Well-known documentary photographers
Documentary photography records, even more than street photography, the stories that might otherwise go unnoticed. From social inequality to everyday moments, these photographers have shown the world as it really is. Below, for inspiration, an overview of 25 of the most influential documentary photographers of all time. There are of course more, but I have tried to make a good cross-section.
Do you have a project of your own and are you looking for a documentary photographer with roots in street photography, unpolished and spontaneous, who also thinks along with you? Do get in touch.
1. Robert Frank (1924-2019, Switzerland)
Known for The Americans, a raw and honest portrait of post-war America.
2. Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004, France)
The founding figure of decisive-moment photography and a co-founder of Magnum Photos.
3. Sebastião Salgado (1944-present, Brazil)
Records social and environmental problems in dramatic black and white images.
4. Walker Evans (1903-1975, the US)
Documented daily life in the United States during the Great Depression.
5. Don McCullin (1935-present, the UK)
A legendary war photographer with confronting images from conflict zones.
6. Bruce Davidson (1933-present, the US)
Documented the civil rights movement and the social margins in the United States.
7. Diane Arbus (1923-1971, the US)
Photographed outsiders and people on the edge of society.
8. David Goldblatt (1930-2018, South Africa)
Documented apartheid in South Africa in a spare but powerful style.
9. Jill Freedman (1939-2019, the US)
Known for her raw photos of police officers, firefighters and homeless people.
10. Susan Meiselas (1948-present, the US)
Known for her work on the conflicts in Central America.
11. Philip Jones Griffiths (1936-2008, the UK)
His book Vietnam Inc. showed the consequences of the Vietnam war.
12. Raghu Rai (1942-present, India)
An Indian documentary photographer with penetrating images of his country.
13. LaToya Ruby Frazier (1982-present, the US)
Her work focuses on social and economic inequality in the United States.
14. Gabriele Basilico (1944-2013, Italy)
Recorded the transformation of cities in powerful architectural photography.
15. Claude Dityvon (1937-2008, France)
Documented the Paris student protests of 1968 and urban change.
16. Paolo Pellegrin (1964-present, Italy)
A Magnum photographer with intense images of conflict and humanitarian crisis.
17. Joan Colom (1921-2017, Spain)
Known for his clandestine street photography in the working-class quarters of Barcelona.
18. Christer Strömholm (1918-2002, Sweden)
Recorded the trans community of Paris in intimate black and white images.
19. Luigi Ghirri (1943-1992, Italy)
Known for his subtle, poetic documentary photography of the Italian landscape.
20. Josef Koudelka (1938-present, the Czech Republic)
Documented the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and nomadic life.
21. Jean Gaumy (1948-present, France)
Known for his raw maritime and industrial photography.
22. Zanele Muholi (1972-present, South Africa)
Records the LGBTQ+ community in South Africa with an activist eye.
23. Latif Al Ani (1932-present, Iraq)
Offers a unique picture of Iraq before the wars.
24. Mary Ellen Mark (1940-2015, the US)
Photographed socially vulnerable groups, from street children to psychiatric patients.
25. Lewis Hine (1874-1940, the US)
Known for his images of child labour in the United States.
