Steve Korn : Photography in major key
Transdisciplinary photographer Steve Korn pushes the boundaries between visual arts and music. A former jazz drummer, he has carried from the stage a taste for perfect tempo, an instinct for improvisation, and an acute awareness of that precise moment when everything shifts, when the right note or the flash of light gives the whole its full power. Today, he channels this musical sensitivity behind the lens, orchestrating each image like a composition. Lines become staves, colors turn into chords, and shadow and light improvise an intense dialogue.
He moves effortlessly through multiple worlds: fashion, advertising, sports, editorial, fine art… Fields where he blends technical precision, innovation, and a talent for storytelling. For him, photography is not about freezing a moment; it must convey energy, reveal presence, tell a story. Inspired by the rigor of Ansel Adams and the narrative poetry of Andrew Wyeth, Steve Korn creates images that strike with both formal precision and emotional depth.
His strength lies in his ability to see beyond the obvious — to capture the tension of a gesture, the pulse of an atmosphere, the fleeting light that transforms a gaze. Whether working on an advertising campaign, a fashion series, or a personal art project, he infuses his images with an almost musical vitality — vibrant, expressive, alive. With Steve Korn, every photograph becomes a piece to be listened to with the eyes, a story that resonates long after it has been seen.
Website : www.stevekornphoto.com
Instagram : @steve_korn
News : Portrait workshop shared with David Shoukry in London on September 7th. For more info DM on Instagram @steve_korn
Your first photographic trigger ?
Steve Korn : I grew up with a family of hobbyist photographers, painters and pencil artists, so I was seeing and appreciating art from a young age.
The man or woman of image who inspired you?
Steve Korn : I have been inspired by many great photographers including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Horst P. Horst, Albert Watson, Annie Leibovitz and countless others. I feel that growing up studying and ultimately working as a professional musician had just as much an affect on my development. Composers like Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Steve Reich and many others helped to develop the aesthetic that drives my vision.
The image you would have liked to take?
Steve Korn : I can’t say I’ve ever wished to have taken someone else’s image. I think I’m really trying to focus on creating what I want to see in an image and this process is so intimately linked to who I am, that I have only ever tried to do that. I’m certainly inspired by and appreciate the work of others but am ultimately always interested in seeing what the confluence of my creativity interacting with the creativity of my subject and whatever additional factors come into play creates in a given moment.
The one that moved you the most?
Steve Korn : An image that always comes to mind as a touchstone is by photographer Roy DeCarava. It was taken for the cover of Miles Davis’ album, Porgy and Bess. I love the softness of the moment, how it feels like an in-between gesture, unplanned and intimate. I love the story it creates in my mind, Frances trying to draw Miles’ attention. I am increasingly drawn to the technical softness of the image and more and more am using motion blur to add a kinetic and ephemeral elements to my work.
© Roy DeCarava
And the one that made you angry?
Steve Korn : The only images that make my angry are the ones that look lazy or uninspired, especially when they are my own….but I also understand that everything is a process and sometimes we make work that we feel does not connect with oneself and know that it’s important to embrace that work as it often pushes us to explore and understand where we need to go moving forward.
Which photo changed the world?
Steve Korn : I don’t think all photos carry such a lofty goal, but clearly reportage allows us to see things happening in other parts of the world that we would not feel as deeply only reading about them. Photos from war zones, the World Trade Center attacks, humanitarian crises all show that direct human effect of an event and through humanization comes personalization.
And which photo changed your world?
Steve Korn : Not a photo but rather a painting, Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth. The kinetics of this painting has been a driver of much of my aesthetic. The moment feels like it is in between events, perhaps a startling sound a moment before, that tension in Christina’s body and the action a moment later. When I was a boy seeing this, I didn’t know that Christina was a paraplegic. I imagined that she had heard a gun shot at the house, was startled and in the next moment jumped up and ran. In spite of having the story of the painting wrong, it made me curious about the way a single image could tell a story, how I could imagine three moments in one image. This has definitely been a driver in my dance photography as I always want to feel like the image is not static but rather moving through a moment. This is true as well of my portrait photography but on a more subtle level.
What interests you most in an image?
Steve Korn : I think the things that are intuitive are most appealing. Those things that resonate with you, that you could only identify if asked to reflect and explain your feelings. The feeling of seeing an image for a fraction of a second and saying, “Wow.” For me it’s often beautiful lines/geometry, color palette, expression and how all of the elements interact and balance on another in the frame.
What is the last photo you took ?
Steve Korn : The latest work is of dancer, Shannon Adams.
© Steve Korn
A key image in your personal pantheon?
Steve Korn : I don’t know that I have one. I tend to create work, love it, then move on and it sort of detaches from me. I think the real work is inside me and the photos are just revelations of where I am on a given day.
A photographic memory from your childhood?
Steve Korn : My grandparents gave my a very old Ansco 120 camera when I was about 8 or 9. I remember shooting pictures of the front of my house it and in spite of being told I needed to manually wind the film forward for each frame, I would forget but ended up really intrigued with the double exposures I’d created.
According to you, what is the necessary quality to be a good photographer?
Steve Korn : Curiosity.
