Robert Sebree

Los Angeles based Robert Sebree is probably best known for his photographs of Tom Petty, but his archive is considerably broader, covering Roy Orbison, Tom Waits, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, B.B King, Bo Diddley, Van Halen, Linkin Park, and Garbage.

We present his photographs of Tom Petty first on this page, then as you scroll down you will be able to see images from the other featured artists. Everything is available to purchase in signed and numbered limited editions.

Photographs of Tom Petty 

Robert Sebree’s photographs will need no introduction to Tom Petty aficionados. He first met Tom Petty in August 1988, and established a relationship that would endure for almost thirty years. Within minutes of their first meeting, Robert would take the photograph of Tom Petty that was selected for the back cover of Full Moon Fever, and photographed him extensively during the recording of Wildflowers in 1994.

Reflecting on his many years working with Tom Petty, Robert Sebree explained: “Tom permitted to me be that fly-on-the-wall for years as he and the Heartbreakers conjured the magic to produce a legendary body of work. Along the way we shared some incredible moments, in front of and behind the camera. I developed a deep respect for Tom beyond his art. We laughed a lot and I saw him suffer some blows. We celebrated birthdays and attended memorials. I witnessed his happiness as Little Richard presided over his wedding and mourned our loss when his large extended family gathered to remember him. I join the world in missing Tom Petty.”

The limited editions

We are delighted that Robert has chosen Snap Galleries —as the first gallery anywhere in the world— to offer you the opportunity to purchase signed limited edition Tom Petty photographs from his archives. Robert has selected some of his favourite images of Tom Petty for you, and shares his stories behind them as you scroll down the page. By clicking on the green button under each image you will see price and size options. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions.

We have also created a virtual gallery space where you can view Robert’s photographs framed and hanging on the walls in a variety of room settings. You will find a link to this virtual gallery further down below as you explore this page.

August 1988 – Point Dume, California

Robert Sebree recalls: “I made this photograph within minutes of first meeting Tom. When I introduced myself he smiled and said with a slow, exaggerated southern draw “If there’s anything I can do for you, you just let me know”. As we carefully made our way across some jagged rocks along the beach he mentioned that if he slipped he would bleed a steady stream of the weed he had flowing through his veins. You don’t forget that kind of “Hello”. At the time I had no point of reference to base this experience on but as we continued to work together over the years I came to realize the ease with which we got on from the beginning.

Shortly after shooting this image, Tom’s art director requested a meeting. Rather than deferring to the label’s art department Tom would hire his own creative team so he could oversee the art himself. The cover to Full Moon Fever had already been determined but they were interested in my images for promotion. This image was used full-bleed for the album’s back cover.”

July 1993 – Woodland Hills, California

Robert Sebree explains: “This is my homage to Richard Avedon’s portrait of the Chicago Seven. I chose to play with the form and use the broken format to introduce each band member twice creating a line-up that could not exist in a single frame. The pre-Photoshop era demanded solutions to be a bit less obvious. Of the countless ways that digital has impacted photography I believe this, the way we conceive of images, may be the most significant. 

After a few long days in Mike Campbell’s home recording studio with all of the Heartbreakers Tom suggested a band photo. The next day I arrived early and set-up a small seamless and a few lights in one bay of Mike’s garage. That night as the band members were headed to their cars I opened the door and flipped on the lights. 

It was a calculated risk springing a shot that was difficult to explain on exhausted band members after a long day. The set was only wide enough to shoot three band members at a time and I was standing outside in the dark shooting through the garage door with an old view camera. The confusion was compounded by the fact that I repositioned them after each sheet I exposed. Fortunately, Tom was intrigued by whatever I was trying to do so with his encouragement we knocked it out in just a few minutes. 

The images on the periphery of each frame are my favorite moments as they were unposed. Tom appreciated that this image gives a real sense of the personalities that made up the band. The tension developing between Tom and Stan is on full display here. It’s no wonder considering Stan’s stance in the far right frame and tangling with Tom in Benmont’s frame (far left) that just two weeks later at the Viper Room I would make my last images of Stan before he left the Heartbreakers. 

Tom chose this image for a benefit auction at the New York launch of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Runnin’ Down A Dream on November 14, 2007.”

