Jay's portrait of Joni Mitchell is perhaps Jay's most iconic blue portrait. A close second might be Tom Waits, followed by Radiohead. This particular image of Joni was shot with a 4x5 camera, using large-format film known for its incredible detail and depth. Jay set up next to an antique light post inside the Saint Francis Hotel in downtown San Francisco to create this striking image of her.

If any artist was destined to have a blue-toned portrait, it’s Joni Mitchell—especially given her iconic album Blue. Interestingly, Jay's old friend Gary Burden, who was the art director for that album cover, once shared how they toned the original black-and-white photograph to give it its signature blue hue. That story likely provided Jay with some subliminal inspiration.

For this session, Jay created 45 blue-toned portraits of Joni, both sitting and standing. Jay also shot one or two rolls of medium-format film. Unlike Jay's usual strobe lighting, Jay used a hot light—a continuous light source with a naturally warm color temperature. To achieve the desired blue tones, Jay layered multiple blue gels over the light, pushing it far below a neutral color balance to create the cool, ethereal effect.

Jay photographed Green Day in Jay's San Francisco studio, using artificial strobe lights fitted with blue gels to enhance the intensity of the blue tones already inherent in the film. This setup created a vivid, striking effect that amplified the mood and energy of the session.

The shoot with Snoop Dogg was another quick session for a magazine cover. Jay had him indoors against a plain background for only a short time. For this shoot, Jay primarily used standard color film, with just one or two rolls of blue film. To create a distinctive look, Jay used strobe lights fitted with blue gels, adding a bold, atmospheric touch to the final images.

The photo shoot with No Doubt was another quick session. In the mid-1990s, Jay frequently worked with the local radio station Live 105, which hosted incredible events featuring some of the coolest bands of the time. These ranged from free concerts in downtown San Francisco to massive fan appreciation shows at the Shoreline Amphitheater. While covering these gigs, Jay focused on live concert photography but always made an effort to capture candid backstage moments.

At the time, No Doubt was skyrocketing in popularity with the release of their Tragic Kingdom album. Despite their busy schedule, Jay managed to get all four members to sit on a grassy slope backstage. Jay shot one roll of film—just one—in about a minute, using a fisheye lens for every frame and sticking to Jay's signature blue-toned aesthetic.

Jay photographed Alanis Morissette in 1996 at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley for Guitar World magazine. This wasn’t Jay's first time working with her; Jay had photographed Alanis a year earlier, just weeks after Jagged Little Pill was released. That 1995 session marked her first-ever magazine covers, including a blue portrait that appeared on the cover of BAM magazine.

The portrait shown here was taken outdoors with available light. Jay had only a brief window to photograph her and her two guitar players, so they worked quickly backstage at the Greek Theatre to capture this shot.

In 1997, Jay photographed David Byrne in Jay's San Francisco studio for Addicted to Noise (ATN), the first online music magazine. For this session, Jay had no elaborate setups in mind—just a simple, clean approach. Jay used a plain white background, which was illuminated with blue gels on Jay's strobe lights. The combination of blue lighting and the artificial setup created a strikingly unique atmosphere, perfectly complementing Byrne’s distinctive presence.

Jerry Garcia photographed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco, CA. August, 1970.

© Elizabeth Sunflower/Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed in Oakland, CA during the making of the Throwing Stones music video. November 5, 1987.

© Jay Blakesberg/Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed at the SNACK Benefit press conference in San Francisco, CA. February, 1975.

© Alvan Meyerowitz/Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed in Los Angeles, CA. June, 1967.

© Ron Rakow/ Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA. December 19, 1993.

© Jay Blakesberg/Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed at the Frost Amphitheatre in Palo Alto, CA. October, 1982.

© Jay Blakesberg/ Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed in Los Angeles, CA during the recording of the first Grateful Dead record. January, 1967.

© Ron Rakow/ Retro Photo Archive

Jerry Garcia photographed in Mill Valley, CA. September 2, 1993.

© Jay Blakesberg/Retro Photo Archive