Karsten Jacobsen

Biography

Karsten Bloch Jacobsen (born October 4, 1975) is a camera operator and Steadicam operator. Born in Aalborg, Denmark, he began working with a Steadicam as a teenager— picking up the rig when he was 18 while serving as a production assistant on a Danish dance show; the operator had been injured and Jacobsen stepped in, using his background in dance to navigate movement with the camera. His earlier work includes a strong presence in Danish productions such as Familien Gregersen (2004), Dirch (2011), Sorg og glæde (2013), and Journal 64 (2018), where he earned recognition for his precise and expressive Steadicam operating. Years later, his international profile grew through camera operating on the U.S. television series Counterpart (2017), and major Hollywood films including Shang‑Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and Wicked (2024). At the 69th British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) Awards held February 1, 2025, he jointly received the Operators Award—together with Simon Finney—for their camera operating on the feature film Wicked. The BSC presents this award in collaboration with the Association of Camera Operators (ACO) and the Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT). One of the most celebrated live-event shots in his career took place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, where he captured Belarus’s performance using a Steadicam on a Segway before transitioning to running with the rig—demonstrating remarkable mobility and precision under live conditions.