August 1993 – Viper Room, Hollywood, California

Robert Sebree explains: “This image marks the only time I ever photographed Tom playing to a live audience. Tom had just completed the Greatest Hits package and was considering cover options when Johnny Depp asked him to play at the opening of the Viper Room on Sunset. Tom realized this would be the last time anyone would ever see the whole band playing together in a bar on a tiny stage reminiscent of how they began – the perfect Greatest Hits cover. 

Perfect except that Tom and Stan’s relationship was almost at the breaking point and Stan decided to remain in Florida and skip the gig. Tom called Ringo Starr and asked him to sit in for Stan. When I went to the Viper Room that night I was expecting to see Ringo on drums but evidently Ringo was just the impetus Stan needed to jump on a plane. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits—the band’s best selling album of all time—very nearly featured Ringo on the cover. 

There was a strict “no cameras” policy for the invitation-only crowd but they made an exception allowing me to photograph the first song of the set. A couple of minutes in a crowded room to capture an image to represent Tom’s entire career… what could go wrong? The light was dismal. The stage only rose a foot or two from the floor so I had to shoot through the crowd. Benmont was shoved so far stage right that he was separated from the band by his keyboards. I positioned myself directly in front of the stage to get all five band members in frame but Benmont was cast in total darkness. I decided to move stage left and shoot down the line of Howie, Tom, Mike and Benmont but the room was too cramped to get the angle I needed on Stan. From other angles either Benmont or Stan were blocked by their own instruments. All the while, there was a very excited, good-natured fan enjoying the show, apparently unaware of my plight, who was insistent on dancing with me. It was mayhem. 

This image and one other image from the show were briefly considered for the cover but were rightly discarded because neither of them included all of the Heartbreakers. The image used was a photo that survived the fire in Tom’s basement recording studio in the house he lost to arson in 1987, inspiring the song “I Won’t Back Down.”

Wildflowers sessions (1994)

“Wildflowers was where I was at the top of my game as far as craft and inspiration colliding at the same moment.” Tom Petty

1994 – Sound City, Van Nuys, California. 

Robert Sebree explains: “ In July of ‘93 I was asked to photograph Tom and the band as they worked on bonus tracks for Greatest Hits. I expected the project to take a day or two. I spent much of the next two years chronicling the recording of Wildflowers at Sound City in the Valley and Ocean Way in Hollywood.

This was shot during the recording of “Climb the Hill” (released on Wildflowers & All the Rest).”

1994 – Sound City, Van Nuys, California. 

Robert Sebree remembers: “Tom recorded a lot of his tracks live—which was just amazing. Not a lot of bands have the chops to do that. The Heartbreakers were so tight, they made it look easy. Tom, Mike and Howie would sit in a triangle facing one another in the middle of the studio. The stool in the foreground is Mike’s. Howie was just off to Tom’s right with Benmont’s keyboards behind him. Steve was on drums off to Tom’s left.”

July 1994 – Encino, California.

Robert Sebree recalls: “I was over at Tom’s house and was playing with a cheap, plastic, toy camera. It offered none of the photographic threat of my Hasselblad. This was shot in Tom’s backyard and is an image that just wouldn’t have happened with a “real” camera. 

Much is made about the “decisive moment” – that instant where one chooses to expose an image. Of equal importance, but rarely discussed, is when not to expose an image. I would never lift my camera without getting a vibe for the room. If there was a chance my camera could upset the balance of the session I would abandon it in another room. This practice wasn’t lost on Tom and I am sure factors into the longevity of our relationship.” 

July 1994 – Encino, California.

Robert Sebree recalls: “This image was shot in Tom’s home studio. When his daughter, Adria, was researching images for the Wildflowers & All The Rest project she was delighted to discover it. Adria explained to me that she was surprised to find this image as it was a private space where Tom would “disappear with his coffee” to write songs and record demos. This room could be considered the birthplace for many of Tom’s songs.”

October 1994 – Sebree Studio, Los Angeles, California

Robert Sebree explains: “Tom created a vibe in the studio when he recorded that often challenged me photographically. In the pre-digital days photographing band members by candle light tested the limits of film stock. After a particularly dark session at Sound City where the the room was perhaps better suited for processing film than exposing it, Tom took note of my plight and suggested we make a few photographs at my studio—where I could actually see what I was shooting. 

