May 4, 1963: The Rolling Stones’ First Photo Shoot Ever

By Marcelo Sonaglioni on May 4, 2025 • ( 2 Comments )

Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!

The Rolling Stones’ Iconic Image Begins: May 4, 1963 Photo Shoot

On May 4th, 1963, the Rolling Stones’ journey took a pivotal step with their first official photo shoot in London’s Chelsea district. Captured by photographer Philip Townsend, the young band exuded a rebellious, unpolished image. Their rumpled clothes and nonchalant poses, reminiscent of students on a post-expulsion bender, were deemed “disgusting” by their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who saw it as a perfect representation of their rebellious spirit (he said “Word got out that the results of the session were disgusting”, later adding that it “would define them and divine them”) This chance encounter with Townsend, just before Oldham began managing the band, would mark the beginning of their iconic visual identity.

How a Vision and a Ford Capri Led to the Stones’ First Photos

According to Townsend, “He told me ‘I’m going to back to England, I’m going to find a rock and roll band and I’m going to turn them into the greatest rock and roll band in the world.” “We asked what they were called. He said: ‘I don’t know yet, I haven’t found them. But when I go back to England I’m going to find them – and you can photograph them if you like.’”

On the day of the shoot, Townsend drove the five Stones around London in his four-seat Ford Capri Mark I to be photographed at various locations. Shown below is the very first photograph taken on that day, in the middle of Ifield Road, with a No Parking sign looming behind them, and more from that session. The shoot captured their raw charisma and youthful defiance, setting the tone for their public image. From backstreets to alleyways, each shot reinforced their outsider appeal—perfectly aligning with Oldham’s vision of a band that would challenge convention and embody rock and roll rebellion.

*Click for MORE ROLLING STONES FLASHBACK

COPYRIGHT © ROLLING STONES DATA
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS WEBSITE IS COPYRIGHT OF ROLLING STONES DATA. ALL CONTENT BY MARCELO SONAGLIONI.
ALL SETLISTS AND TICKET STUBS TAKEN FROM THE COMPLETE WORKS OF THE ROLLING STONES.
WHEN USING INFORMATION FROM ROLLING STONES DATA (ONLINE OR PRINTED) PLEASE REFER TO ITS SOURCE DETAILING THE WEBSITE NAME. THANK YOU.