A prominent music and celebrity photographer, Kevin Mazur has captured some of the world’s best known music stars at dramatic moments on and off stage. His career as a first-class photographer spans twenty-five years of music history. About his greatest passion – photography – Kevin Mazur spoke with Gaja Wojdyllo-Rucinska.

 As a staff photographer for the Rolling Stone magazine, Mazur has aimed his lens at the most notorious performers and gained wide recognition as a top music photographer. Mazur is one of the founders of WireImage.com, a leading international photography press agency and wire service. Later, he was instrumental in helping launch WireImage.s sister agency, Contour Photos, a premier stock photo agencydesigned specifically for the high-end celebrity portraiture market.  Yet, even before his entrepreneurial days, he had established himself as the go-to guy for celebrity images, particularly those of rock stars. Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Nirvana, and U2 are just a few of the names on his clientele list. His photos have appeared in many publications, including Rolling Stone, People, Entertainment Weekly, Musician, Spin US, Newsweek, and more.  In its April 2005 issue, American Photo named Kevin Mazur number four among the hundred most important people in contemporary photography. 

One of the best pieces of career advice he received came from Robert DeNiro. When Mazur was just starting out in the realm of celebrity photography, he found himself on the set of one of DeNiro's films. Mazur began to shoot a few pictures of DeNiro who approached and upbraided him for not asking permission to take his photograph. Later in the day, DeNiro explained that he had mistaken him for a paparazzi, but Mazur still follows the advice nonetheless. In person, he is a family man, kind gentleman with a warm voice and a typical Brooklyn accent. Gaja Wojdyłło-Rucińska got to sit down with him, his wife, and an assistant to talk about his adventure in photography.

-  I have learned from your biography that you were born and raised in Brooklyn, and yet your name sounds Polish. Could you tell me more about your background?
Kevin Mazur: You’re right, I was born in Brooklyn, and my parents lived there until we moved to Long Island when I was about three years old. However, all my relatives, my close and extended family, had lived in Poland. My grandmother spent nearly her whole life there, until she was 93. So, my family is thoroughly Polish. I am not sure when exactly they arrived in the U.S., but I could find out. I have a few old black-and-white photographs of my grand father wearing Polish army uniform. I understand that he went back to Europe to enlist, and returned to the States only after the war.

– Who did you want to be when you were little?
K.M.: My dad. I wanted to be like my dad who worked for the New York City police and fire department. I always imagined I would choose one of the two professions. One of my uncles was also a cop, and, in fact, we had quite a few cops and firefighters in the family. Since this was what I was most familiar with, it was only natural that that’s what I wanted to become.

– Instead, you became a photographer, and that’s a far cry from being a cop or a firefighter. How did your adventure in

 photography begin?
K.M.: When I worked as an ocean lifeguard, I took to photographing the water, the beach, sunsets, and things like that. At the same time, I had a real passion for music and indulged it by attending shows and concerts. I would scalp tickets just to afford front-row seats. At some point, I started bringing my camera to the shows and taking pictures. This was my first step in the show business photography, and the rest is history.

– Was it difficult to sneak in your camera past the security?
K.M.: In the early 1980s, the rules weren’t as strict as they are today, and the security wouldn’t really bother you. I would just put the camera in

 my bag, and bring it in. Later on, however, I had to be cunning: I would stuff the lenses into my socks and hide the camera body in my pants. I had to take it completely apart to sneak it in. That was quite a challenge.

– Do you still recall your first camera?
K.M.: Yes, it was a high school graduation gift.

– How did you transition from being a music-lover sneak-shooting his favorite stars to being rock-and-roll legends’ photographer of choice?
K.M.: My friends kept telling me how good my photos were and encouraging me to sell my talent. Finally, I called up a few agencies. The first one that I went to I brought  a pile of Billy Joel shots with me to show my work. It just happened they had a request for a Billy Joel feature and they asked me if they could use my images. I agreed, and a week later they called me back to tell me that the People Magazine loved my work and would publish it. This was the first time that my photographs appeared in print. It was exhilarating, and all I could think of was working for magazines.

– Is that how you came on board the Rolling Stone magazine?
K.M.: It was not immediate. I kept submitting my work to Rolling Stone, and they started running the pictures. At some point, they sent me on my first field assignment, to the New Orleans Jazz Festival. I stayed there for a week.

