10 Photographers who will blow your mind
It took us a while to put this list together, but here it is… We present a selection of photographers who, for some, are the best in the world, while for others they may not be, but there is no denying that their incredible talent, captured in their projects, will blow your mind. We hope you enjoy these artists and get to know them better:
1 – Annie Leibovitz
American photographer considered the first woman to exhibit her work at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and also the highest-paid photographer in the world. She has worked for magazines such as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and Vogue. Throughout her career, she has been awarded numerous international photography prizes.
Leibovitz is best known for her celebrity portraits, although she has also practised documentary and landscape photography. She has been employed by Condé Nast Publications since 1993. Other notable projects include her participation in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and the founding of the Annie Leibovitz Studio in New York in 1990.
2 – David Lachapelle
Photographer and director born in the United States. It could be said that Andy Warhol propelled him to fame with his ‘Interview’ photographs in 1982. Lachapelle and Warhol had a very good relationship and, although they belonged to two different generations and had different ideas, they knew how to give each other feedback.
David’s style is quite creative, unique and recognisable. He likes to play with fresh, fictional and grotesque scenes that are also extremely colourful, revealing his pop-art style. His photos have appeared in the pages and on the covers of Vogue, Rolling Stone, Interview, The Face and GQ magazines, among many others. He has also participated in advertising campaigns for clients such as L’Oreal, Iceberg, MTV, Ecko and Diesel Jeans.
3 – Nick Knight
British fashion photographer, honorary professor at the University of the Arts London, and founder and director of SHOWstudio.com. He has published several books on his work, including the retrospectives Nicknight (1994) and Nick Knight (2009).
Among his numerous projects, he has directed many music videos for elite artists such as Lady Gaga and Kanye West. He was also commissioned to take the official portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles for the Queen’s 90th birthday.
4 – Jimmy Nelson
English photojournalist. In 1985, he made his first trip to Tibet, which lasted a year, photographing everywhere he went with a small camera. Upon his return, he began his first assignments as a photojournalist, covering Russia’s involvement in Afghanistan and the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan in Kashmir until the start of the war in the former Yugoslavia.
In 1992, Nelson was hired by Royal Dutch Shell Shell Oil to create and produce the book ‘Literary Portraits of China’ and travelled around the country for 36 months. In 2009, he began working on the project ‘Before They Pass Away’, which has been one of the most important projects of his entire career as a photographer, and which would later, in 2014, be criticised for allegedly damaging the image of tribal peoples… This project is about a journey that lasted three years and photographed more than 35 indigenous peoples in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the South Pacific, using a 50-year-old 4x5in camera.
5 – Joey L
Joey Lawrence, known professionally as Joey L, is a Canadian photographer. An astonishing fact is that Lawrence is completely self-taught in photography. He created his own photography studio in Brooklyn, where he lives and works, although he often travels to other places to work on personal and commissioned projects.
Lawrence has photographed celebrities such as Robert De Niro, Jessica Chastain, and Martin Sheen, and has worked with the United States Army, the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, Canon Cameras, ACLU, and Lavazza. He has also won several awards, including the Professional Portrait Award at the International Photography Awards (twice). He was named one of the 30 most influential photographers on social media.
*Cover photograph credits: Annie Leibovitz