Most Influential Photographers

Right at the start of his book “50 Paths to Creative Photography“, Michael Freeman urges aspiring photographers to Study the Form, i.e., to learn from the top 100 photographers of all time, and build on their achievements:

“Not to copy, but to understand. Study other photographers’ work, both established and contemporary. Decide which images you like, analyse why, and understand the underlying ideas and approaches the you can use yourself.”

Collected works of top photographers — My Pinterest Boards for each Photographer – click image to access.

This post is my attempt to do exactly that. I have tried to make extensive use of Pinterest to reference key works and provided links to the photographers home website or the one that best represents them. The list of photographers presented represents my personal preference; as of the date this post is published and will, hopefully, over time develop and change.

If you have any suggestions regarding photographers I should be considering or any other comments, please post them below.

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Top 100 Photographers of all Time …

or those that have influenced me the most.

No.	Influence	…..	Links	…..	Notes
1	Hiroshi Sugimoto		Pinterest		Japanese – pioneer of photographic minimalism through his seascapes and other abstract techniques.
2	Michael Kenna		Pinterest		British – black and white minimalist landscape photographer – works with medium format film cameras.
3	Andreas Gurskey		Pinterest		German – embraces the technology of digital photography to create large scale works. I particularly enjoy his images of various stock exchanges around the world which combines multiple exposures and a slow shutter speed to capture the feeling of frenetic activity. Most famous for his “Reine II” image which at the time of writing is the most expensive photograph ever sold. Visited his exhibition at the Hayward Gallery on 15 February 2018
4	Pep Ventosa		Pinterest		Spanish – pioneer of the semi-abstract technique of combining multiple exposures to create an impressionistic feel to an image. First encountered on 3rd May 2019 through the image “Tribute to Pep Ventosa” by Lynne Blount, which was exhibited at the Cambridge Photography Club’s annual exhibition.
5	Arnold Newman		Pinterest		American – pioneer of environmental portraiture, whereby the subject is shown in a context that speaks about who they are. Most famous for his portrait of the classical composer Igor Stravinski, sitting at a grand piano, known as his “B flat portrait” because the lid of the piano looks like a b or musical note. Now an icon of geometric composition. Also image of Andy Warhol which is cut out and place on top of another image taken during the same shoot, with a disconcerting effect. Subject of the Art of Photography YouTube as viewed on the 6th March 2019.
6	Fan Ho		Pinterest		Chinese – Hong Kong street photography from the 50s and 60s. Fabulous.
7	Saul Leiter		Pinterest		American – Street photographer 40s & 50s. Early adopter of colour producing highly saturated images in a style that is still popular today. Member of the New York School. “A window covered with raindrops interests me more than a photograph of a famous person.”
8	Nick Turpin		Pinterest		British – Street Photographer famous for “Through a Glass Darkly”, “On the Night Bus“. First encountered at the London Nights Exhibition on 11th June 2018. Founder of the iN-PUBLiC Street Photography collective which also includes Saul Leiter. He resigned in Sept 2018 due to the collectives selections an image by Blake Andrews distorted by the panoramic function of an iPhone. He felt that such distorted images were not Street Photography.
9	Edward Burtynsky		Pinterest		Canadian – Aerial landscape photographer who creates semi-abstract work with an environmental message. Have his book “Essential Elements“.
10	Franco Fontana		Pinterest		Italian – colourful semi-abstract landscapes.
11	Sean Tucker		Pinterest YouTube		British – photographer, psychologist, philosopher and former theologist. Inspirational personality. Makes my top 100 photographers of all time list on the basis of his generous YouTube channel that gives away all his techniques for portrait colour toning, etc. Met at an Instameet on 8th July 2018, together with his wife Sarah who is also a photography professional and poet; and again on 26th May 2019.
12	Steve McCurry		Pinterest		American – photojournalist most famous for the Afganian Girl. I have his book in large format – one of my most prized possessions.
13	Man Ray		Pinterest		American – surrealist working mainly in Paris with the Dada movement. Experimental photography, known as the Rayograph, where objects were placed directly on top of photographic paper and then exposed to light.
