RAINE MAGAZINE Volume 20 | Innovate

A J o u r n e y w i t h
B r u c e S p r i n g s t e e n
Frank Stefanko Profile
Meet Frank Stefanko the fine art photographer whose work graces the
album covers of American legend Bruce Springsteen. Hi work has been
seen by millions on the covers of some Bruce’s most iconic albums,
including: Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, Southside Johnny’s
Hearts of Stone album cover. Frank’s photographs also appear in Bruce
Springsteen’s Live 75185, Greatest Hits, Tracks and the Essential Bruce
Springsteen.
Beyond Frank’s Rock photography, he has been assembling a
portfolio of landscape photographs that feature places where the footprint
of man has not yet touched.
In addition, Frank is working on compiling his collection of vintage
photographs, mostly from the New York underground of the CBGB, Max’s
Kansas City era. Shot in the seventies, these photos feature individuals,
locations and scenes from a unique era that nurtured art, music and poetry.
Whether Frank’s photographs are of rock icons, street scenes, or
landscape photography, the glue that ties them together and gives them
Frank’s signature, is the soulful, moody, dignity that transcends the work.
RAINE: When did you realize you wanted to be a photographer ?
STEFANKO: I was always fascinated by optics and optical illusions and I
found myself drawn to the texture and composition of old black and white
movies. So, one day, when I was eight years old, my father gave me an
old box camera, and you might say he gave me the key to the universe,
because I was instantly hooked.
RAINE: How did you get your start ?
STEFANKO: I had been making photographs all my life, but I would say my
actual start was when Bruce Springsteen had seen some of the photographs
I took ofPatti Smith in New York, and asked me to start working with him on
the album cover of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” back in 1978.
RAINE: What are some of the rewards that you get from being a
photographer?
STEFANKO: Beside the flattery and monetary reward, when folks pay good
money for my work at the galleries that represent me around the world,
there are other more meaningful rewards. Because of what I do, people
have come to me over the years, for artistic advice and shooting tips. Many
of these people, from around the world, have become good friends, and
I’ve seen some of them grow and gather followings of their own.
The largest reward, however, is when I look back at my work, over the
years, and think how lucky I am to have been able to make all those images
that will linger on.
RAINE: What inspires you ?
STEFANKO: Life inspires me, it is so precious. I’m the kind of guy who
wakes up each morning in wonderment. I get as much inspiration from
shooting the face of a mountain, as the face of a person.
RAINE: When looking through the lens of a camera, how do you see the
world ?
STEFANKO: I believe good photographers get to be good photographers
because they inherently have an advanced sense of vision. Vision coupled
with enough intelligence to realize the value of what they see. An excellent
example is the work of Elliot Erwitt, who has an intelligent sense of humor.
Once having locked in on that particular vision, the next step is refining that
composition through the lens.
RAINE: Who has been your favorite subject to work with and why?
STEFANKO: My favorite subject has always been Bruce Springsteen.
It is always a collaboration. He has a strong sense of how he wants to
be portrayed, and I have a sense of how I want to portray him, and we
meet somewhere in the middle. He is easy going and gracious, hence the
working environment is relaxed and fun. His way of scheduling a shoot,
is to call me up and say, “Hey Frankie...let’s get together and make some
photos, and have some fun.”
RAINE: Is there anyone that you have not worked with, that you would like
to capture on film?
STEFANKO: Keith Richards, Johnny Depp, Annie Lennox, and Lucy Lui,
to name but a few. All these artists have wonderful faces and a powerful
persona.
RAINE: Can you talk about your work with Bruce Springsteen ?
STEFANKO: I started working with Bruce in 1978, while shooting the cover
for the “ Darkness on the Edge of Town” album. I was already a fan of
his before we met, but in the days we spent together working on those
photographs, I realized we had much in common. We both had Italian
mothers and non-Italian fathers. Both our families were working-class and
we were both from New Jersey.
I admire Bruce’s work ethic as well...he knows what he wants;
he takes control of his art and keeps it his own. He maintains his vision,
his dignity, his art, and his sense of humor. He knows how to pace himself
for the long haul, in a business that has burned out many stars. But most
important, is that this prolific artist keeps on being relevant, decade after
decade, with a following that is global.
I started working with Bruce in 1978. I shot the covers for
“Darkness” and “The River” as well as many other projects....that was thirty
five years ago, and I’m happy to say we’re still friends.
RAINE: If you could only choose one of your photographs as your favorite,
which would it be and why?
STEFANKO: I made a photograph of Bruce titled, “Frank’s Barbershop”.
In this photograph, Bruce is leaning against a barbershop pole with AI
Pacino “Dog Day Afternoon” hair. The photograph has a lot of hidden
symbolism. His defiance, standing in front of the barbershop with long hair,
two reflections of Bruce’s face, showing three faces of this complex artist.
The number “seven” above the door forluck. The religious artifacts in the
barbershop window, for his religion. A surfboard in the adjacent window,
reflecting his love for the ocean and the Jersey shore...and his dead-on
stare right at the camera, saying” This is me...take it or leave it. Yes....that’s
my favorite.
RAINE: What do you feel your legacy has been to the world of art
photography?
STEFANKO: Hopefully, that I made truthful, revealing photographs...
whether they be my portraits, my landscapes, my street scenes, or my stilllife’s.
Also that the photographers that I helped along the way, or influenced
along the way, will come into their own and pass the torch even further
along.
RAINE: What can others learn from your success?
STEFANKO: Simply, that you must follow your dream, stick to it, and never
give up. If you truly believe that this profession is for you, and if you have
what it takes...then persistence will pay off. Just like anything else, you
must have the true passion to keep going, even in adversity. But if you truly
believe you can do it, and stay with it, good things will happen.
RAINE: What words of wisdom can you give to aspiring photographers?
STEFANKO: This is an easy one...don’t shoot what you think others want to
see....shoot what you see!
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