he reflects. But despite any reservations, Halsband has always followed his instincts, embracing every opportunity that has come his way.
His journey took a meteoric turn when, at just twenty-five, he became the tour photographer for the Rolling Stones during their 1981 tour—a dream job for someone who came of age in the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll era of the 1970s. This was no ordinary assignment; it was an initiation into the upper echelons of rock history.
For five months, Halsband lived alongside the Stones, capturing their world from the inside—a world where the boundary between work and play blurred to the point of disappearance. “Nothing is as high level” as working with the legendary rock band, Halsband recalls. Immersed in their lifestyle, he documented their every move, gaining an unparalleled creative depth. “They gave me the sense of depth that I could go and then push deeper,” he explains. But eventually, the high wore off, and Halsband had to return to reality. “I had to land back on earth and be like everybody else because that’s what I am. I am not a rock star.”
Returning to New York, Halsband’s career took off. He spent the next several years photographing fashion and portraits for some of the biggest names in the industry, including GQ, Vogue, Glamour, Calvin Klein, and J. Crew. In 1985, he captured one of the most iconic images in contemporary art history for Rolling Stone: Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat posed in boxing gloves, an image that continues to resonate. Through it all, Halsband remained grounded, always aware that his work was about more than just famous faces.
As the years passed, Halsband found a new passion: surfing. In stark contrast to the chaotic energy of rock concerts, surfing offered a calm, meditative environment where people could connect with themselves. Collaborating with legendary surfer Joel Tudor, Halsband poured his heart—and personal finances—into creating a film that celebrated the sport he had come to love.
“The project was going to happen, and we were just walking the path,” Halsband says of his film Surf Movie, a spliced-together montage of surfing spots from around the world. This project marked a pivotal moment in his career, representing years of dedication and a deep connection to the sport.
Surfing also led Halsband to a deeper commitment to portrait photography, a field he embraced fully in the early 2000s. His approach to portraits is intuitive and deeply personal, aiming to capture the essence of his subjects by earning their trust and allowing them to reveal themselves to the camera. “It’s a style that lets me break out of the well-grooved paths created by the people before me,” he explains.
Halsband considers portrait photography to be the highest form of artistic engagement, where the photographer and the subject meet on equal ground. “The most vulnerable person is the most powerful person,” he says, an insight honed during his early years photographing strippers, prostitutes, and other sex industry workers. These early experiences taught him the value of capturing people in their most unguarded moments, a style he refers to as “driven imagery.” His portraits are more than mere images—they are windows into the soul, offering a rare glimpse into the unfiltered human experience.
Yet, as digital photography began to dominate the field, Halsband faced a difficult decision. He realized that digital technology, while convenient, couldn’t capture the detail and intimacy he valued in portraits. So, he chose to continue working with traditional film, even as he adapted to modern tools like smartphones and laptops. “All the artifice is very fat-burning,” he says of the ubiquitous smartphone cameras. “People will realize you only get so much.”
What Halsband cherishes most about portrait photography is the intimacy it offers. “I think it’s just the idea of giving people the opportunity to look straight into someone’s eyes, their face, and all the evidence of what they’ve been through in their lives without the distraction of behavior or action or performance of any sort,” he describes. This “flat place,” as he calls it, is where true connection happens—a raw, almost primal act of seeing someone for who they really are.
Halsband’s career is a testament to the power of following one’s instincts. From traveling to Cuba with Walter S. Thompson and Johnny Depp to working with AC/DC—one of his favorite bands—and documenting Al Pacino during the making of Looking for Richard, Halsband has amassed a lifetime of stories. Whether it’s Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Keith Richards, James Brown, Klaus Nomi, or spread-eagle strippers, it’s hard not to get swept up in his work. His accomplishments are a perfect blend of risk, hard work, and serendipity. “I started off unconsciously doing what I felt in my heart,” he explains. “I was following a passion. And it wasn’t a passion with objectivity or preset thoughts. I just went after everything.”
With an approach that blends honesty, patience, and a keen eye for the extraordinary, Michael Halsband continues to forge a path uniquely his own, and his journey is far from over.
From the LYFSTYL original series - “In Focus”.
Words by Sam Farrell.
Photography Michael Halsband.