14	Edward Steichen		Pinterest		Flatiron Building, 1904 Luxembourgish American – pioneer photographer (right at the start of the 20th century), painter, and art gallery and museum curator. Famous for the image of the Flat Iron Building New York, (which sold for $1.6m) plus many portraits.
15	Alfred Steiglitz		Pinterest		American – pioneer photographer in the pictorialist style and promoter of modern art. Active at the turn of the 20th Century. Was married to Georgia O’Keeffe. Member: “The Linked Ring” in England (breakaway group from the RPS) first American to be admitted Formed he “Photo Secessionists” who believed that the key role of the photographer was to manipulate the image to achieve a subjective vision.
16	Joshua K Jackson		Pinterest Instagram		British – Street photographer – dramatic high colour saturation images – particularly like his diptychs. Met Josh at a Street Photography exhibition on 23rd July 2018 and spent about half an hour with him discussing both his work and that of the other exhibitors; where and how it was taken and why it is significant.
17	Leeming & Paterson		Pinterest		British – creative landscape photographers – great advocates of intentional camera movement. Attended a course with them on 20th November 2018.
18	David Hurn		Pinterest		British – journalistic, social documentary and celebrity portraits. Met on 18th March 2018 for a private tour (paid-for group session, not private invitation unfortunately) of his “Swaps” exhibition at the Photography show at the Birmingham NEC. Words of wisdom included: “A good photographer is easily identified by the complete concentration they put into their work.” “If your’re not up by 5.30am you’re wasting the day; and if you’re not still working by 10pm, why not?” Member of Magnum Photos.
19	Craig Whitehead SixStreetUnder		Pinterest		British – London based street photographer.
20	Trent Parke		Pinterest		Australian – abstract street and documentary. Creates primarily atmospheric black & white images which often involve some form of digital manipulation, i.e., multiple exposure or deliberately whiting out key areas. Member of Magnum Photos (first Australian to be admitted) and iN-PUBLiC.
21	John Free		Pinterest YouTube		American – street and social documentary photographer and educator from LA. Famous for his 10 year project photographing tramps and vagrants in the railway sidings near his home.
22	Dorothea Lange		Pinterest		Migrant Mother, 1936 American – depression era, high society portrait turned social documentary photographer. Contemporary of the author John Steinbeck. Famous for the Migrant Mother image. 16th July 2018 attended Dorothea Lange and Vanessa Winship exhibition at the Barbican Art Centre London.
23	Robert Frank		Pinterest		American – Documentary photographer who created an American-noir genre with his book “The Americans” which depicted the blandness of working class suburban life as represented by the white-picket-fence.
24	Paul Mitchell		Pinterest		British – Landscape, woodland and abstract. My greatest photographic influence when starting out on the 10,000 project as started in my first Review of Autumn (2017). Simplified scene through strong composition and limited colour palette, apparently achieved using split toning techniques on Photoshop. Really like his lesser exposed “found art” semi-abstract macro work. I have subsequently attended courses with him as follows: 12th November 2017 one day presentation to the Thames Valley Digital Imaging Group 30th October 2018 Woodland Photography workshop Burnham Beeches Presentation to the Amersham PIC Group on the evening of the 31st January 2019 covering his post processing techniques.
25	Diane Arbus		Pinterest		American – most famous for intimate b&w portraits of people on the fringes of society. Committed suicide in 1971 at age 48. Key image: boy with hand grenade in Central Park. “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.” Visited her exhibition at the Heyward Gallery Southbank Centre 13th Feb 2019.
26	Don McCullin		Pinterest		British – war photographer. Active from late 50s to turn of the century. Most famous non-war images is of The Gov’ners a East End gang in 1959. “Photography is about feeling rather than just looking.” Visited his exhibition at Tate Britain on 13th Feb 2019.
27	Cindy Sherman		Pinterest		American – pioneer of the overly saturated snap-shot aesthetic with self-portraits that highlight otherwise overlooked issues of identity in mainstream working class US society. Has many images in the “most expensive photographs” category including “Untitled #96” which sold for $3.89m.
28	Edward Weston		Pinterest		American – early 20th century, born Chicago moved to California. Image “Nude” sold for $1.6m a new high at the time. Other notable images was the monochrome pepper which looks like a boxer and a number of sexually suggestive images of fruit or vegetables.
