Steve Rapport is a Rock  & Roll Photographer who has photographed some of the biggest musicians in the world.  From 1982-1985 he worked with Eurythmics as the on-set photographer for the shoots of their now-legendary videoclips.  Steve has just released a photozine featuring a host of stunning images that he photographed during the filming of these videos.  “Sweetest Dreams – Eurythmics – The Videos 1982/1985” can be ordered here. 

I asked Steve if he would speak with me about his career and working with so many musicians, including Dave and Annie.  You can read our fascinating conversation below, in its entirety.

Rex S.: All right. Well I’ll just start by saying I’m not a real journalist.

Steve R.:  I’m not a real photographer either.

Yes, you are.  I was looking at all your photography on your website.  It’s very impressive I must say. I feel like you capture something whimsical in your subjects. I mean that you capture the Rock and Roll essence but you also capture something you don’t normally see in rock photos which is sort of like a whimsy or like a pleasantness – even some smiles which you don’t see very often. Like Chrissie Hynde for example – you have a beautiful photograph of her smiling on the set of a video shoot. You know you don’t see a lot of photos of Chrissie smiling in that way. So, it’s great to see that. Also, the one of Joe Strummer jogging where he’s looking over and smiling.  That’s great stuff.

That’s right. 

I think it captures a human side of the artist.  For example, that photograph of Dave and Annie from the “There Must Be An Angel” video shoot where they’re in full costume (which is the cover of your photozine). They’re smiling. And I understand the context in which that was taken – in between shooting the video and all that. So, I think that’s kind of nice.

That’s just so interesting that you say that to me – the whimsical thing and the smiling because I made a point of never trying to get anyone to smile in a picture, because to me a portrait is serious and a smile is like a snapshot. And yet you found that.  I’m looking at Stevie Wonder and he’s smiling and I’m looking at Joe Strummer over there. He’s smiling. Lemmy is being Lemmy. That’s very amusing. With a cigarette in his mouth that’s very Lemmy. Bono is kind of noncommittal.

Definitely there’s a smirk or a bit of, you know, some happiness in that picture because that was “There Must Be An Angel” so it was a really uplifting song and the video was pretty wild and uplifting as well. Yeah but that’s just so fascinating to me that that’s what you hit on.

The article continues here. 

All photos © Steve Rapport Photography