Image via Complex Original
Photography is an extraordinary and ever-evolving artistic medium. With widespread technological advances like digital cameras, editing software, and social media, it's become simultaneously easier and more challenging than ever to pursue a career as a photographer.
In the digital age, it's becoming easier to create and share content but harder to stand out. Sometimes it's difficult to discern a "good" photographer from an unsustainable trend-follower. But we believe that these young, talented individuals have worked hard to prove that they've got what it takes to "make it" and go even further than they already have. These are 25 Young Photographers To Keep Your Eye On.
RELATED: 50 Actually Talented Photographers You Should Be Following on Instagram
trashhand
Location: Chicago
Age: 24
Specialties: Street photography
Serdar Ozturk is better known by his Instagram alias trashhand and has amassed over 30,000 followers. With his technically mastered edits of Chicago's architecture and street scenes, trashhand continues to wow his audience with his three artistic priorities: "calm, clear, and classic." Most recently, he's also launched a Skillshare class titled "Cityscape Photography: Capture Your City’s Story," giving us a chance to learn from the young master.
Conor McDonnell
Location: Liverpool, England
Age: 22
Specialities: Music, portrait
Conor McDonnell was already on his way to having a successful career in photography, and then he got a last-minute call to replace Annie Leibovitz at Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's wedding. Not only did he shoot the most-liked photo on Instagram, his images were the main way that the public got to see how it all went down (they were posted exclusively on E! first).
Before shooting the #WorldsMostTalkedAboutCouple's epic wedding at the young age of 22, Conor was doing music photography. He snuck into a show of band The Subways when he was 14 and has since photographed UK popstars Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding extensively. The future looks bright for McDonnell, and we're sure he's received a ton of commission requests in the past few weeks alone.
Greer Muldowney
Location: Boston
Age: 29
Specialties: Architecture, landscape
Greer Muldowney got national attention from her Savannah College of Art & Design master's thesis. Titled "6,426 per km2," her project references Hong Kong's population density and focuses on its overcrowding and industrialization through an "acid-trip" lens. Muldowney has had four solo exhibitions from "6,426 per km2" alone, including one in the Gallery Kafayas in Boston. The Hong Kong tenements come to life in a bubbly innocence that seduces viewers into believing that maybe life isn't so dark.
Olivia Bee
Location: Brooklyn
Age: 20
Specialties: Portrait, Fashion editorial
Olivia Bee has been a young photographer to watch since she was 15 years old. The Portland, Ore. native landed a Converse advertisement deal before she could even drive a car. Her dreamy, intimate, and youthful documentary style photography is filled with emotion and warm, soft hues. Her clients include Adidas, Nike, Harper's Bazaar Germany, and Hermes, to name a few. Bee has spoken at two TEDx talks and was the only photographer listed in W Magazine's Generation W. At the tender age of 20, Bee has not only created noise in the fashion world, but she is also refining her fine art portfolio with solo exhibitions and films she directs herself.
Bobby Doherty
Location: Brooklyn
Age: 24
Specialties: Still life, editorial
Bobby Doherty is only 24 years old, yet he's already gotten a sick job as staff photographer for New York Magazine. His range of vibrant compositions reveals work that's super fun, pop, and engaging, usually with an eye for graphic design. Keep an eye on Doherty; he has the potential to be an icon.
Ira Chernova
Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Age: Unknown
Specialties: Portraits, editorial
You may have seen Ira Chernova floating around the Internet with captions like "Who is this girl?" Chernova is a young photographer living in Bushwick by way of Moscow. When she picked up her parents' old film camera in college, she knew photography, art, and fashion were her callings in life. "I prefer working with people," she says. Chernova's work brings dark, dreamlike brilliance to raw New York City portraits. She's worked with Elijah Wood, Willy Cartier, Diesel, and Urban Outfitters.
Bruno Zhu
Location: UK
Age: 23
Specialties: Still life, compositions
Bruno Zhu's work is characterized by its bare, balanced style that contains carefully thought out compositions. He's based in London by way of Portugal and launched his own non-profit zine that catalogues his art and explores publishing narratives. His work, alongside fellow photographer Mengxi Zhang, was featured in Binding Image's December art book exhibition at the MuzyQ in Amsterdam, and he was also exhibited in a four-gallery event, A PETITE FAIR, at Jeanin Hofland Contemporary Art during the Amsterdam Art Weekend.