29	Peter Lik		Pinterest		Australian – Landscape photographer Image: “Phantom” sold for $6.5m making it the most expensive ever. Personally I prefer his quadptych “Blur II” which shows 4 highly coloured woodland scenes (presumably representing the four seasons) shot with intentional camera movement.
30	Richard Avedon		Pinterest		American – often ranked as the no. 1 or no. 2 of the top 100 photographers of all time, mainly when considered from a US fashion photography perspective. Worked with the likes of Twiggy and Marilyn Monroe during the 50s and 60s. Key image: “Dovima with Elephants“. Philosophy: the photographer makes the image, not the subject. Biopic: “Richard Avedon Darkness and Light“
31	Martin Parr		Pinterest		British – contemporary social documentary – snapshot style – often very funny. Most famous for scenes of English working class holiday makers at seedy British seaside resorts, e.g., “Weymouth“. Seen at the solo exhibition at the Tate Modern on 27th March 2018. Member of Magnum Photos. Having written this post I’ve decided that I like his work, particularly the recent stuff, a lot more than I previously thought. Saw a major exhibition of his work at the National Portrait Gallery, London, 4th April 2019 and have a great respect for his ability to capture a slice of life, particularly highlighting the ludicrous behaviour of normal and not-so-normal people.
32	Jeff Wall		Pinterest		Canadian – conceptual photographer from Vancover. Creates huge staged scenes. “Dead Troops Talk” is one of the most expensive photos ever sold at over $3.3m
33	Ansel Adams		Pinterest		El Capitan, Sunrise – by Ansel Adams American – landscape photographer working 20s&30s large format b&w. Was a key player in the Californian Modernists movement and “Group F.64”. Straight photography aimed at showing what a camera can do when precisely focused and exposed. Certainly one of the, if not the, best known of the top 100 photographers of all time. Most famous work shot in Yosemite National Park.
34	David Hockney		Pinterest		British – painter, and social documentary and art photographer. Considered to be a major contributor to the pop art movement of the 60s and one of the most influential British artists of the 20th Century. Most famous works: “Photographic Collages” and “Composite Polaroids“.
35	Sophy Rickett		Pinterest		Vauxhall Bridge, 1995 British – modern contemporary photographer highlighting issues of gender inequality amongst other thing. First encountered her work at the London Nights exhibition where I highlighted her self-portrait “Vauxhall Bridge” from the series “Pissing Women” as my top image.
36	Ernst Hass		Pinterest		American – 50s to 80s. Colour abstracts and pioneer of the use of slow shutter speed and camera movement to imbue a sense of activity.
37	Irving Penn		Pinterest		American – portraits, fashion, and still life. First to shoot a subject against a plain white or grey background, or in the corner of a room.
38	W. Eugene Smith		Pinterest		American – social documentary c. 30s to 50s credited with the development of the photo essay. Later involved in social and art education. Member of Magnum Photos. W, Eugene Smith Memorial Fund.
39	Helmut Newton		Pinterest		German – celebrity portraits and fashion.
40	Henri Cartier-Bresson		Pinterest		French – perhaps the original street photographer. Famous for the expression: “The decisive moment” and the stepping over water image that it is associated with. Member of Magnum Photos.
41	Juergen Teller		Pinterest		German – fashion and fine art photography. Portraits are often shot in isolated surroundings with a washed-out, overexposed light, featuring seemingly unposed unguarded expressions.
42	Elliott Erwitt		Pinterest		French – Street photographer – often hilariously funny. Particularly his dog photos. Member of Magnum Photos.
43	Michael Orton		Pinterest		American – Contemporary abstract landscapes – creator of the Orton effect which creats a blurry glow in an image. Advocate of ICM.
44	Joe Cornish		Pinterest		British – Landscape photographer. Trademark foreground rock in water.
45	Harry Callahan		Pinterest		American – active 1930 to 80s – pioneer street and creative photographer with use of multiple exposure.
46	Eileen Rafferty		Pinterest		American – photographer, painter, philosopher and educator. First encountered through the B&H series of lectures on art history; I wish I had access to more.
