Just like us, you’re probably always focused on updating your Instagram feed so you’re following the latest and greatest. We did our research and pulled together a list of Black fashion photographers who are behind some of the biggest campaigns you’ve admired from the likes of Nike, Prada, and Adidas. They also capture runway images and shoot editorials for major mags like i-D, Paper, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vogue, all while telling their own stories.
Ahead, you’ll find people like Tyler Mitchell, who, at 23, was the first Black photographer in history to shoot the cover of American Vogue — and it was Beyoncé’s September issue, no less. Tyler made waves, later admitting one of the iconic photos to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, proving the shoot’s relevance. A cover photographed by a Black photographer was long overdue for the magazine, and it was a decision made by Beyoncé, who had complete creative control of the shoot and spoke up in the issue about providing opportunities for people of color.
Then there’s Darrel Hunter, the face behind street style site ModeHunter, which you probably follow regularly during Fashion Week. Some of these artists — who are also filmmakers, directors, and stylists, BTW — are currently showcasing their own exhibitions, have published or are working on their own books (we see you, Mahaneela Choudhury-Reid and Shaniqwa Jarvis!), and are focused on advancing and representing the Black community now more than ever.
POPSUGAR reached out to all of the photographers here, and many of them submitted quotes about current projects, i.e. how they’re spending time at home, and missions they want to share with the world. Scroll through to hear their voices and get to know them through their powerful images and words. Have a favorite photographer who’s not on the list but should be? Drop me a line and let me know.
