Not just about Bruce Springsteen – an interview with Frank Stefanko

Frank Stefanko i Bruce Springsteen. fot: Daniel Reed

He’s the man behind the lens — the one who captured Bruce Springsteen’s soul in black and white. Frank Stefanko — the photographer whose raw, timeless portraits shaped the visual legacy of Bruce Springsteen — shares his memories, methods, and moments in a conversation crafted especially for Blood Brothers Poland.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Frank, just to warm things up, I have a simple question: which Bruce Springsteen album do you like most?

Frank Stefanko: Over forty some years, my favorites have changed... first it was „Born to Run” which I thought was amazing, then, of course, it was „Darkness” because I felt part of it, having made the cover photograph. Next was „The River”, again because I made that album cover as well, and it had so much wonderful material. Lately I love „Western Stars” because of how Bruce's style has become more sophisticated and the stories in those songs really get to you...they are like little movies. His most recent album („Only The Strong…”), covering all the great old soul songs from Motown, is also a work of art. So you see, it's hard to pin down any one album as Bruce is constantly evolving and refining his craft.

Wojciech Markiewicz: And is there a particular Springsteen song that means a lot to you—one that’s tied to a really important moment in your life? I have two like that myself. The first is Blood Brothers, and the second is The Rising, especially with its connection to September 11, 2001.

Frank Stefanko: Of all the songs by Bruce and the band, my favorite has always been „Jungleland”. It's a great urban story that paints a vibrant picture of a foreboding city scene. and that wailing sax solo by Clarence goes right to the marrow of your bones. Whenever I hear it... I stop whatever I'm doing and just let it take over.

Wojciech Markiewicz: When and how you first encountered Bruce Springsteen's music? Or did you start photographing him first and only then began listening to Springsteen and TESB?

Frank Stefanko: I first heard Bruce's music on a live radio broadcast from a small club across the river from where I live in New Jersey. The club was outside of Philadelphia and called „The Main Point”. At the time, „bubble gum” music had pervaded the airwaves with songs like, „yummy yummy yummy I got love in my tummy” and contemporary music seemed in a rut. But when I heard Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, I was blown away... this was great... Rock, Soul, Blues, Jazz, Folk, all rolled into one tight ass band with the most dynamic front man in Bruce Springsteen! I went out and bought „Greetings From Asbury Park” and „The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle” right away.

By the time „Born to Run” came out I was a true believer. I told my friends about this great new band including my friend Patti Smith, who was gaining popularity in New York in her own right. As it turned out later Patti and Bruce were together at a club in NYC called „The Bottom Line” where Patti told Bruce about me being, not only a big fan, but that he should have me photograph him because I had been photographing her and that I was a good photographer. Some time after that Bruce called me to work on the „Darkness” album and that was the beginning of almost a fifty year friendship.

The first concerts I attended were the „Darkness” concerts in Philadelphia, Because I made the album cover photographs, Bruce gave me a bunch of tickets to several shows and I visited him backstage after the shows. It was backstage at one of these shows that Steve Van Zandt approached me and enlisted me to come to NYC to photograph Southside Johnny and his band for his „Hearts of Stone” album cover. To see Bruce and the band live for the first time was outrageous... I was dancing in my seat like everyone else. I didn't get the smile off my face for days afterward.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Since you mentioned Patti... How did you meet and what was your collaboration like?

Frank Stefanko: I met Patti Smith at college. So we've been friends since the mid-sixties. I have written about my work with Patti in my book, „Patti Smith / American Artist”. She is still going strong and is known worldwide as a famous performer, artist, poet, writer, musician, photographer, and muse.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Of your photos of Patti, I particularly like the portrait Patti Smith, Streetwise (1974), taken in the Greenwich Village, NYC. Another one that caught my eye is Avenging Angel from 1976. Could you tell us the story behind that photo?

Frank Stefanko: „Avenging Angel” was made in the band's workrooms in midtown Manhattan in 1976. The shooting session was for „Radio Ethiopia” and the title was inspired by the fact John Steed and Emma Peel, „The Avengers” was shown in the photograph on the TV at the time.

Patti Smith: Streetwise + Avenging Angel - fot. Frank Stefanko (http://www.stefankostudio.com/)

Wojciech Markiewicz: But let’s get back to the Boss. What was it like working with Springsteen as a model?

Frank Stefanko: Very easy... it was a mutual arrangement. He would give what he wanted to portray and he was willing to let me direct him as well. It was always an easy going comfortable arrangement, but within that arrangement we worked hard to capture as much as we could from each set-up.
I remember after several sessions photographing just Bruce, he called me up to NYC to photograph him and the band on the rooftop of „The Record Plant” recording studio. That was a great day as we worked during the day, then came back in the evening to do night shots up there. In between, Bruce bought me dinner and we dined in a Times Square Steak House.

Wojciech Markiewicz: The series of photos on the roof of The Record Plant is great. Do you remember any other unusual locations or circumstances for photo sessions with the Boss and the E Street Band?