47	Ellen Cary		Pinterest		American Abstract artist working primarily now with large format 20×24 inch polaroid cameras. Attended her lecture sponsored by the RPS 17 May 2019
48	Nick Hannes		Pinterest		Belgian – Street Photographer Recommended by Nick Turpin in his “5 Photographers making better Street Photographs than You” YouTube watched on the 18th May 2019
49	Karl Baden		Pinterest		Street Photographer. Recommended by Nick Turpin as above. Made a lot of images shooting from his car so that the car window creates an amusing/ ironic frame for the subject.
50	Oli Kellett		Pinterest		Recommended by Nick Turpin as above. Street Photographer – most famous for his American people standing on the corner of the street in dramatic lighting. Impressed by a selection of his large scale prints at Photo London on 17th May 2019.
51	Mike Kelley		Pinterest		American – Architectural photography from a fine art background. Creates composites of building using multiple lighting elements. Bought his course prior to taking my first commercial assignment with a high end builder
52	Akkara Naktamna		Pinterest		Famous for vines that look like people or animals. Recommended by Nick Turpin as above.
53	Michael Wolf		Pinterest		German (street?) photographer – recommended by Nick Turpin. Most famous for this documentary style work on the dense population issues of Tokyo.
54	Jim Goldberg		Pinterest		American – documentary photographer most famous for his book “Rich and Poor” which documents the lives of the wealthy and destitute of San Francisco between 1977 and ’85 by getting the subjects of the photographs to write comments about themselves and how they relate to the image on the print itself. Most famous example “We look like ordinary people. We have a terrible life.” Member of Magnum Photos.
55	Nick Knight OBE		Pinterest		British – Professional Photographer Magazine lists Knight as the 12th most influential photographer of all time and “The most influential fashion photographer in the world and one of the most sought-after.” Founder and director of SHOWstudio.com. [Should be much higher in the list, but I did not know about him until starting this post. Although I do recognise a number of his images.]
56	Garry Winogrand		Pinterest		American – mid 20th century street and documentary photographer. Most famous for: Not looking through the viewfinder.
57	Mario Testino		Pinterest		Puruvian – fashion photographer. Most famous for his portraits of Princess Diana which were shot in a relaxed manner without shoes or jewellery. Have visited his exhibition at MATA in Lima.
58	Bruce Weber		Pinterest		American – Apparently “so influential in the worlds of fashion and portraiture that company brands are based on the world which he creates with his images: The All-American Ideal.”
59	Paolo Roversi		Pinterest		Italian – fashion photographer working in Paris. “My photography is more subtraction than addition. I always try to take off things. We all have a sort of mask of expression. You say goodbye, you smile, you are scared. I try to take all these masks away and little by little subtract until you have something pure left. “
60	Paul Keene		Pinterest MFIAP panel		British – competitive photographer. First Brit to achieve FIAP Triple Diamond Status. Eclectic photographer that enters all sections of a Salon. Presented to the APS on 24th January 2019
61	Annie Leibovitz		Pinterest		American – celebrity portraits. “She’s shot everyone and her portraits define our times.” Her tips: Start with just one lens and learn to shoot with that Practice with friends and family all the time.
62	Weegee		Pinterest		Austrian American – born Aschur (Arthur or Usher) Fellig – controvercial early street photographer who used a large format camera and flash. Worked early part of the 20th century. Famously: had a police radio in his car and used to be able to get to crime scenes before they did!
63	Sebastiao Salgado		Pinterest		Brazilian – Social and ecological documentary – usually black and white. Key works: Salt of the Earth Genesis (did see this exhibition at the Natural History Museum – London – but before the start my 10,000 hour project.) Magnum Photographer [Should be much higher in the list.]
64	Alec Soth		Pinterest		American – based in Minneapolis makes “Large Scale American Projects.”. Born 1969 and much influenced by Diane Arbus, he tends to focus on “off-beat, hauntingly banal images of modern America.” Magnum photographer.
65	Lord Snowden		Pinterest		British aristocrat born Antony Armstrong-Jones and awarded the hereditary peerage of Earl of Snowden when he married Princess Margaret. Was influential in bringing a more informal approach to royal portraiture.
66	David Bailey		Pinterest		British – the most famous fashion and celebrity photographer from the ’60s. Many iconic images.
