Steve Straub displays some of the photos he took at Fox Theater in his office at Nolkemper Insurance in Columbia. (Sean McGowan photo)

By day, he’s the owner of Nolkemper Insurance in Columbia.

By night, he’s the performance and meet-and-greet photographer for the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Steve Straub, 61, began working at the venue in 1984.

The St. Louis man said he saw in the newspaper at the time that the Fox had reopened, which immediately peaked his interest.

“I brought a picture of (Benny Goodman) to the producer of the show,” Straub said. “He didn’t believe I took the photo, and he said to come back with the negative, so I did and I was the photographer from there on out.”

Straub moved his insurance office to Columbia in 2015. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a 5-year-old daughter named Sabrina, who is currently in kindergarten.

In the course of more than 30 years, Straub has photographed every singer, comedian and famous person who stood on the stage at the Fox, including President-elect Donald Trump.

“I love it,” Straub said of the Trump photo hanging from a wall in his office as part of a collection. “I took this photo long before the election.”

Others he has photographed include modern singer Shawn Mendes, talk show and radio host Andy Cohen, singer Randy Travis, comedian Jeff Foxworthy and singer Stevie Nicks. Straub said he interacted with almost every one of the celebrities he photographed on some level.

“I talked to them long enough to get them to give me their autograph,” he laughed. “Some I talked to longer than others.”

In one instance, singer Wayne Newton invited Straub to fly in his private jet to Kansas City to take a photo of Michael Jackson.

“That was pretty memorable,” Straub said.

But not everyone warmed up to Straub the way Newton did, such as singer Lena Horne, who questioned why he took her photo at the time of her performance. The other challenge Straub has faced through the years consists of the time limit in which he could take the proper photo.

“They only give you the first three songs to take the photo, and sometimes the lighting is not the best in the first three songs,” he said.

Straub said he will continue photographing for the Fox until he turns 65. Until then, he will continue to enjoy his brushes with fame.

“I believe everyone has an artistic side,” Straub said of why he enjoys the nighttime gig. “This, to me, is immediate. I couldn’t do oil painting because I don’t have the patience.”