By Chris Giancamilli

Photos by Graham Nash

Thumbnail image: Joni Mitchell

Article image: Bob Dylan

Sept. 26 marked the end of the four-month run of the exhibit “Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash” at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. The exhibit featured 100 photographs of various Rock ‘n’ Roll artists such as Bob Dylan, Jodi Mitchell, and Elvis Presley, taken over a period of 50 years. Each photo was selected and compiled into this collection by Graham Nash of the legendary group Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The pictures were taken by 40 Rock ‘n’ Roll photographers such as Alfred Wertheimer, Jim Marshall, Annie Lebowitz, and Bob Guren.

Photos included performers such as Bob Dylan, Freddy Mercury, The Beatles, Kurt Cobain, David Bowie, and Sid Vicious just to name a few. The photographs showed a variety of aspects of a musician’s life, from performing to relaxing at home.

One photo depicted Elton John performing at the Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, North London in 1973. John dazzles the crowd as he kicks his feet off the ground, leaping into the air during his song “Crocodile Rock.” The connection between performer and audience is represented in the image as Nash captures an extraordinary amount of John’s showmanship.

Another photograph provided a glimpse of Graham Nash himself outside a house in 1969 Santa Monica, Calif. along with Stephen Stills and David Crosby. The picture captures an intimate moment as the three musicians sit on an outdoor couch. This house was the location where the group shot the photo for their first album cover.

Several photographs of Elvis Presley were on display as well, including a domestic scene in which Presley eats breakfast in a dimly lit kitchen. The picture was taken at a hotel in Richmond, Vir. in 1956. Like many of the pictures in the exhibit, the image portrays the personal aspects of what the musicians’ lives were like out of the spotlight and on the road.

Graham Nash’s “Taking Aim” exhibit is an amazing look at various aspects of the lives of Rock ‘n’ Roll legends from the past 50 years, offering a glimpse of a rockstar’s relatable life, which is something every music lover can appreciate. The exhibit next travels to the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York and will open Oct. 30 through Jan. 30, 2011.