Most of the world-leading photographers are known for the unique and iconic works they have done. There are several top photographers in the world who have established themselves as the finest photojournalists through the images they captured and have won international acclaim. It is difficult to rank top 10 photographers in the world as they create their own signature works that reflect their multifaceted landscape and culture.
We have picked the top 10 photographers from various facets- from photojournalists to fine art photographers.
Sooni Taraporevala
The Government of India’ Padma Shri winner, Sooni Taraporevala is regarded as one of the best photographers of all time in India. Sooni, who is a graduate in English Literature, Film and Photography from Harvard University is also a well-known screenwriter and filmmaker. She started her career as a photographer and is noted for her photography coffee table titled ‘Parsis: the Zoroastrians of India – A Photographic Journey’ which was the first and only visual documentation of the Parsi community. Photographs from her project titled ‘A labour of love’ which was conceived
over a time span of more than 20 years have been exhibited at Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai, the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi and at the Tate Modern, London.
Hoda Afshar
The Iranian born documentary photographer based in Melbourne, Australia is known for her photographs that explores the nature and possibilities of documentary image-making. Hoda is the recipient of several national and international awards including the 2015 National Photographic Portrait Prize in Australia. Most of her works represent gender, marginality and displacement and involve traditional image-making practices, presentation of imagery and aspects of conceptual, staged
and documentary photography. Hoda who is a graduate in Fine Art–Photography also works as a lecturer at Photography Studies College in Melbourne.
Edward Burtynsky
One of the most famous photographers in Canada, Edward Burtynsky is known for his works that captures the collective impact of humans on the surface of the planet and inspect systems that we have imposed onto natural landscapes. Burtynsky who is a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006 has his works featured at various museums and galleries across the globe, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the National Gallery of Canada. He cites his inspiration for his photographic works from his childhood where he was exposed to sites and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown. The beauty of unlikely environments is captured in his works of global industrial landscapes across Canada, the United States, and Europe.
Wang Qingsong
The contemporary Chinese photographer based in Beijing, Wang Qingsong is trained in painting but turned into staged photography. His surreal and large format photographic works with an intriguing visual quality reflect the rapid changes in Chinese society and universal social conflicts. He describes most of his works to be inspired by his experiences of his home country changing from an insular, rural nation into an economic giant and the large-scale transformations such as the Cultural Revolution. His works have been showcased at various galleries and museums including Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.
Myriam Boulos
The Lebanese photographer Myriam Boulos is best known for her photography series ‘Vertiges du matin’ – Morning Vertigo, which captured the nightlife of Beirut, especially the end of a night out. Myriam has a twofold approach in most of her works, aspect of reportage and personal research. Myriam who is one of the most popular photographers in Lebanon has received various prestigious awards including the Byblos Bank Award for Photography for the quality and originality of her work. Her photography series concentrates around the historic underground club, B018 which was built on the exact site of massacres during the Lebanese war.
Matthew Lloyd
The London-based advertising, editorial and corporate photographer Matthew Lloyd specialise in stylised location portraiture and natural reportage. He is best known for his works for local and international brands like Bloomberg, The Guardian and Sunday Times Magazine. He was inspired to photography when he came across an extracurricular work in photojournalism for his management course at Leeds University. He left Leeds to study press and photojournalism at Sheffield College, where he won three Young Photographer of the Year awards between 2009 and 2011. Matthew who is one of the world’s best photographers has done candid portraits of international brands like Dame Judi Dench, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Anthony Hopkins to name a few.
Frances F. Denny
The American photographer is best known for capturing female selfhood and identity. Frances pursued Bachelors’ in Arts from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study and Masters in Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design. She is popular for her editorial and commercial photography, as well as her collaborations with The New Yorker, Architectural Digest, Forbes, Elle, and Marie Claire. She got her first monograph titled ‘Let Virtue Be Your Guide’, in 2016 by Radius Books and her second book, ‘Major Arcana: Witches in America’, will be published in October 2020 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Frances is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the New York Foundation for the Arts 2016 Fellowship in Photography, PDN’s 30, LensCulture Emerging Talent, Magenta Flash Forward, and Critical Mass.
Nicol Vizioli
The Italian photographer, born in Rome is known for her tangible depth in her signature artistic style. Nicol pursued Bachelors’ degree in Cinema and Visual Arts at Rome and a Masters in fashion photography from London College of Fashion. Her work has been exhibited in various national and international exhibitions in London including Somerset House for the London World Photography Festival, the Zabludowicz Collection, The XV Biennale de la Mediterranée and Milan. He cites her influence from the austerity, decadence and beauty of Rome where she was brought up. Her works which are mostly brutal yet subtle imagery reflects her meticulous craftsmanship and significant devotion to raw physicality.
Orel Kichigai
The photographer specialised in reports and portraits is ranked among the best photographers in Japan. She keeps on capturing photographs that encapsulate her intriguing and admirable skill. She is best known for capturing a single individual in a crowd, where millions of people are walking through the streets of Tokyo every day. She is a team member of Team France women’s Roller Derby and a coach for the men’s national team. She has also worked as a show promoter for more than 10 years for
alternative music and as a band manager
Yaw Pare
The Ghana-based contemporary photographer is popular for promoting the country’s tourism scene through his photographs. Yaw Pare who is one of the famous portrait photographers in Ghana cites his inspiration to capture its travel destinations due to the lack of good images of the country. His photographs capture the beauty of the Ghanaian and African travel terrain and also reminds us that we travel to see the beauty that is hidden in the quiet moments. The photographs are filled with humour and grace, and boast the positive and unique features of Ghana. Some of his popular works are the young man at a culture festival in full tribal dress and the lonely bright beauty of empty fishing boats by the sea during the sunset. Pare has won several awards for his photography work.
0 Comments