- - Rock Photographers Recall Capturing the Elton John's Historic Career, from Dazzling on Stage to Partying at Studio 54 (Exclusive)

Angela AndaloroJanuary 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM

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Barry Schultz

Elton John in 1975 -

Elton John's incomparable career is the subject of Elton John: Icon, a photobook from ACC Art Books that shares unforgettable photos from throughout his career

Photographers shared their best photos of the artist, along with writing blurbs sharing their memories of this greatest moments

PEOPLE spoke with six photographers who contributed to the book about witnessing Elton John make history

Elton John has enjoyed a historic career full of unforgettable moments.

Some photographers were lucky enough to see the multi-platinum-selling artist go from humble beginnings to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and beyond. A group of these talented and lucky artists have come together to share their experience in Elton John: Icon, from ACC Art Books.

Watching the performer's evolution has resulted in "special admiration, for Jimmy Steinfeldt, who tells PEOPLE, "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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Jimmy Steinfeldt

Elton John

Steinfeldt continued, "His early records had a lot of country music in them. And there was writing and the composition and his phrasing and singing of them, even his piano playing, including his almost gospel-like playing in the early records. Then [there were] significant changes, certainly with the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. And then I really started to get into his music around the time he came out with the album Caribou and Captain Fantastic. And then he's had many changes since then."

As a photographer, the evolution has also been visually fascinating, Steinfeldt notes.

"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," he shares.

Mark Allan

Elton John

"But, of course, he always had his trademark glasses and different styles and shapes as his career progressed. That's one thing that stayed the same, outrageous glasses, but even they would change depending on his look and his mood."

Of the singer's changing persona, photographer Mark Allan added, "You can see him become more focused."

"I can't speak for Elton, but I think he became more and more serious as a performer and realized that he's an all-time great. I think in the 70s he was all about the costumes and the glasses and jumping up and down. I think, like anyone, you can't do the kicking in the air backwards stuff when you're more mature. And today, people recognize him as the great artist that he is."

Barry Schultz

Elton John, Diana Ross and Cher

Of his experiences shooting Elton throughout his career, Barry Schultz shared, "The one thing that stood out about him most was the energy."

"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," he shared.

"He's also so extremely talented. Great voice, great lyrics, great music, but also the high-energy level. I think that's what I liked about him. In the beginning, so unique, so flamboyant, great sense of humor, but it's rock and roll and a lot of energy. I think the energy was the best. Some people give off energy and you can feel it. Not everybody does that. He projects a lot of energy, a lot of good energy. I think that's also maybe a key to his success as well."

Sonia Moskowitz

Olivia Newton-John and Elton John

Even in his downtime, there was a magnetism about Elton that eminated everywhere he went, noted Sonia Moskowitz.

"He attended a number of events at Studio 54 and was mostly oblivious to the cameras. He was not much of a poser, so you kind of had to catch him spontaneously. I think he loved the environment there and returned many times in later years."

Allan Tannenbaum, who also captured Elton's nights at Studio 54, added, "I went to this party, and Elton was having a great time dancing, and he was actually dancing, the shots I got with Alana Stewart, who was Rod Stewart's wife at the time."

Allan Tannenbaum

Elton John

During the next stage of his career, Dafydd Jones noted the artist seemed to "become freer to express himself and follow his interests."

Tannenbaum adds, "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."

Dafydd Jones

Elton John at Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's royal wedding

These skilled photographers each wrote about their experiences capturing Elton John in the book, offering additional insights beyond iconic shots.

"Each of us photographers were invited to write about Elton John, our experience of photographing him. And the piece that I wrote for the new book, Elton John: Icon, appears next to probably my most famous picture that I took of him," Steinfeldt says.

"And I got to say, I give myself a pat in the back. I thought it's funny what I wrote because it just happens to be funny experiences that go back to when I first got into his music. And I'm definitely proud of the full page story I wrote about how actually Elton John has influenced my life and career."

on People

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