Jeff Katz (born 1960)[1] is an American commercial photographer. His early work focused primarily on photographing musicians for the recording industry. His photography expanded to capturing the images of actors and directors in film and TV. His work in the entertainment business is seen in advertising, movie posters, magazines, albums, tour books, and book publishing.
Jeff Katz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960 (age 63–64) |
| Alma mater | Ithaca College, New York |
| Occupation | Photography |
| Years active | 1982 - present |
| Known for | collaboration with Prince |
| Notable work | album covers Sign o' the Times, The Family, Parade |
| Website | jeffkatzphotography |
Education
editJeff Katz was born in Fairfield, Connecticut.[1] He graduated Cum Laude from Ithaca College, New York state in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Cinema and Photography,[2] and moved to Los Angeles, CA.
Career
editPhotography
editDuring the first years of his photography career, Katz worked in the music recording industry, shooting for record labels and publications such as Warner Bros Records, Arista Records, and Universal Music Group, and Rolling Stone Magazine.[3][4]
His music photography includes album covers, tour books, single releases and promotional advertising for a range of music genres. In the 1990s Katz photographed covers, and featured articles, for publications such as People, Life, Parade, Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide. This work expanded his career with motion pictures and television studios including Sony Pictures, A&E Network, Columbia Pictures, ABC and Disney Studios. His photography for Sports Illustrated brought him the opportunity to photograph athletes such as Oscar De La Hoya and others.[citation needed]
He has photographed contemporary figures, artists, performers and athletes including LL Cool J,[5][6] Earth, Wind & Fire,[7] George Clooney,[8] Denzel Washington,[9][10] Colin Kaepernick,[11] Bon Jovi,[12] Rob Lowe,[13] Olivia Munn,[14] Ozzy Osbourne,[15][16] Mel Gibson,[17] John Densmore,[18] Vanilla Ice,[19] Elton John,[20] and President Joe Biden.[21]
Collaboration with Prince
editWhile in his early 20s, Katz became the personal photographer and official tour photographer for musician Prince for over a decade, and shot the covers of multiple Prince albums.
In 1984, Warnes Bros. offered him the position of assistant photographer on the set of Prince's The Family album. Subsequently, he became the behind the scenes and personal photographer for Prince's directorial debut Under The Cherry Moon filmed in Nice, France.[22][3][23] He then became Prince's official tour photographer, and collaborated for 12 years from January 1985 to the end 1996, creating over fifty photo sessions with him and his roster of artists including Sheila E. (1988). [24][25] Katz shot the covers of the Parade (1986) and Sign o' the Times (1987) albums.[3] Katz was the main photographer for Prince's tour books and promotional imagery for Lovesexy (1988), Batman (1989), Graffiti Bridge (1990), Diamonds and Pearls (1991) and more. He also photographed Prince's wedding to Mayte García in 1996.[25]
In 2019, Katz was a guest speaker at the Prince Celebration at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota, where he talked about his shoots with Prince.[24][26] His photographs of Prince are displayed on the walls of Paisley Park, including a room dedicated to the Under The Cherry Moon film. In an agreement with Prince's estate, Katz has an online art gallery showcasing his images of Prince. In 2020, a 120-page hardcover book with previously unseen photographs by Katz were published as part of Paisley Park's rerelease of Prince's Sign o' the Times recording.[3][27][28]
References
edit- ^ a b Edward Siddons (24 June 2020). "Prince On The Cover Of Parade: Jeff Katz's Best Photograph". theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "IC View - The Magazine of Ithaca College | Fall '21 | Alumni Notes | 1982". ithaca.edu. p. 40. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Janelle Okwodu (10 September 2020). "Untold Story Behind Prince's Sign O' the Times Album". vogue.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Wendy and Lisa | Prince's Women". rollingstone.com. 24 April 1986. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Sus (11 November 2015). "Meet LL Cool J and his jewelry designer wife Simone Smith at Macy's". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ Jean E. Palmieri (15 May 2023). "Simone Smith to Launch Higher-priced Men's Jewelry Line Under Majesty Name". wwd.com. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ Nicky Baxter (27 August 1997). "The Return of Funk". metrosiliconvalley.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ ""Best TV Doctors"". parade.com.
- ^ Clare Fitzgerald (16 September 2021). "10 Denzel Washington Facts That Show He's Truly The Man On Fire". thevintagenews.com. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Elaine Lipworth (10 December 2010). "Interview | Denzel Washington". theguardian.com. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ SI staff (6 February 2015). "Playing it cool by the Bay: Behind the scenes on the Levi's shoot with Samantha Hoopes, Colin Kaepernick and Vernon Davis". si.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ ""Bon Jovi Lay Your Hands On Me"". discogs.com.
- ^ ""Rob Lowe Brims With Boundless Enthusiasm"". parade.com.
- ^ Alex Apatoff (20 March 2014). "Olivia Munn: I've Tried So Many Crazy Things to Cure My Acne". people.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Ken Pierce (29 July 2021). "Ozzy Osbourne to celebrate "No More Tears" 30th anniversary with special editions". piercingmetal.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Liz Scarlett (20 September 2022). "Ozzy Osbourne to release an expanded digital deluxe edition of No More Tears in celebration of its 30th anniversary". loudersound.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ Tom Grater (4 November 2019). "Mel Gibson & Frank Grillo Board Joe Carnahan's Thriller 'Leo From Toledo'; MadRiver On Sales – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Jenny Stevens (8 January 2020). "Doors drummer John Densmore: 'It took me years to forgive Jim Morrison'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ Charles Hagen (23 June 1991). "PHOTOGRAPHY VIEW; The Star-Making Machinery, Caught by the Camera's Eye". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011.
- ^ ""Elton John Awarded Humanitarian Medal" from President Biden". kisstimmins.com.
- ^ "From President Joe Biden "Elton John Awarded Humanitarian Medal"". kisstimmins.com.
- ^ Quinn Moreland (23 September 2020). "What It Was Like to Be Prince's Personal Photographer". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ^ Brianne Tracy (15 July 2019). "Prince Like You've Never Seen Him Before: The Star's Longtime Photographer Shares Rare Photos and Private Memories". people.com. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b Mikey O'Connell (25 April 2019). "A Fresh Look at Prince". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ a b Aurélie Raya (26 October 2020). "Jeff Katz, portrait painter of the Prince". parismatch.com (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Tonya Pendleton (29 April 2019). "Prince Celebration 2019 Recap: The Legacy Lives On But What About The Future?". blackamericaweb.com. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ Daniel Kreps (25 June 2020). "Prince Estate Announces Massive Vault-Raiding Reissue for 'Sign O' the Times'". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Hannah Wigandt (25 September 2020). "Sign O' The Times Boxset Proves Prince's Vault Is Bigger Than Imagined". ccn.com. Retrieved 30 December 2023.