Steve Riskind Photography

Steve Riskind is a fine arts photographer based in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Riskind’s work combines the aesthetic of black and white film photography with his love for digital photography.

Steve Riskind's Latest Book is Now Available

Held Beneath Their Hands: Artists and Artisans at Work

"Held Beneath Their Hands: Artists and Artisans at Work" is about the act of artistic creation. The subjects are five visual artists who work in New York City and four artisans with work places in Vermont. Each subject’s artistic process is explored in photographs and an essay. As stated in Eleanor Heartney’s introduction to Steve Riskind’s book: “He explores the processes of art and craft in order to suggest the physical and intellectual labor that go into the act of creation. He goes for the closeup, the interaction of hand and material and the beauty of the tools by which his maker’s creations are realized…. Riskind’s creators are fully engaged in their work. Body and mind come together with materials and tools to create something unique and beautiful.”

Held Beneath Their Hands Cover

"An immersive exploration of the creative lives of artists."
— Kirkus Reviews

Published in July of 2026, Held Beneath Their Hands is available in a limited artist's edition. Copies may be ordered from Everyone's Books in Brattleboro, Vermont. Click this link to be taken to their website.

art | commerce: four artisan businesses grow in an old New Jersey Industrial city

In March of 2021, Steve Riskind's book "art | commerce" won a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. Over a period of eight years, Steve Riskind photographed four small businesses located in or near Paterson, New Jersey. These artisan businesses rely on skilled crafts people and all are family owned. They include a specialty textile firm, jewelry manufacturer, pipe organ builder and stained glass studio with a chapter devoted to each business.

Art Commerce Cover

"An engrossing portrait of artisanship as a blend of mechanical genius and human fulfillment."
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“art | commerce” is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other booksellers. Click on bookseller's name to view the book on their site.

Creating a Pipe Organ: Artisans at Work

The Diapason, a pipe organ journal, published a three-part series of Steve Riskind’s photographs showing pipe organ builders at work. The articles appeared in the August, October, and November 2020 issues of The Diapason. https://www.thediapason.com/

Click on these links to view the first article, second article, and the final article in the series.

Artisans in Industry: An Article in a British On-Line Photography Journal

Early in 2021 Steve Riskind was asked to submit an article about "art | commerce" to the Big Photo Ezine which is published by the Photographer Academy, a British photography training and education organization. The article includes photographs from the book, and while not highly technical, the intended audience is photographers. Click here to view the article.