Sex & Fashion: Interview with Jeff Cohn

If Marilyn Manson was a stylist at Vogue magazine, the ensuing photographs might look like Jeff Cohn’s portfolio. This 31 year old Philadelphia-based photographer’s work blends a combination of commercial, fashion, glamor, pin-up, art, nude, erotica, shock and humor into a vivid visual buffet that often isn’t for the tame.

I sat down with Jeff and asked him why the hell anyone should pay him when anyone with a digital camera can shoot a photo…

James Curcio: Let’s start at the beginning… What first got you into photography?

Jeff Cohn: When I was a teenager I was always shooting pictures of my favorite bands, live and in person. Then, during my college years I went on tour with Marilyn Manson for two weeks when they were first getting well known. I spent every night hanging out with them after the shows and snapping photos of them with myself and friends, but I never really took anything seriously. At the same time I was making a lot of web pages for bands I loved, but they were all smaller unknown bands with growing fan-bases… no real content, so I’d go see them and shoot photos of their show so that I had my own content to make the web page unique. As the bands started to grow and get more famous — Jack off Jill, Frankenstein Drag Queens, Vampire Love Dolls, Psychotica — I found myself getting well known in certain circles as a band photographer.

James Curcio: So it started in music then, not fashion. Or do you think that’s a real distinction…

Jeff Cohn: Correct, the fashion thing is almost “recent,” comparatively. I shot a few of my friends as “models” because they liked my work and knew I had an eye for it. Eventually I set up five or six shoots and started shooting models, nothing too serious. Then in 2003 I became web master for the band KMFDM. When they went on tour they asked me to be their photographer from the road since I was the one updating the web page already anyway. Upon returning home from that craziness, things got more serious with models. Most of those shoots were artistic and glamor, with an ironic twist and sense of humor.

James Curcio: How long were you on tour with them?

Jeff Cohn: The tour was from October to November 2003, 36 cities in 40 days. Great way to see the country.

James Curcio: From the inside of a tour bus. But yeah, I can imagine. I want to get more to talking about the model work in a second, but first I am curious how you met up with KMFDM, and became the web master for their site…

Jeff Cohn: That’s a long story, but I’ll try and sum it up… In the summer of ’96, my friend Carrie and I went to New Orleans for a week. She was close with Manson, so we met up with him at Nine Inch Nails’ studio – I also met Trent Reznor then — to hang out. Manson had known me and asked what I thought of the band Drill, who were opening for them. I said I loved them, and it’d be great. I figured he blew it off and thought nothing of it, but still made sure to tell Lucia Cifarelli (the singer for Drill) next time I saw them. She got all excited and told me that Manson sent people to see them because of me, and they got the tour.

Later, I wound up interviewing Lucia, making a Drill web page, and shooting tons of concert shots. Lucia and I remained close friends after Drill broke up and she later joined mdfmk (Universal records). A year later mdfmk split up and reformed into KMFDM with Lucia on vocals. Lucia called me one night to tell me Sascha had something to ask me and the rest is history.

James Curcio: It’s funny how these things work. A lot of times I hear the back stories on how various projects — especially movies – come together, and it kind of blows my mind. I guess it’s like finding out how sausages get made. Moving on to your photography, as you mentioned, a lot of times your humor comes in and influences the work. How much do you think you draw from the model you’re working with? How do you approach that interaction?

Jeff Cohn: If I shot just my own ideas all the time, none of my work would look different then any of my other work. So the model’s personality is the pivotal variable that changes from shoot to shoot. I love to collaborate and brainstorm ideas, sometimes I have the idea and just find the right model to fit it, sometimes it’s her idea and she wanted me to shoot it, sometimes we come up with it over coffee, sometimes its totally spontaneous at the moment.

The Godzilla shots were originally thought of at the Manayunk diner when Nyssa Nevers mentioned she had a Japanese school girl outfit. We thought, “wouldn’t it be great if we could find tiny godzilla’s…?” and, lo and behold the dollar store had ‘em. That was just pure fate.

Another favorite is the “Crushed Hearts” series with Kristen, shot on Valentines day. The pictures are of her doing lines of crushed candy hearts on a mirror with a dollar bill. Some of my favorites like Layla or Key’s were totally spontaneous experimentations.

James Curcio: That “coming of age” shoot also comes to mind…

Jeff Cohn: That shoot I had in mind for a year. I always loved the idea that someone is illegal one minute and legal the next according to the law books. So, for a year I looked for a seventeen year old that wanted to do a nude striptease shoot on the eve of her 18th birthday. Stephocide had contacted me for a shoot on a Wednesday. We met on Thursday and she said her birthday was Friday, and she’d be able to shoot after then. When I told her the idea she got really giddy and the shoot was booked. She did a striptease at 11:55 to nude at 12:01am, then she covered herself with birthday cake.

