On August 8, 1969 the Beatles shot the iconic cover to the last album they would ever record, Abbey Road. Freelance photographer Iain Macmillan, who was a friend to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, shot the photos using a Hasselblad camera (50mm wide-angle lens, aperture f22, at 1/500 seconds).
Paul McCartney and Macmillan composed the following sketch with their ideas prior to the shoot.
McCartney’s wife, photographer Linda McCartney, shot a number of outtakes prior to the shoot.
Police blocked traffic as Macmillan climbed a ladder and shot a number photographs with the Beatles walking in both directions, with McCartney discalced in some and in sandals in others. It was a hot summer day and that asphalt was pretty hot.
Finally, McCartney selected the photo below which was the only photo with all four Beatles walking in sync and away from the Abbey Road studio, where they had been recording for seven years. Fitting for their last album.
