Don Snyder
author · photographer
Donald Roger Snyder (1934–2010) was an American photographer and multimedia artist known for his extensive documentation of the 1960s counterculture. Raised on Coney Island, he began his career as a teenage darkroom worker before developing a distinct style that blended high-fashion photography with radical avant-garde art. Snyder became a prominent figure in the psychedelic movement, capturing iconic images of figures like Timothy Leary and documenting scenes in Haight-Ashbury and Woodstock. His work often explored themes of light, special effects, and multimedia installations, including slide-glass paintings and experimental films. He taught at the School of Visual Arts from 1974 to 1980. His career was significantly impacted by a severe automobile accident in 1980, which led to a more reclusive period before his death in 2010.[1,2,3]
- counterculture
- psychedelia
- light and shadow
- multimedia art
Books
Works by Don Snyder
- 1979 Aquarian Odyssey: A Photographic Trip into the Sixties Primary work documenting the hippie era.
- 1967 Don Snyder's World of Photography Illustrated his innovations in lighting and special effects.
- 1948 Coney Island Inferno First photographic opus consisting of over 24,000 black and white photos.
Exhibitions
- 1987 Coney Island Comeback
- 1986 Television's Impact on Contemporary Art
- 1977 Magic Circle Exhibition