"One of the bands I've spent a lot of time with over the years has been Queen. I had a lot of fun with these guys and I got to the point pretty early on where I could just go anywhere and photograph everything they did, and it was kind of like I was becoming part of a different family.

This photo of Freddie was taken while he was doing his own makeup backstage. Part of my job when I'm shooting a tour and spending time with bands like this is to capture all kinds of moments. The obvious moments on stage when someone looks heroic, or some amazing performance shots. And then the quieter recordings and the backstage shots and the atmosphere, what happens before the band goes on stage or what happens after they come off stage. This is the perfect example of one of those moments where Freddie does his own makeup in his dressing room. I don't think he even realized I was there. But that didn't matter, because I was able to be kind of invisible, and there's a certain amount of trust involved when you're out with someone like him.

I really love this photo because it's the quiet Freddie, not the flamboyant type. But it's the same guy, it's just a different side of him. The fact that I was able to get this photo in the first place shows that there was a lot of trust and they were comfortable having me around them, and there was no problem with where the photo was going to appear, or "I need to see that first" or any of that."

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The Story behind the Picture – by Neal Preston

 



Queen - The Neal Preston Photographs

BOOK TIP

This official book, produced in collaboration with the band, contains over 200 images and is an exciting journey through their years on the road together. It's the first time Preston and Queen have brought this work together in one volume: behind-the-scenes insights, live performances, post-performance highs and lows, and outtakes — many of which have never been seen before — are accompanied by memories and anecdotes from Preston with forewords from Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The pages vibrate with a palpable energy.