Hello there! If you’re coming across this post without any idea what it’s going to be, I suggest you check out my last version of this project from a couple of years ago by clicking here. If you do know what you’re looking at and what to expect, welcome! Here I’m going to share 50 photographers whose work I find intriguing or exciting! For each artist, I will put an example of their work, a quick overview of what they’re all about, and a link to their website / portfolio (when possible). Hope you enjoy!
#50
Clémentine Schneidermann
Spring, Gurnos, 2017. Clémentine Schneidermann and Charlotte James
One of the most powerful things about photography is it’s ability to change perception. Photographer Clémentine Schneidermann and stylist Charlotte James know this power. The team set out to photograph children in a small former mining town in South Wales to bring some life and energy back to the dreary community… I think it worked! “It’s Called Ffasiwn” is a beautiful set of images that evoke wonder and delight.
More of Clémentine’s work can be found on their website here.
#49
Margaret Mitchell
The Eastern Wood. Teenage Soldier about to leave on his first tour of Iraq. Margaret Mitchell
Mitchell’s series “The Eastern Wood” hits home for me. In this series she aims to portray what it’s like to come of age in such a contained environment as this rural community in the Netherlands. Growing up in rural Maine I identify with many of the photos and the overall feeling of the series. The isolation and quirkiness portrayed in the work is stunning and makes me feel personally connected to each subject.
Margaret Mitchell’s website can be found here.
#48
Soomin Ham
Song of “Schoolboy”. Archival pigment print on Hanji. Soomin Ham
Many photographers, including myself, owe some sort of inspiration from finding photographs that relatives once took. Soomin Ham is another who used the old to create something new. Ham found a box of her grandfathers old photos that her grandfather made during the 1930’s while under Japanese colonial rule. She was surprised she didn’t know many of these people, and wanted to give them a place. She found the candid images haunting, and began coming up with narratives in her head to fill in the blanks on their stories. She ultimately decided to give the photos new life by merging her and her grandfathers images to give them new stories guided by her vision. The work is stunning and inspires me to rework my own grandfathers photos from the early 1900’s.
Soomin Ham’s website is linked here.
#47
Alec Soth
Anna. Kentfield, California. From "I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating" (2019). Alec Soth
With a title like “I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating" it’s only appropriate that my heart beats madly for Alec Soth’s images from his newest photo book. After taking some time off from portraiture, Soth comes back with this stunning set of images meant to be personal, and tender. Soth believes in photographs connecting us, and he spent time with his subjects to achieve this. It was important to him that he was invited to see what makes these people tick rather than trying to pick it out of them. It’s due to this authenticity that these photos and their subjects hit so close to my heart.
More of Alec Soth’s work can be found here.
#46
Felipe Jacome
José Arias walked for 3 days to reach the Berlín highland, the highest and coldest point in the migrant route out of Venezuela. Felipe Jacome
“Berlin: The Venezuelan Exodus Through Colombia’s Highlands” is a series of portraits by Felipe Jacome that depict Venezuelan migrants fleeing their country. While not gory or even overtly sad looking at first, this set of images is heart-wrenching. I know quite a few people from Venezuela that study here at school with me, and to think that this could be them is a real wake up call. The pain in the eyes of these people demands to be felt.
Please check out more of Filepe’s amazing work on his website.
#45
Adam Ferguson
Daisy Ward, an Aboriginal-Australian elder from Warakurna Community, sits for a portrait at a ‘sorry place’ near Warakurna Community, Ngaanyatjarraku Shire, Western Australia on Mar. 8, 2017. Adam Ferguson
Adam Ferguson’s series “Big Sky: Portraits from the Outback” is extremely intriguing to me as he documents the decline of a culture not known to very many. The Australian outback is a very harsh place that only the toughest can conquer. Especially due to drought that has rocked the outback for the past 6 years. Through this work we can see many parallels to the American South in terms of lifestyle, and get the smallest glimpse in the few people living in one of the most relentless places on earth.
More of Ferguson’s work can be found by clicking here.
#44
Mustafa Hassona
KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - APRIL 6: A Palestinian demonstrator escapes heavy smoke as Israeli soldiers fire several gas bombs during his participation in the 'Great March of Return,' despite Israel's threats near the Gaza-Israel border in Khan Yunis, Gaza on April 06, 2018. Demonstration against Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip started taking place 11 years ago. Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency
Mustafa Hassona is a Palestinian photographer who has been documenting the protests at the Israeli / Palestinian boarder. Out of all the war photography I’ve ever seen, Mustafa’s hits me the hardest. Crisp lighting, wide angle lenses, and being right in the middle of the action, he brings us to the boarder with him and shows us first hand what it’s like to be on the front lines.
#43
Anupam Diwan
Untitled. Anupam Diwan
Inspired by a childhood memory that came back to him during his engineering studies, Anupam Diwan’s series “Fireflies” is a dark and moody tale fueled by his desire to portray a fleeting memory that impacted him so greatly. Switching his entire life path to create work about the details of his life, Diwan takes us into a world all his own. Like fireflies in the night his subjects pop out of the darkness and evoke a wide range of emotions.
Click here to see more of Anupam Diwan’s work.
#42
Marinka Masseus
![Chosen [Not] To Be. Marinka Masséus](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54fc5eb3e4b056182e1f48ee/1558360093264-QS5MDEGFBI3JHMOTR64S/9_Marinka_Masseus.jpg)
Chosen [Not] To Be. Marinka Masséus
Marinka Masseus’ series “Chosen [Not] To Be” is part of the Radical Beauty Project which is an international photography initiative to give people with Down Syndrome “their rightful place in the visual arts”. Masseus beautifully portrays her subjects with the utmost care and humanity. Growing up with an aunt with Down Syndrome I’ve always seen them, and anyone with any form of disability, the same as anyone else. I highly appreciate the tenderness and care put into this series, and believe just as it’s time for marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, and POC, to get the recognition they deserve, so is it time for those with Down Syndrome and other disabilities.
I encourage you to check out more of Marinka Masseus’ work here.
#41
Tariq Zaidi
Maxim, 43, has been a sapeur since he was seven years old. He mixes labels such as Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and Christian Dior with suits that he has designed and made himself. Now married with two children, he teaches others the art of how to dress elegantly. Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Tariq Zaidi
La Sape, which stands for Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes (Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant People) is a fashion subculture in the cities of Kinshasa, Brazzaville, and DRC in the Republic of the Congo. Tariq Zaidi’s series “The Sapeurs of Brazzaville” shows these “sapeurs” expressing themselves through fashion. I find this series quite impactful as most people wouldn’t associate elegance and fashion with the Congo in the heart of Africa. Zaidi juxtaposes his subjects with the less than fashionable city scapes of this area, peaking interest and showing that there is more to these places than what first meets the eye.
Tariq Zaidi’s website is linked here.