Frank Stefanko: I guess one of the best was in 1978, during the „Darkness” sessions. We went to a luncheonette with a pinball machine that was owned by a friend of mine and virtually took over the place. Cheesesteaks and Pinball for everyone.

Wojciech Markiewicz: And what was more challenging for you, and what gave you more satisfaction: photographing the Boss on stage or photo sessions for album covers, for example?

Frank Stefanko: That's an easy one to answer... both the private posed sessions and the live show sessions are equally satisfying in two entirely different ways.

Wojciech Markiewicz: These days, do you still attend Springsteen concerts? And, if so, is it for the fun of it, or mainly to take pictures?

Frank Stefanko: As I am getting older I don't go to as many concerts as I did in my younger days, but when I do it's to photograph the concert, but in doing so, I am having fun... jumping, snapping shots, dancing, singing, and partying with my friends in the pit.

Wojciech Markiewicz: I practically annexed my parents’ camera when I was finishing elementary school. It was a Soviet Zenit, where the shutter would occasionally jam, and the casing had a tendency to open, ruining the film. I read that you got yours even earlier—when you were just eight years old.

Frank Stefanko: Yes, my first camera was an old Brownie box camera that my father gave to me when I was eight years old. You loaded it with 120 roll film and it could be used in vertical or horizontal by turning the camera in those positions. I still have that camera.

Wojciech Markiewicz: By the way, your father is from our part of Europe, right? And your mother, like Bruce’s mom, is Italian?

Frank Stefanko: Yes, like Bruce, my mother is Italian, and unlike Bruce, my father is Czechoslovakian. We both were raised with two different cultures.

Wojciech Markiewicz: So, as a teenage photography enthusiast, did you ever sneak a camera into a concert? I have to confess — I definitely did. Back then it was all about hiding it well, because it wasn’t until the end of my studies, when I landed a job as a photojournalist for a local paper, that I could finally shoot concerts without looking over my shoulder.

Frank Stefanko: Well, I knew guys who would tape lenses to one leg and the camera body to another. They had all kinds of tricks to get their cameras in. I was never checked. I just had my camera in the pocket of my coat and just walked in. Maybe the fact that I'm six foot, three inches and most guards were little fellows had something to do with it. Now days I just make arrangements to be in the pit, or backstage.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Most of the unique and iconic photos you took of the Boss probably come from the days of analog photography. Tell us what equipment you used to photograph back then?

Frank Stefanko: You are correct..., in the early days I was completely analog. I used a Mamiya RB 67, which is a medium format film camera 6 x 7 centimeter negative. I also used an inexpensive Yashica D twin lens reflex camera that made square negatives, and, of course, a Nikon 35 mm camera. I did develop the negs and prints in my darkroom, but as things became more involved, I started using a professional lab to process my work and over the years I did move from analog to digital photography. Although I'm sentimental about the old ways, the instant gratification, precision, and definition of digital is what most photographers are using these days.

Wojciech Markiewicz: As a photographer, do you lean more toward the charm of analog, or the convenience and instant results of digital?

Frank Stefanko: As I said, a demand for speed makes digital the only way to go. I remember when Bruce and I were working on „The River” album... He was in California mixing the album, and I was in New Jersey. He would call me late at night and ask me to send him certain images from a previous shoot. I would go into the darkroom for an all night printing session, then FedEx the prints to him to consider, It took days back and forth like that for two weeks. Now it can be done in a matter of minutes.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Fans usually name the Darkness on the Edge of Town cover as their favorite photo of the Boss taken by you - or the winter photo of the Boss by the Corvette. Which one are you most proud of?

Frank Stefanko: Naturally my cover photographs for „Darkness on the Edge of Town”, „The River”, and „Chapter & Verse” albums are among my all time favorites. That „Corvette Winter” photograph used on „Chapter & Verse” was also, I'm proud to say, chosen for Bruce's autobiography „Born to Run” book cover.

The cover photographs for ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’, ‘The River’, and ‘Chapter & Verse’ are among Frank’s all-time favorites.

But over the years I shot for „Nebraska” and „Devils and Dust” albums as well although other images were chosen to use, but I have all those images I shot.
My favorite lately is an image called „Hard Land” which I made at Bruce's farm in New Jersey in 2017 for my big book „Further Up the Road”. I love that shot because it looks like a scene from an old western movie.

• On the Street. fot. Frank Stefanko On the Street. fot. Frank Stefanko
• The Face in the Dark. fot. Frank Stefanko The Face in the Dark. fot. Frank Stefanko
• The River Tour 2016. fot. Frank Stefanko The River Tour 2016. fot. Frank Stefanko
• Hard Land. fot. Frank Stefanko Hard Land. fot. Frank Stefanko
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Wojciech Markiewicz: Over the past half-century Bruce Springsteen has been photographed by many excellent photographers. I mean you, Annie Leibovitz, Lynn Goldsmith, Peter Cunningham, David Gahr, Eric Meola, Danny Clinch, Rob DeMartin... And who would you add to that list?

