Legendary photographer Dustin Pittman was the man shooting the scene in New York in its vintage years in the late ’60s, ’70s and ’80s — from music and fashion icons to Hollywood royalty.
And his new book, “Dustin Pittman: New York After Dark,” turns the page back on the golden era.
“It was an incredible period. It was an incredible time,” Pittman told The Post. “It was really loose, really easy. You could roll with people.
“People had respect for one another as artists, as musicians, creative people. It was so wonderful.”
But Pittman wasn’t just an observer peeking in on intimate celebrity encounters.
“I always considered myself not just a photographer, but a participant,” he said. “I didn’t treat them like celebrities — they were my friends.”
Iggy Pop
The Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop, is the cover boy of “Dustin Pittman: New York After Dark,” prowling across the stage with the Stooges at Ugano’s Club in 1970.
“Iggy did his Iggy thing,” said Pittman. “He was all new, and it was amazing … We just hit it off really well.”
So much so that Pittman was granted a very special exception.
“Iggy had this one rule that if a photographer got too close, he would break their camera,” he said. “But Iggy said to me, ‘Dustin, you never have to worry about me breaking your camera. You can get as close as you want.’ “
Lou Reed
Pittman shot Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground during their residency at Max’s Kansas City in 1970, which would turn out to be his final performances with the band.
“Lou Reed and I were very, very close,” he said. “And that gig was historic.They played two sets a night for two or three weeks. And what was great about it is that there were maybe not even 30 people there watching them play. But they weren’t watching them play — you got up and you danced next to Lou Reed playing ‘Heroin’ and ‘Sweet Jane’ and all those songs. And every set they would improvise.”
David Johansen
David Johansen of New York Dolls fame wrote the foreword to “New York After Dark,” penning that “It’s obvious Dustin has a fortunate temperament and just loves being a photographer.”
The punk icon is also pictured in the book striking poses at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at the Academy of Music in 1974.
“I met him in 1969 when he was just starting the Dolls,” said Pittman, who still regularly talks to Johansen. “I love the idea that the Dolls would all walk into these vintage stores and buy all these women’s clothes and put on the makeup and do their schtick.”
Mick Jagger
Pittman finagled his way into shooting the Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden in 1974, making his own version of the arm band that served as a photographer pass.
“I bought a $5 ticket in the nosebleed section,” he said. “And then when the lights went low, I put on my band and I started sneaking down to the front. I’m right there in the front shooting Mick Jagger!
Then Pittman continued to buck the system. “Mick Jagger had a rule: After three songs, no more photographs. So I took off my arm band, snuck around the side of the stage and waited until everybody was gone. I put the arm band back on and went in front of the stage and photographed the whole concert.
“Mick knew exactly what the hell I did … And then Mick picks up this huge f–king bucket of water and throws it at me. I snap the picture as the water comes at me, and I moved out of the way.”
Debbie Harry and the Stilletos
Debbie Harry is captured with the Stilettos — before Blondie came to be — at the East Village’s Club 82 in 1974.
“The 82 Club [as it was also known] was a great club,” said Pittman. “It was underground in the basement, and they had great bands playing there: Television played there, the Ramones, everybody played there.”
Pittman also a had a special connection to Blondie’s co-founder Chris Stein.
“I went to school with Chris at the School of Visual Arts,” he said. “And then Chris joined the Stilettos before Blondie.”
Diana Ross
Pittman — whose adventures at Studio 54 are revisited in “New York After Dark” — was at the legendary club when Diana Ross helped bring in 1979 on New Year’s Eve.
“She was wonderful … and she was in such an incredible mood,” he said. “The nights at Studio 54 were so magical. It was like being on the set of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ I swear to God, when you walked through the doors of Studio 54, it was like the scene in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ where it goes from black and white to color,”
Pittman had inside connections with the club’s owners. “I was very good friends with Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell,” he said, “so I had total access all around the nooks and crannies and underneath. Everywhere.”
Madonna
Before Madonna began her ascendance to becoming the Queen of Pop with her self-titled debut in 1983, Pittman photographed her at the club Danceteria circa 1979.
“I walked up to her .. and then she wasn’t Madonna,” recalled Pittman. “But I liked her look and I wanted her to trade T-shirts with me. She had that T-shirt I loved. And I said, ‘Let’s go in the bathroom and trade T-shirts.’ And she didn’t want to, because she didn’t want to mess up the head thing she had on.”
Still, Pittman was impressed by the then-unknown Madonna. “She was really nice,” he said. “We chatted up for a while and kind of hit it off.”
Keith Richards and Patti Hansen
At the White Ball held at the Ritz-Carlton in 1980, Pittman captured a candid moment between Rolling Stone Keith Richards and his future wife, model Patti Hansen, before the couple got married in 1983.
“That picture of Keith and Patti is one of their first dates after they met,” he said “That’s what’s so special about it. Patti was all over Keith. But who wasn’t all over Keith?”
Halston, Liza Minnelli and Betty Ford
On another fabulous night at Studio 54 — at the Martha Graham Awards honoring Halston in 1981 —Pittman snapped the designer next to Liza Minnelli with former First Lady Betty Ford sitting on her lap.
“Talk about unguarded moments — no bodyguards around,” said Pittman. “It was, like, total freedom.”
Brooke Shields and Jack Nicholson
In 1981, Pittman caught a teenage Brooke Shields rubbing shoulders with Jack Nicholson at a party at Calvin Klein’s apartment — a year after she had made the designer’s jeans a sensation.
“That was a great party,” recalled Pittman. “Everybody was there … Iman, Christopher Reeve, Janice Dickinson.
“Jack and Brooke started talking … and they really kind of hit it off as friends,” he said. “I loved her. And Jack was great, man.”