Nastya Vinogradova
Location: St. Petersburg
Age: Unknown
Specialties: Street photography
Russian Photographer Nastya Vinogradova studies architecture and captures St. Petersburg's essence in her spare time. She works with both monochrome and color film to imitate the atmosphere she experiences, and she always adds a tender twist of her own. Even photographs of tough-looking guys get an innocent tint in Nastya's work.
Christelle de Castro
Location: New York
Age: 29
Specialties: Fashion, editorial
Christelle de Castro got a great start in photography shooting for Opening Ceremony and has since gone into filmmaking and freelance art directing, as well. Her work is bright and intimate and has gotten her jobs for Fader, Nylon, and VICE, among others. She was named one of Complex's 13 Women to Watch in 2013 and also has her own brand consulting agency, Stoneman.
Clement Pascal
Location: New York
Age: 27
Specialties: Editorial, fashion
Clément Pascal's father was a still life photographer, so photography was second nature for him from a young age. As a teenager, he began shooting his friends skateboarding and doing graffiti, and has since then evolved into a successful fashion and editorial photographer. Pascal's work has appeared in Dazed & Confused, The New York Times' T Magazine, Sang Bleu, and much more. In the fashion world, he's worked for Alexander Wang, ACNE Studios, and Engineered Garments. His use of earth tones and natural lighting are his signature style, appearing like Degas paintings of the 21st century, only with Lea Seydoux instead of dancers.
Aston Husumu Hwang
Location: Korea
Age: 25
Specialties: Street photography
Korean photographer Aston Husumu Hwang (better known as Husumu) is considered a major player in Korea's new generation of big photographers. Mostly taking photos of friends and wild nightlife, his work is mischievously fun. Citing music as essential to his work, he says, "I'm taking pictures at the club a lot, so if there's no music I couldn't make [photographs]...especially hip-hop, it's the Bible of our lives." Hwang's photography has been featured in XXL and MTV K amongst other publications. When he's not in the club with his flash and famous friends, he's incorporating the serene Korean landscape and culture into his body of work.
Andi Elloway
Location: New York
Age: 27
Specialties: Fashion, portrait
With her use of film cameras and a harsh flash, Andi Elloway's photography comes across as an effortless, improvised type of glamorous. Her diary-style photography documents the crazy fun lifestyle of her and her friends. From mansions in Miami to parties in Paris, Elloway finds a way to capture a heightened, youthful energy. "I’m really inspired by people with attitude and a little bite to them," she says about her work. When she's not artfully gallivanting, she can be found working on side projects, like shooting editorial spreads for Purple and even creating films. Elloway is securing her path towards becoming a big name. Get more on her blog what ANDI does.
Justin Hogan
Location: Brooklyn
Age: 30
Specialties: Portrait, Street photography
Justin Hogan's street photography conveys honesty and is an example of how photography, at its best, can capture the real human experience. Hogan has shot rappers and hip-hop icons including Jim Jones, Wiz Khalifa, and Big Sean. Additionally, he shoots monochrome images of urban areas throughout NYC, which pull viewers into the various lives of famous and not-so-famous New York natives. His Vimeo account is full of stunning film work, and he's one-third of the team behind STEADY Zine.
Jessica Lehrman
Location: New York City
Age: Unknown
Specialties: Music photography
Chances are, Jessica Lehrman has taken an awesome photograph of your favorite indie or hip-hop artist. It's obvious when you look at Lehrman's success that her fresh perspective brings something irreplaceable to the music photography world. She manages to capture a secret side of each artist, making them more exciting and more human than before. Follow her blog PhotoThugLife for the ultimate daydreaming experience.
Oscar Santos
Location: San Francisco
Age: 27
Specialties: Street photography
San Francisco-based photographer Oscar Santos is known for his gritty portrayal of youth and fame. Frequently featuring members of Odd Future, his street photography is indulgent and captivating. Vice covered Santos' work and summed it up as, "Enjoy his pictures of hot women doing drugs." Check out his blog ALLWORKNOPLAY for more.
Adriaan Louw
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Age: Unknown
Specialties: Street photography
With a production company of his own called we-are-awesome films, photoprapher and filmmaker Adriaan Louw is making a commotion in South Africa. Louw is involved with the Obey You Collective: South Africa project, a group that documents South African street culture through interviews, film, and art. His work, conveniently packaged in clean compositions and soft tones, captures the fleeting feeling between adolescent nostalgia and pipe dreams.