– So that was your first actual assignment. What was your first paying job?
K.M.: I worked for a company named Ascott, and was assigned to shoot a luncheon with Paul McCartney. I was utterly spoiled by Paul and Linda’s

 kindness and in my naivety, I expected all celebrities to be so gracious. Down the road, I got to go on tour with the McCartney’s.

– In what sense were Paul and Linda McCartney unique? What are other celebrities like?
K.M.: Paul and Linda were just genuinely nice people. Even today, when I run into Paul McCartney, he’ll strike up a conversation: “Hi, Kevin, how’s the family? What are your kids up to?” He is just a great guy, and extremely charismatic. Few stars can be so down-to-earth.

– Have you at any point felt star-stricken?
K.M.: There’s no doubt about it: after all, I was working with Paul McCartney! Luckily, he and Linda had a way of putting one at ease. Now, a run-in with Robert DeNiro was quite a different experience.
Robert DeNiro’s character in his movie “The King of Comedy” was based on my friend Vinny, an autograph collector. Vinny and I decided to visit DeNiro on the set to watch him shoot the film, and get some autographs. As soon as I saw DeNiro step out of his trailer, my camera went to work. He walked straight up to me, slammed my back against the trailer wall, and roared: “F**ing ask before you ever ever take a f**ing picture!” That was pretty scary. A few minutes later, Vinny asked me if I got to see DeNiro. I told him about my encounter. Vinny went to talk to DeNiro.
After hanging around the set, I got to visit DeNiro in his trailer. He turned to me to explain: “I didn’t realize who you were. Today is my first day in costume, and I figured you were a paparazzi. You should remember to always ask before you take a picture!” From that day on, I always ask first.

I met Mr. DeNiro again just the other night at Tony Bennett’s eightieth birthday party. As we were chatting, I refreshed his memory of the incident and recounted it to him and his new wife. Then I told him this was the best piece of advice anyone ever gave me. It got me to where I am today! I can’t even count how many times simple courtesy won me the shot I was looking for. Even if at first someone refused to have their picture taken, I would add: “Remember me next time,” and often they did!

– Do you choose celebrities you want to photograph or do they choose you?
K.M.: I maintain very close relations with many stars, and they’re just a phone call away. Certainly, there are some who ask for me, for instance Barbra Streisand. Or Bob Dylan with whom I worked just recently. I photographed Bob many times; I’ve did his “Love and Theft” album cover. We went to a recording studio and had a very intimate shooting session. We spent a whole day driving around from place to place and snapping pictures. Just two cars: his and mine. That was unforgettable.

– What was your most memorable photo-session?
K.M.: There have been so many different photo shoots. The most recent one that stands out in my memory was when I traveled to Rome not too long ago to photograph Billy Joel’s concert at the coliseum. That was a stunning performance.
An Elton John concert would be another indelible memory. Shortly after my first son was born, Billy [Joel] and John were kicking off their tour in Boston. Out of blue, in the middle of the show, Elton John says: “I would like to dedicate this next song to a new little friend of mine, who is two weeks old. His name is Zachary Mazur.” And then he plays the Lion King Song. It was deeply moving. After the show, I remarked in passing that I wished I had video-taped this. Elton John told me to bring a video camera to the next concert. So, a few days later, we were in New York; my parents came, too, and were seated in the front row. To our surprise, Elton John repeated the gesture: he dedicated the song to my son again. My parents were thrilled and completely astonished. It was a wonderful moment. Elton John is really awfully kind. On so many other occasions, I would stand in front of the stage, he would spot me, and say: “I’d like to dedicate this song to Kevin, my favorite photographer.”  He truly is an exceptional person!

– Do you take time to prepare before you shoot a live concert: for instance, study the artist’s stage plans? Do you have a favorite spot where to shoot from?
K.M.: No, I don’t have a favorite spot. I’m very restless. I try to get as many different shots and angles as possible. Unlike some photographers, I am all over the place: on stage, off stage, up and down the aisles, among the audience. I do attend rehearsals before the shows, which helps me figure out my timing. On the other hand, excessive preparation kills the surprise effect. And that’s what matters at big award ceremonies. For example, with the MTV Music Awards which just took place, I stayed for the whole show, so I could be at the right place at the right time when they announced the winners.

