On Get the FUNK Out September 24th at 9am, special guest Jimmy Steinfeldt joined me to talk about life as a self-taught photographer and his experiences shooting rock and rock royalty! During his 30 years in the photography business, Jimmy Steinfeldt has worked with everyone from Miles Davis to the Ramones. Born in Minneapolis, Jimmy first focused and clicked at age 14. Cars (not the band), were among his first photographic subjects.
If you missed the show, you can listen to it here.
Jimmy moved to California to study at San Diego State University where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Management. After college he shot his way through many long road-trips and rock concerts armed with his first real camera. A one-hundred dollar Minolta!
Jimmy is a self-taught photographer who has only to squint through the lens for inspiration. Jimmy cites photographer Richard Avedon and cinematographer Karl Freund among his strongest influences. Jimmy's unique photographic style conveys the personality of his artist-musician subjects while conveying the story of their music.
As a live action photographer, Jimmy was first published in 1985 in SPIN magazine. In that same year Rolling Stone published one of his photographs of Madonna, which he credits as a major boost to his career. In 1986 his dreams as a music fan and photographer came true when Rolling Stone published his photo of Bob Dylan. CD covers followed from this exposure: Miles Davis, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Dee Dee Ramone and many others.
Jimmy's Elusive Studios, in the canyons of Hollywood, is his base of operations and has become a haven for music, film and television artists. In 1998 and again in 2007, industry players recognized his work and named him Photographer of the Year at the Los Angeles Music Awards.
Jimmy's advice to aspiring photographers? "Try something new on every shoot - experiment with lighting, film, filters and gels. As for your camera, never leave home without it!"
