Patti Smith: Filmmaker Bio

Patti Smith: Dream of Life marks the feature directorial debut of artist and photographer Steven Sebring. Born in South Dakota and raised in Arizona, Sebring taught himself photography as a teenager. He later moved to Europe, establishing himself as a photographer known for merging raw realism with the fantasy of high fashion. He has worked for many magazines and has shot advertising and fashion campaigns for companies such as Ralph Lauren, Lanvin, Maybelline and Coach.

He has also shot and directed several short films, including New York Stories (2003) and Road Stories (2004), both for DKNY and released to critical acclaim.

Sebring designed the award-winning photography book "Bygone Days" (2005), which depicts the history of a rural American family in Bison, S.D., from 1910 to 1950 through photos by Sebring's great-great uncle John Penor, who passed away at the age of 97 in the same sod house where he was born.

In 2005 and 2006, Sebring photographed the art of renowned French sculptors Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne for the book "Lalanne," published in 2006. His photographs have been included in "Patti Smith Complete: Lyrics, Reflections and Notes for the Future" and on her albums Gung Ho, Land and Twelve. He continues collaborating with Smith, photographing and producing the art exhibit "Objects of Life," which premiered in 2008 in Park City, Utah, in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival, and creating the book "Patti Smith: Dream of Life" (Rizzoli, 2008).