What makes a good photo?
Steve Korn: That it resonate with someone in some way. It does and shouldn’t please everyone, but if everyone is indifferent…that’s death.
The person you would like to photograph?
Steve Korn : There are a lot of people I would love to photograph and the list and order probably change all the time. Most often I’m happy to have anyone in front of my camera, I find the process of working with a subject fascinating and love finding my way to the best image I can create with them. As for someone famous, maybe Bencio del Toro. I love watching him act and am intrigued by what is going on behind his eyes at any given moment.
An indispensable photo book?
Steve Korn : I love Nigel Parry’s books Sharp and Blunt. Gorgeous portraiture, large prints, beautifully reproduced. And Nigel’s work is amazingly creative for its simplicity.
The camera of your childhood?
Steve Korn: Besides the old Ansco, my first camera was a little Kodak 110.
The one you use today?
Steve Korn : I have been using Canon cameras for most of my work for the last 20 years.
How do you choose your projects ?
Steve Korn: Whatever excites and inspires me.
How would you describe your creative process?
Steve Korn : I definitely like to let stuff stew in my subconscious. I will write down an idea, look for inspirational information or materials think a little about execution and then let it sit for a bit. Often the break lets my mind ruminate, to subconsciously see other elements that add depth to the concept. I value going slowly with personal work.
An upcoming project that’s close to your heart?
Steve Korn : Looking forward to shooting at one of the locations from the 1966 movie Blowup by Michelangelo Antonioni. It’s one of my favorites and I’ll be in London next month and have found a model to shoot with.
Your favorite drug?
Steve Korn : Love.
The best way to disconnect for you ?
Steve Korn : I like spending time with friends and family. I like to play music. I have a hobby I enjoy making leather wallets. And, I also love watching movies and series and enjoy a good video game.
What is your relationship with the image ?
Steve Korn : It’s a reflection of my mind and a reaction to my interaction with my subject.
Who would you like to be photographed by ?
Steve Korn: I don’t like to be photographed. As much as I am focused on working with people in front of my camera and helping get them to a good place, I feel extremely awkward being photographed.
Your latest folly?
Steve Korn : I live pretty simply. Can’t think of a folly…
An image to illustrate a new banknote?
Steve Korn : As an American I think it would be great to see the faces of those history has tried to erase and acknowledge their contributions to society.
The job you would not have liked to do ?
Steve Korn : Photograph Donald Trump.
Your greatest professional extravagance?
Steve Korn : I’m not a real gear-head. I use and value good gear but don’t obsess over it. An extravagance I would like to do is going to remote towns and photographing the people who live there. Arctic circle, remote islands, etc. I’m fascinated by the idea of self-isolation, especially after the pandemic. Those who choose to isolate are interesting to me but somehow I fear they are the people who least want to be photographed!
What question gets you off track?
Steve Korn : I can’t think of anything.
What was the last thing you did for the first time?
Steve Korn : Skydiving.
The city, the country or the culture you dream of discovering?
Steve Korn : Alaskan Inuit.
The place you never get tired of ?
Steve Korn : I’m pretty happy to be wherever I am and don’t remember ever feeling tired of a place. I love my city, Seattle. It’s beautiful and interesting and after 31 years, I’m still finding new things.
Your biggest regret ?
Steve Korn : Anytime I’ve allowed fear to keep me from acting.
In terms of social networks, are you more into Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok or Snapchat and why?
Steve Korn : Instagram. I enjoy curating my stream and like to see the work of my peers.
Color or B&W?
Steve Korn : Both for sure.
Daylight or artificial light?
Steve Korn : Also both, I’m implying that whatever light works is good with me.
Which city do you think is the most photogenic?
Steve Korn: I love the challenge Annie Leibovitz posed of trying to make a great photo wherever you are. I think if you are creative and open that anywhere you are can deliver something special.
If God existed would you ask him to pose for you, or would you opt for a selfie with him?
Steve Korn : If I had to choose between the two options I’d have them pose for me.
If I could organize your ideal dinner party, who would be at the table?
Steve Korn : Nadav Kander, Barak Obama, Annie Leibowitz, Dan Winters, Bill Burr, and James Baldwin and he would still be alive.
The image that represents for you the current state of the world?
Steve Korn : That’s complicated question. First thing to come to mind is a Jackson Pollock painting.
According to you, what is missing in today’s world?
Steve Korn : Empathy and understanding that we are all in this together. Countries, wealth, politics, religion and power are all manmade constructs that divide humanity and are keeping us from solving existential problems.
If you had to start all over again?
Steve Korn : I’m not sure where I’d start.
What do you like people to say about you?
Steve Korn : Steve was kind and funny and I felt like he cared about me.
The one thing we absolutely must know about you?
Steve Korn : I’m no different from anyone else, I’m just trying to do my thing and hopefully I am putting more good into the world than bad.
A last word ?
Steve Korn : Nothing really worthwhile is easy. We are all enormously complicated people in an enormously complicated world. No one really knows what’s going on or will happen in the future, so just try to do the best you can and appreciate and accept the parts of yourself and others that are not perfect. We’re all just trying to get along.