Caroline Mackintosh
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Age: 25
Specialties: Editorial, portrait
Caroline Mackintosh has created some of the most ethereally youthful photographs around. As a seasoned editorial shooter for Oyster Magazine, Vice, and other magazines, she effortlessly blends sexuality with warmth and poise. And though her editorial work is killer, her personal projects are getting her name out even more. Her series Metallurgy features landscapes around Cape Town that are warped and re-envisioned with mirrors and lighting tricks.
Maria Gruzdeva
Location: London
Age: 25
Specialties: Landscape, portrait
Maria Gruzdeva is a Russian photographer with acclaimed documentary and researched-based photo projects. She's the recipient of the IdeasTap & Magnum Photos Photographic Award and winner of the 2012 Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographer. Gruzdeva's projects, like Borders of Russia, are technically brilliant and aesthetically mind-blowing. It's no surprise she's made such a commotion in the art world already.
Emily Kai Bock
Location: New York
Age: 30
Specialties: Cinematography, portraits
Emily Kai Bock is the mastermind behind Grimes' playful music video "Oblivion," which was nominated for the UKMVA Best Alternative Video in 2012. Aside from her career as a director for Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, and Majical Cloudz, she's an incredible photographer. As a multifaceted artist working on documentaries and visual art, as well, Bock's compositions are clever and stunning. She's accomplished a lot in her artistic career and is still going strong.
Julian Berman
Location: Los Angeles
Age: 22
Specialties: Music photography
Los Angeles-based photographer Julian Berman has worked with Billboard Magazine, the New York Times, and American Express, amongst others. Berman's love of skate magazines like Thrasher got him hooked on photography in high school.
At only 22-years-old, Julian's made a name for himself in both the music and editorial worlds. His photography is soaked in Los Angeles' light and energy and unites a raw aesthetic with precise coloring and subjects.
Petra Collins
Location: Toronto
Age: 21
Specialties: Portrait, editorial
Canadian photographer Petra Collins is only 21 years old but has worked with American Apparel, Oyster Magazine, and Urban Outfitters, to name a few. Collins is taking the world of photography by storm, mixing her fine art and commercial sensibilities.
Her collaboration with illustrator Alice Lancaster and American Apparel, made to confront menstruation and masturbation taboos, put her on the map in 2013, but her work doesn't rely on gimmicks or shock-value alone. Collins explores the vulnerable and unspoken world of young women and honest sensuality. Her gorgeous and painfully candid artwork speaks for itself.
Catherine Scrivener
Location: London
Age: 26
Specialties: Snapshot photography
It's easy to see why Catherine Scrivener is so inspired by visual diaries and zines. Her sincere work acts as a window into her personal life, a stylistic approach heavily influenced by her former mentor Ryan McGinley. She's been featured in the new art project Stitch, which aims to exhibit young, up-and-coming artists, and was also in a group show at London's Cock 'n' Bull Gallery. Scrivener's passion for romanticizing the mundane results in captivating moments between film and surreal colors. She's working towards more fine art exhibitions and zine releases.
Sagan Lockhart
Location: Los Angeles
Age: 26
Specialties: Street photography
Sagan Lockhart is known as the O.G. Odd Future photographer, but that's not all he has to offer. As an old friend of Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, and the rest of the wolf gang, Lockhart has earned a coveted position in the photography world. He was taking photos of the group when they were still an unknown, underground collective skating around L.A., many of which have become part of OF books and exhibitions.
He's also created a limited edition zine titled Fersher and was part of an exhibition (also titled "Fersher") alongside Natalia Mantini and Josh Terris in London. Today, he manages the Odd Future Store on Fairfax, goes on tour with OF, and has even been featured in the group's Adult Swim show Loiter Squad. We're excited to see where his photography goes, both with and without Odd Future.
Hector Isaac
Location: Miami
Age: 24
Specialties: Street photography
Cuban street photographer Isaac Hector has only been shooting, to everyone's surprise, for around two years. "I needed a hobby to get out of the house," he explained in an interview. He was the winner of the 2012 Miami Street Photography Festival Award judged by National Geographic and Magnum photographers, and he is now part of photography collective Strata. His work is animated and full of drama with striking composition and ever-intriguing subjects. We're excitd to see what Isaac will do in the next two years.
Jared Thomas
Location: Los Angeles
Age: 29
Specialties: Portrait, fashion
Jared Thomas Kocka has come along way from his previous job as a Domino's pizza employee. Although Thomas has only been living in Los Angeles for two years, he's managed to capture the youth culture there, photographing everyone from models to family and friends. In each and every one of his loud portraits there's a human aspect that he's able to capture, usually within the urban setting.