James Curcio: Since some of the models are people you’ve only met briefly before, and others are close friends or people you have collaborated with many times in the past, I’m curious to know if you prefer one or the other? Or if you’ve noticed a big difference in the process between the two…?

Jeff Cohn: I love both for totally different reasons. Someone like Key or Adrianne Anderson I’ve worked with several times and love shooting because we both know what to expect from one another. The challenge lies more in getting something different and unique from our previous work, in the new work. I love a good challenge. With a new model I love watching the development, and imparting any knowledge or direction I’ve learned… and knowing that I’m helping to start a career or indulge a passion. I was also Key’s first shoot and one of Adrianne’s, so everyone starts somewhere…

James Curcio: Is shyness or awkwardness often a problem with new models?

Jeff Cohn: Sometimes, though generally I’m told my models don’t really feel shy or awkward around me. I just have a very comfortable “don’t give a fuck” personality and I try to intentionally keep the studio very lose and almost “unprofessional.” Its hard to feel really shy when you’ve got a kitten running around chasing a cat and a pug. You realize that no matter how awkward you feel, the pug is still the center of attention.

James Curcio: I can say– though you haven’t shot me naked and I don’t intend for that to happen– that I concur with your assessment of yourself… you can definitely put people at ease.

Jeff Cohn: I give the impression I know what I’m doing.

James Curcio: That helps.

Jeff Cohn: It’s a nice ruse.

James Curcio: Because of the nature of your work — both straddling and exploring the boundaries of fashion and erotica — do you think of there being a difference between art and product?

Jeff Cohn: My influences are very evident in the direction of my work… David Lachapelle and Floria Sigismondi have been the two most influential artists in my work by far. I try to achieve the middle point between them. I’ve often referred to my style as “Art-core” or, “if Marilyn Manson was a stylist at Vogue.” … So I like the extreme, I like the shock value and experimentation of art, the general memorable and eye-catchiness of it. I love to disturb and imprint an image in someone’s mind. But at the same time, I love feeling dirty too… nothing’s as dirty as a whore… and theres no bigger whore then selling fashion.

James Curcio: It’s just interesting to me because some people go that route, and it’s just soulless, but your work, among those of a couple others… I don’t feel that way about. I couldn’t say what the difference is yet though, I haven’t figured it out, so I don’t know how to pry into it. I think it’s partially that you’re really exploring–

Jeff Cohn: –I can explain it actually – Most photographers go to photography school, they learn how to tell you what F stop their shooting at, and talk about their fancy expensive equipment at fashion shows. That’s all fine and dandy, but to me its all about creativity, personality, passion, lust, desire, sex, art. I came from the music industry, where anything goes and experimentation defines the artist. Blending in makes you forgettable. Even pre-sold pop has to shock someone in middle America to sell well. Controversy drives Britney, Christina, American Idol… People love the struggle and drama. Selling that in an image is easy.

James Curcio: It does, but I wouldn’t call any of that art.

Jeff Cohn: Well… If there’s one thing I’ve learned from studying Marilyn Manson and Bowie, it’s that there’s art to be found in marketing…

James Curcio: There can be, yeah. But there are instances where there is, and instances where there isn’t. That’s the enigma, to me. If you think too hard about aesthetics you can easily find yourself banging your head against a wall, so I’m going to move on… From hanging out with you and Alex Emmert from Invictus films, I know that you’re getting into doing photography for film as well. Do you have any aspirations of exploring other things within that media, working with motion, or are you happy working with the still image?

Jeff Cohn: Well, as I said, Floria Sigismondi is a huge influence of mine and she’s more of a music video director then anything, though her still photography is amazing as well. Though I am heavily influenced by film as well as music, I find still photos are my niche where I feel the most comfortable and happy.

James Curcio: Is there a difference in your process between nude and fashion photography?

Jeff Cohn: I love them both, but the nude work has always been my most creative. For me it’s more challenging artistically, although the model changes… the parts are all the same from shoot to shoot, so in order to make one nude shoot different from the last or next nude shoot you have to really force yourself to be unique. The challenge of staying edgy and creative while still maintaining integrity and not crossing into pornography is something I thrive off of.

With fashion I tend to approach it as a newer and equally exciting challenge. I am heavily influenced by Vogue magazine and its ilk, but I also want to shoot fashion with my own style. So for me I try to shoot all my fashion with a similar flair as I have with my nude work. I am not afraid to play with lighting, angles, and strange poses to achieve a fashion look that doesn’t fit the “industry standard.” It still makes people love it.

James Curcio: You’ve shown me quite a few photos where you asked me “how did I do that?” and I honestly couldn’t figure it out. That impresses me, because– well my mother was a photographer, and I have plenty of friends who are… and I’ve dabbled some myself.