Tom arrived in a good mood. It was the week before his 44th birthday and his guitar tech, Alan “Bugs” Weidel, drove him to my downtown studio in his pick-up truck. Tom liked to keep things organic, he didn’t want any of the trappings of a typical shoot—no groomer, wardrobe, caterer or even my assistant. As Tom noted “I like to know who’s taking the picture”. He walked in with a couple of suits thrown over his shoulder and we got right to work. 

We never discussed any direction before the shoot. I had four sets pre-lit and ready to go before he arrived. We shot three of them. This was the last set-up and oddly reminiscent of the recording studio that had been too dimly lit to photograph. Dark tapestries festooned the walls, and layers of Persian rugs covered the floor, illuminated by just a few candles. 

The first two set-ups have been widely published. This was our favorite. We shelved it for later use— but until now it was never pulled off that shelf.”

March 1996 – Village Recording, West Hollywood, California. 

Robert Sebree reflects: “Tom was scoring his first film, She’s The One for Ed Burns. The timing was good and the project served as a welcome diversion from his ongoing divorce. He had moved out of the family house and was adjusting to living alone for the first time in years. Over lunch one day I mentioned that I was in the middle of my divorce which provided the common ground we needed to engage in topics a little deeper than our typical conversations. 

After a long day in the studio I would often get a call from Tom that would last for hours as we discussed everything except the day we had just spent together. He spoke as if we were going through the same thing and I argued that our circumstances were very different – most obviously that he had children and a mountain of assets. He made me realize that in the ways that mattered that we were experiencing a lot of the same pain, turmoil and uncertainty, as well as a sense of excitement—because our futures no longer seemed preordained.”

February 1999 – Santa Monica, California 

Robert Sebree recollects: “Tom took an interest in a hot rodded ’54 Chevy pickup I had driven to a previous session, so even though I was still in the process of converting this ’54 Chevy panel delivery into a grip truck I decided to use it to haul my gear to the shoot. When I saw Tom’s eyes light up at the site of the van I think we both knew this shot was going to happen. 

After we finished the shoot we went out to the van and hung out. Tom would strum the guitar while we talked and then break into a song which was punctuated with the occasional photograph. The van unlocked some memories for Tom. His father had the same panel truck that he used to drive around Florida wholesaling cigarette lighters to grocery stores when Tom was a kid.”

February 1999 – Los Angeles, California 

Robert Sebree reflects: “This image was shot a few months before Tom remarried and he was in a great space. Tom was always more comfortable being photographed in his element than sitting for a formal portrait. I made a series of portraits during this period and sensed a greater level of trust. He was very content which I believe allowed him to connect with the camera and embrace the process with greater ease.”

March 1999 – Santa Monica, California 

Robert Sebree recalls: “This shot was commissioned from the now defunct Tower Records to promote Tom’s third collaboration with Rick Rubin, Echo. Outtakes from this session were used on the cover of their publication Pulse!”

January 2002 – Cello Studios, Hollywood, California 

Robert Sebree explains: “Tom’s previous album, Echo, was crafted during a pretty dark time for the band and I felt like we were setting the clock back to a better time when we went into the studio for The Last D.J. This album marked the return of Ron Blair to the Heartbreakers replacing Howie Epstein on bass after Howie had replaced Ron twenty years earlier.” 

Roy Orbison in shadows, 10 June 1987

Tom Waits in truck, 5 February 1999

Tom Waits at the bar, 5 February 1999

Tom Waits with guitar, 5 February 1999

Tom Waits with guitar and drum, 5 February 1999

Johnny Cash tight close up, 8 February 1994

Johnny Cash with guitar by wall, 8 February 1994

Johnny Cash – pray, 8 February 1994

Johnny Cash in car, 8 February 1994

Eric Clapton and B.B. King – in front of theatre, 22 March 2000

Eric Clapton and B.B. King – Eric in chauffeur’s hat, 22 March 2000

Eddie Van Halen with flag, 2 May 1991

Van Halen – Jump, 2 May 1991

Eddie Van Halen – with headphones, 2 May 1991

Eddie Van Halen – portrait with guitar, 2 May 1991

Linkin Park studio portrait, April 2003

Linkin Park – open door, April 2003

Linkin Park – Krylon and plastic, April 2003

Garbage – bathroom, 5 March 1998