Frank Stefanko: You have named some great photographers and I am honored to call some of them, and some you haven't mentioned good friends: I'm happy to say Eric Meola, Danny Clinch, Pam Springsteen, Jimmy Marchese, Ed Gallucci, and Niki Germaine are all great photographers and good and dear friends. Danny Clinch has been doing most of Bruce's photography lately including some photographs he made of Bruce a few years ago in Central Park, NYC in a snowstorm that I love, Pam is Bruce's sister who photographed her brother for the „Ghost of Tom Joad” album cover, and of course master photographer and dear friend Eric Meola photographed the iconic „Born to Run” album back in 1975. Just like Bruce, Steven, and the rest of the band mates, these photographer friends of mine are all good souls and great artists. I couldn't be in better company.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Nice that you mentioned Niki Germaine. I met her and Garry Tallent in Milan and Stockholm in 2024, and again in Prague and Milan in 2025, during events promoting her album documenting the early concerts of the Boss and the E Street Band in Houston. I have a copy of the album with a personal dedication from Niki and Garry. Such a lovely and warm couple.

Frank Stefanko: Yes I consider Niki Germaine a friend. I've met her on several occasions, and her book about the E Street Band at Liberty Hall, in the early days, contain great classic photographs in it.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Which of your albums or books would you recommend to Polish fans who want to explore your work, particularly your photos of Springsteen?

Frank Stefanko: I have two books about Bruce currently on the market. The first one is called „Days of Hope and Dreams”, and some used copies are still available on eBay. The more recent one is more expensive and covers almost forty years of my work with Bruce and the band. It’s titled „Bruce Springsteen – Further Up the Road”. This album is the result of my collaboration with renowned photographer Guido Harari. We are good friends, and we both felt it was the right time for me to create a new Springsteen book. Guido, besides being a world-renowned photographer, also publishes books and runs the Wall of Sound Gallery in Alba, Italy, which showcases both his and my photographs.
Coming back to the album itself — it’s a limited edition, numbered and signed, massive book that weighs 10 pounds and is available from the Wall of Sound Gallery in Alba, Italy. It’s very pricey, but I’ve heard from people who purchased it that it’s their prized possession.
Many of my photographs can be viewed on the websites of the Morrison Hotel Gallery, Wall of Sound Gallery, and Snap Galleries Ltd., where they are also available for purchase.

Wojciech Markiewicz: That sounds fascinating. Are you currently working on another photo book or album? Can fans expect a new release in the near future?

Frank Stefanko: I’m currently working on some projects that I can’t talk about yet. However, I can say, whenever I can, I like to get out in wilderness locations, such as the Florida Everglades, the Desert Southwest in America, the Canadian Maritimes, Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the swamps of New Jersey to do landscape and wildlife photography. It's out there in the precious open spaces where I feel relaxed and inspired the most. I very much enjoy our unspoiled natural areas.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Any chance of a budget-friendly version of Bruce Springsteen – Further Up The Road coming out someday? The Iron Curtain’s history, but hey — dropping a quarter of our monthly paycheck on one album still stings a bit…

Frank Stefanko: I don't know of any plans to produce a soft cover version at present. We still have hardback numbered editions of „Bruce Springsteen- Further Up The Road” available at Wall Of Sound Gallery in Alba Italy and can be purchased through their website.

Wojciech Markiewicz: You’ve also photographed The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa, and Johnny Winter. Have you ever put together an album or collection showcasing those incredible shots?

Frank Stefanko: The photographs I've made of artists other than Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith only appear in my book, Bruce Springsteen-Further Up The Road, or in the galleries that represent me.

Wojciech Markiewicz: You make a living from your photos, so we’re really curious — how do you feel about fan sites like ours, where a lot of pictures get shared, including yours? Be honest — is what we’re doing OK in your eyes?

Frank Stefanko: Regarding fan sites I can only hope if they post a photograph, that they at least have the decency to give a photo credit to the photographer.

Wojciech Markiewicz: To wrap things up, here’s what AI has to say about you: His black-and-white photography, inspired by film noir and the work of Diane Arbus, brought a new aesthetic into the world of music. Stefanko captured artists in their most authentic moments, changing the way audiences saw musicians – as flesh-and-blood humans, not just stars. He didn’t just document an era – he helped shape it, giving artists a visual identity that matched their sound and message.’ So our question is: what does it take to create something with that kind of impact?

Frank Stefanko: Well, yes, I have been told my portraits of people bring out their inner self. I've often said, in order to get to the soul of your subject, you cannot be afraid to get up close and personal. It's said the eyes are the window to your soul, and if you are willing, in a relaxed working arrangement with your subject, to reach that portal, you will find the soul of your subject.

Wojciech Markiewicz: Beautifully said. And truly inspiring. Big thanks for giving your time to a group of slightly crazy but very grateful fans from faraway Poland!

Frank Stefanko, Soho, NYC. fot: Carol Reed

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