Transdisciplinary photographer Steve Korn is pushing the boundaries between visual arts and music, bringing a unique perspective to contemporary photography that draws from his background as a former jazz drummer. His work spans multiple fields including fashion, advertising, sports, editorial, and fine art, where he blends technical precision with innovative storytelling techniques that reflect his musical sensibilities.
Korn's transition from the stage to behind the camera has carried with it a keen sense of perfect tempo, an instinct for improvisation, and an acute awareness of those precise moments when everything shifts – when the right note or flash of light gives a composition its full power. Today, he channels this musical sensitivity through his lens, orchestrating each image like a musical composition where lines become staves, colors transform into chords, and shadow and light engage in intense dialogue.
"I grew up with a family of hobbyist photographers, painters and pencil artists, so I was seeing and appreciating art from a young age," Korn explains when asked about his first photographic trigger. His approach to photography goes beyond simply freezing moments – he believes images must convey energy, reveal presence, and tell compelling stories.
Drawing inspiration from masters like Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Horst P. Horst, Albert Watson, and Annie Leibovitz, Korn also credits his musical development as equally influential. "I feel that growing up studying and ultimately working as a professional musician had just as much an effect on my development. Composers like Bela Bartok, Igor Stravinsky, Steve Reich and many others helped to develop the aesthetic that drives my vision," he notes.
Korn's creative philosophy centers on authenticity and personal vision. When asked about images he wishes he had taken, he responds: "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."
One image that particularly moves him is Roy DeCarava's photograph taken for the cover of Miles Davis' album "Porgy and Bess." Korn appreciates "the softness of the moment, how it feels like an in-between gesture, unplanned and intimate." This influence has led him to increasingly incorporate motion blur into his work, adding kinetic and ephemeral elements that reflect his musical background.
A pivotal moment in Korn's artistic development came not from photography but from Andrew Wyeth's painting "Christina's World." As a child, he misunderstood the story behind the painting, imagining Christina had heard a gunshot and was about to jump up and run, not knowing she was paraplegic. This misinterpretation sparked his fascination with how a single image could tell a story and suggest multiple moments simultaneously.
"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," Korn explains. His recent work includes photographs of dancer Shannon Adams, showcasing this dynamic approach to capturing movement and emotion.
Korn's technical setup includes Canon cameras, which he has used for most of his work over the past 20 years, though he describes himself as not being a "real gear-head." His creative process involves letting ideas "stew in his subconscious" – writing down concepts, gathering inspiration, thinking about execution, then allowing time for his mind to subconsciously develop additional elements that add depth.
Currently based in Seattle after 31 years, Korn continues to find new inspiration in his city while planning exciting projects. He's particularly looking forward to shooting at one of the locations from Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film "Blowup" during an upcoming trip to London, where he'll also be conducting a portrait workshop with David Shoukry on September 7th.
When reflecting on what makes a good photograph, Korn believes it should "resonate with someone in some way. It does and shouldn't please everyone, but if everyone is indifferent – that's death." He identifies curiosity as the most necessary quality for photographers and emphasizes the importance of intuitive elements in images – those that resonate immediately and create that instant "wow" reaction.
Korn's philosophy extends beyond photography to broader social issues. He believes empathy and understanding are missing in today's world, noting that "countries, wealth, politics, religion and power are all manmade constructs that divide humanity and are keeping us from solving existential problems." This humanistic approach influences how he works with subjects, always trying to help them reach "a good place" during shoots.
Looking ahead, Korn dreams of traveling to remote locations like the Arctic Circle or isolated islands to photograph people who choose self-isolation, though he acknowledges the irony that "those who choose to isolate are interesting to me but somehow I fear they are the people who least want to be photographed." His ultimate goal remains simple yet profound: putting more good into the world than bad while helping people feel cared for and understood through his work.