Jeff Cohn: My all time favorite photo is one of Key’s death and ghost image. I shot that with a long exposure and we rehearsed it many times with her sitting up, counting to 10 and falling down. It took about 10 tries and we finally got the perfect shot. The longer exposure lets every drop of light into the camera and captures her as a ghost and then laying down dead behind her as a corpse.. The only editing done to the image was a sharpening and slight saturation in Photoshop to enhance the color. I love Photoshop, but there is still that extra proud moment when you shoot something that doesn’t really need it.

James Curcio: Where do you want to take your photography next?

Jeff Cohn: I read about this thing called “money” somewhere on the Net… I am not sure if it’s real or if it’s just a myth, but I am really curious to find out if it exists.

James Curcio: I’ve been told that Everquest is, or was, the 11th biggest economy in the world… That being said, we may do better as 30th level Elven Paladin’s than artists.

Jeff Cohn: I wonder if anyone in Everquest wants to set up a shoot?

James Curcio: You obviously haven’t been to World of Porncraft…

Jeff Cohn: Seriously though, to answer your question… I am currently looking to shoot more fashion, discover new fashion designers and rise alongside of them… Do more work for magazines, find steady work, experiment with weddings a bit, start doing gallery shows, and eventually get into the coffee table book world. I’d love to be able to make a living off just photography and feel some sorta fame and success at the end of the day.

James Curcio: There’s this myth, I don’t know if its true or not yet, that when you get “successful” as an artist you lose your “edge.” I’m of the opinion this is a load of bullshit.

Jeff Cohn: I cant wait to find out.

James Curcio: No, me either. I think Neil Gaiman is an example of that, as he moves upward in his career, he takes on more and more herculean tasks for himself… and I think, exceeds himself almost every time.

Jeff Cohn: Well… Marilyn Manson, Eminem, Quinten Tarrintino, Bowie, and Nine inch nails are also good examples. Those that are talented at what they do to rise to fame, tend to force themselves to experiment to top it.

James Curcio: It’s funny you should mention those artists, specifically Bowie, Manson and Eminem, because there is, to me anyway, a certain similarity. There’s this element of taking their public persona, and integrating that with the art itself. There’s this larger-than-life quality that I think comes into your work as well. In my opinion Bowie is by far the best at it… but it’s a game they all manage to play pretty successfully. Of course, all artists are really cannibalizing their lives in some way to create their artwork, there’s no other source material but that… but for some of us it’s a pretty introverted process. In all their cases it becomes this extroverted… explosion.

Jeff Cohn: Of course Manson’s been an influence in a lot of my work… One of my favorite shots is a nude of Layla with Manson lyrics painted on her: “I’m not an artist, I’m a fucking work of art” …From the song “(S)aint.”

James Curcio: They all in one way or another blur those lines. From what I’ve been seeing, Philadelphia seems to breed a lot of aspiring, talented photographers… what do you think of the art scene here?

Jeff Cohn: Philadelphia’s been undergoing a sort of Renaissance of art lately… the past few years, more and more I am finding some of my favorite artists are actually my closest peers and we’re sharing the same community and circles of friends. It’s a really exciting time to be involved in all this. Artists like Kyle Cassidy, Jerry Bennett, S. Jenx, Solstyce Cale, Hyde, Drewcifer, Wandering Bohemian, Jeff Baxter, Jeff Beirman, Soultornassunder, Evi Numen, Synthetic Shadows, Jonathan Sorber, Jason Messer, Nine twelve, Tempting fate, and of course yourself… plus plenty more I’m not mentioning… they’re all at the top of their game, all have different and unique styles and are all based out of the same general area. It’s amazing to be part of it and watch at the same time.

James Curcio: There’s this “calm before the storm” sense that I’ve been getting from it all, but then again I’ve gotten that sense in locations before. You never know when, or if, the storm is going to break… You know, I’ve also noticed a back-and-forth migration between Los Angeles and Philly, at least in terms of the models. Is that true of the photographers as well?

Jeff Cohn: Not as much. James Groves moved out there, and I believe Nadya Lev also transplanted herself, but its mostly models… at least in terms of those I’ve worked with. Perish, Adrianne Anderson, Naija Blue, Pia, Jesyka Zade, Stoya, and I’m sure a few I’m forgetting are all Philly Peeps that got lost in La la land.

James Curcio: Perish was shot by Chad Michael Ward, right?

Jeff Cohn: Yeah, Chad’s shot Perish, Adrianne, Naja, and Stoya actually.

James Curcio: That’s interesting. What do you think of his work?

Jeff Cohn: He’s one of my favorites, as I said earlier Manson’s career has influenced mine a lot, so all the photographers he’s worked with — Chad several times — have also been huge influences of mine.

James Curcio: Makes sense. Who are some of your other favorite photographers?

Jeff Cohn: Brian Rawson, Question Mark, River Clark (NYC), Ezekiel Woods, Nihilus, (VA) and Adam Chilson are all doing amazing overly creative work. Lithium Picnic and Chad Michael Ward of course, and obviously all my Philly peeps.

Visit www.x-pose.net for more of Jeff Cohn’s work.

Interview by James Curcio.