This should have been a quick article to write. It’s just a list of links to other web sites, right? The problem is, I got distracted by the photos.
The quality of the images I found in researching this story are so captivating, and the stories they cover so compelling, that I was hooked by each site, and felt obligated to see each photo essay, each collection of singles, each self-assigned project, to the end. Great photojournalism can do that to you.
So, block off some time, and enjoy surfing these inspiring and sometimes emotionally exhausting web sites run by and/or for photojournalists.
1. Andrea Bruce
A documentary photographer, Andrea Bruce specializes in bringing attention to people living I the aftermath of war. She is based in Iraq and covers the Middle East, and has been selected four times as Photographer of the Year by the White House News Photographers Association, and writes a column for the Post called “Unseen Iraq.” Her photo essays include extensive coverage of Iraq, the aftermath of the Kashmir earthquake and the Afghan Elections.
2. Aude Guerrucci
Getty photographer Aude Guerrucci has focused her attention on Kenya, Peru, the Obama campaign of 2008, and the White House as well as a variety of spot news photos. She’s up and coming, and someone to watch.
3. Benjamin Krain
A staff photographer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 1996, Benjamin Krain has won awards from the National Press Photographer’s Association, Photo District News, and Editor & Publisher Magazine among others. His stunning aerial photos capture the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, while his circus photos show an unusual view behind the scenes. He has also done photo essays about the reconstruction of Afghanistan and a series of street photos in Cuba.
4. Brent Striton
The senior staff photographer for the assignment division of Getty Images, Brent Striton travels nine months a year on assignment. His work has been published by National Geographic, the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Paris Match, Stern, Figaro and other magazines and newspapers. He also photographs for the Global Business Coalition against Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. His online portfolios include the changing culture of Papua, New Guinea, gorilla killings in Virunga, DRC, Xenophobic riots in South Africa, and a Guru school in India.
5. Damon Winter – Pulitzer winning coverage of Obama campaign
Many photographers also covered the 2008 presidential campaign, but only one won the 2009 Pulitzer prize for his work, and that’s New York Times staff photographer Damon Winter. The Times posted a portfolio of his work, including many of the pictures that earned Winter the Pulitzer.
6. David Burnett
Co-founder of Contact Press Images and veteran photojournalist, David Burnett isn’t afraid to use a Holga or a Speed Graphic to get the shot. He’s got the chops and reputation to pull it off: He was a contract photographer for Time in the 70s and 80s, and returned to that position in 2003. (On a personal note: I met David, although he may not remember it, on December 8, 1980, when he was the guest lecturer at J. Ross Baughmann’s photojournalism which I was taking at the New School. David critiqued my portfolio, and told me encouraging things about my work. That had me flying…until I got home that night and turned on the radio.)
7. Ed Ou
Selected last year by PDN as one of 30 photographers under 30 years old to watch, Canadian photojournalist Ed Ou recently completed a long-term documentary project about nuclear radiation victims in Kazakhstan, and has covered the Middle East, California Wildfires, and the conflict in Somalia.
8. Jenna Isaacson
DC-based Jenna Isaacson is an up-and-coming photojournalist who is worth watching. In addition to still work, she does videography and multimedia, and has been recognized by Sportsshooter.com, Pictures of the Year International, and the National Press Photographer’s Association. Her online portfolios include India, political figures in Washington, an unusual small-town family, and more.
9. Shaul Schwarz – Images From Hell – Digital Journalist
No overview of photojournalism can ignore coverage of the Haitian earthquake, and Shaul Schwarz’s images are particularly strong depictions of the human toll of the devastation. The title fits; many of the images are graphic and not for the squeamish. Part of Digital Journalist (more about that site later), the images were shot for Time Magazine through Reportage/Getty Images.
10. Walter Astrada
National Press Photographers’ Association 2009 Photographer of the Year award-winner Walter Astrada started off as a photojournalist for a local paper in his native Argentina, joined the Associated Press, and is currently working as a freelance in Spain. Currently he is working on a long-term project about violence against women. His photos depict femicide in Guatemala, sexual violence in Eastern Congo, Keyna’s post-election violence, and more.
YOUR TURN: OK, who did we miss? Post links to your favorite photojournalists’ online portfolios in the comments!
