What do Elton John's most famous photos reveal? Photographers behind Icon share insights

Photographers behind Elton John’s historic career have shared their insights on his iconic photos throughout his career as a rock and roll artist.

According to a report in People magazine, some of the photographers, such as Jimmy Steinfeldt, Allan Tannenbaum, Sonia Moskowitz and others have shared their personal experiences of working with the legend in Elton John: Icon, a photobook. It was released in September 2025.

John’s most famous photos in his photobook reveal his rock star image from the 1970s which evolved into a superstar. The contributing photographers, such as Steinfeldt, reminisce about his shift from country-infused early records to seriousness as a performer. He told People magazine:

“Not every musical artist has significant changes in their song choices and their writing and their look. I admire those who can say, 'Well, this is how I feel right now, and if my fan base comes with me, great. If some of them leave me because they don't understand what I'm doing, that's the way it is.' Elton John is one of the all-time greats in changing.”

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Photographers behind Elton John’s iconic photos share insights

Several renowned photographers have captured iconic images of Elton John throughout his career sharing personal stories with People magazine.

While speaking to the outlet Jimmy Steinfeldt said:

“Elton John is one of the all-time greats in changing.”

He explained that John’s early records had a lot of country and gospel-inspired music. Then he brought significant changes with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Steinfeldt mentioned that he started to get involved in his music with the albums Caribou and Captain Fantastic.

Referring to a live performance of John’s 1986 world tour, he said:

“One of the times I photographed him, it was 1986, he came out with this huge plumage of feathers coming out of his costume. And I thought that was so out there and so different than, certainly, his early persona. And I got some very good pictures of that, which appear in the book.”

In the same interview, photographer Allan Tannenbaum shared his memories of capturing John during the superstar's vibrant 1970s nightlife era, particularly at Studio 54. He described attending a party where John was in high spirits:

“I think those pictures of Elton dancing and hanging out, they're very authentic. It's all natural, it's all real. And they show Elton having fun, which is something that came across about his personality. He definitely liked to have fun.”

Sonia Moskowitz, another renowned photographer shared with the outlet:

“Even in his downtime, there was a magnetism about Elton that eminated everywhere he went.”

Barry Schultz, a Los Angeles-based photographer who captured many iconic musicians during the 1970s including John also spoke to People magazine. He shared that John’s energy made him stand out from others. He said:

“The energy was at a very high level compared to so many other people. The people I liked were like the Eagles and Jackson Brown and Pink Floyd. These were not high-energy people. If you look through this book, Elton is just having a lot of fun. And that's part of it, I think, that I liked about being around him. It was always so much fun.”

As of now, John has retired from touring after concluding his record-breaking Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in July 2023.

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