– You said somewhere that when you photograph a concert, you try to capture the energy of the performance. Could you elaborate what you mean by that?
K.M.: The energy comes from the audience as much as from the performer. Elton John, for instance, is known for standing up all at once, kicking back his chair, and attacking his keyboard with passion. Billy Joel, on the other hand, loves to run around the stage. Other performers have their own signature moves, and the audience goes hysterical. At such moments, the concert halls explode with energy. And this is what I try to capture. Timing is the key. Again, you have to be at the right place at the right time.

– Shooting a live concert sounds as hard as catching a lightning on film.
K.M.: Sure. You could also compare it to recor-
ding sport events: trying to freeze action in a still frame, a single frame documenting history.

– Live concerts, back-stage, private recordings, portrait sessions: what is your favorite setting?
K.M.: Lately, I have been focusing on portraiture and find it very rewarding. It’s quite new to me and different from my previous work. Live concerts, though, are something I truly love and enjoy shooting. There is nothing better than watching the crowd worked up into frenzy, standing

 in the middle, and capturing that wild energy. Plus, I always have the best seat in the house. There are usually some 50,000 fans behind me. I am between them and the stage. I get this incredible adrenaline rush. Oftentimes, I can’t fall asleep after a show.

– Do you ever have to pay for the tickets?
K.M.: Rarely, but it does happen from time to time.

– Your portraits look very natural; the subjects seem to feel right at home in front of your lens. Do you put much effort into setting up the background for each subject, or do you let them choose a comfortable location?
K.M.: It depends on the situation. If I’m shooting at a studio, I try to make the subject relax and capture their mood. At times, I travel to their location, whether at a recording studio, at home, or another place of their choice. Recently, I was in Malibu photographing Mariska Hargitay from “Law & Order.” We were working on her first baby photos. One of them made the August TV Guide cover.
As you can see, I do quite a bit of photography in natural settings. I photograph celebrities, their babies, and their weddings. I shot Christina Aguilera’s wedding, Jerry Seinfeld’s, and Whitney Huston’s, as well as Courtney Cox’s baby pictures. All these were done in natural settings.

– You know celebrities intimately. What are they like?
K.M.: Well, they are all great people. Their homes and weddings are just like others’, only more expensive and more glamorous. Celebrities are regular people, and I treat them as such. Perhaps this is why they feel comfortable around me.

– Do you have a favorite celebrity you like to photograph?
K.M.: I love photographing the U2 boys, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Barbra Streisand whom I’ve been working with since 1994. I like working with people who emanate that special energy and whom I happen to like personally, as well.

– What kind of music do you like to listen to?
K.M.: Rolling Stones, The Who, Pearl Jam and everything rock n’ roll!

– Would you ever consider photographing politicians?
K.M.: I have photographed the last few presidents. I had occasion to do some shooting for the Clintons. During Bill Clinton’s term in office, the White House hosted its first and only concert. It was put together by VH1 with a number of various artists, and I got to be there to photograph it.

– Is traveling an upside or a downside of your profession?
K.M.: It’s hard on the kids. Traveling is the hardest part of my job. It’s not as glamorous as it’s made up to be. My schedule is so hectic that I don’t get to spend much time in a single place. As soon as I get in, I have to leave.

– Tell me more about WireImage and Contour Photos.
K.M.: My partner and I started WireImage five years ago and Contour Photo three years later as a high-end portrait division. We represent many leading photographers. The timing of WireImage couldn’t have been better.  We launched right when the media was starting its move to using digital photography.

– I heard a rumor that your book was going to come out sometime this year. Is that true?
K.M.: We were trying to have it ready by Christmas. It is a very time-consuming project, and since I don’t like to rush things, we decided to have it ready sometime next year.

– What inspired you to publish such a collection of photos in book format?
K.M.: Everybody asks me about it. I have many, many photos that were never seen before, and this is a chance to make them known. I think the time is ripe.

– To ask you whether you enjoy what you’re doing would be superfluous. Instead, could you tell me if there is anything you would like to change in your life?
K.M.: No, not really. I’m very lucky. I love my job and my life. The one thing I do regret is that my father never taught me Polish. All my cousins are fluent, and my father even lives in a large Polish community in Long Island, and goes to a Polish church. I wish I could also be a part of that. Aside from that, I could not ask for a better life. I love it.