67	Robert Capa		Pinterest		Hungarian – war photographer and photo journalist. Magnum
68	Philip Jones Griffiths		Pinterest		British (Welsh) – photojournalist post-world war II. Famous for coverage of vietnam Magnum
69	Alex Webb		Pinterest		American – Street photographer who makes complex colour images. “How to shoot like Alex Webb” – shoot for at least an hour a day. Magnum
70	Stuart Franklin		Pinterest		British – photo-journalist covered the Tienanmen Square massacre. Now lives in Norway. Magnum
71	Wynn Bullock		Pinterest		American – mid-20th Century B&W abstracts. Was involved in the “Family of Man” exhibition organised by Edward Steichen. “Light to me is perhaps the most profound truth in the universe. My thinking has been deeply affected by the belief everything is some form of radiant energy.”
72	Brooke Shaden		Pinterest YouTube		American – fine art photographer. Was the top entry when Googling “art photography”. Often introduces birds or butterflys to a portrait of a woman. [Should be much higher.]
73	Yuri Benitez		Pinterest		Mexican – female nude. LightSpaceTimes No. 1 in list of “10 Professional Photographers to Watch in 2018“
74	Paul Pinzarrone		Pinterest		American – Abstract.
75	Jeffrey Friedkin		Pinterest		American – NYC street photographer Juried member of the Salmagundi Art Club New York.
76	Art Kane		Pinterest		American – fashion and music 50s-90s. Shot everybody in the music scene of the mid 20th century.
77	Paul Strand		Pinterest		American – Modernist: contemporary of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston. Influential in photography being considered an art form (see my post “First notes on the history of Photography as an Art Form.“
78	Robert Golden		Pinterest		American – documentary. Work with autism; the demise of the English working class.
79	Jacob Aue Sobol		Pinterest		Danish – conceptual portraiture. Magnum
80	Bruce Gilden		Pinterest		American – Street photographer. Famous for very close portraits of not conventionally attractive people! Magnum
81	Richard Kavlar		Pinterest		American – humorous street photographer. Magnum
82	Vanessa Winship		Pinterest		World Photography Awards British – contemporary documentary photography. Work in: The Balkans USA: “She Dances on Jackson” See my post about the “Dorothea Lange and Vanessa Winship” exhibition visited on the 16th July 2018
83	Valerie Six		Pinterest		French – street, portraits and abstract. Exhibited at the Carnaby Street Exhibition 23rd July 2018.
84	Stuart Paton		Pinterest		British – Street portraits and candids. Social documentary
85	Siegfried Hansen		Pinterest		German – street photographer most famous for his work in Hamburg Creates humorous images by aligning unrelated subjects to suggest a connect that isn’t there. Member of iN-PUBLIC.
86	Alan Brooking		Pinterest		British – Advertising executive and art director turned photographer. Famous for: “The pregnant man“
87	Gueorgui Pinkhassov		Pinterest		Russian – Street photographer. Magnum
88	Harry Gruyaert		Pinterest Film trailer		Belgian – Pioneer of the use of bold colours in Street Photography. Famous for images of India, Morocco, Egypt and Western Ireland. Magnum
89	Eugene Atget		Pinterest		French – Pioneer of documentary photography right at the very start in the late 19th Century, working into the 20th.
90	Frans Lanting		Pinterest		Dutch – Wildlife Photographer – awsome! [Should be much higher up the rankings.]
91	Nan Goldin		Pinterest		American – Contemporary diaristic photographer covering issues associated with her own bisexuality, LGBT bodies, HIV, and the opioid epidemic. Most famous for “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency.” Saw her exhibition at the Tate Modern, 16th April 2019
92	Larry Clark		Pinterest		American – early diaristic photographer. Most famous work: “Tulsa” (1971) where he completely submerged himself in the darker side of mid-western adolescence including drug taking, sex, and violence for which he served a 19 month jail sentence. Exhibition at the Tate Modern 31st January 2019.
93	Richard Billingham		Pinterest		British – contemporary diaristic photographer mainly focusing on his own working-class family, including his alcoholic father, from the West Midlands. Exhibition at the Tate on 31st January 2019.
94	Helga Paris		Pinterest		Polish born German – documentary photographer. Most famous for portraits of East Berlin factory workers and other images of everyday life. Saw exhibition at the Tate on 31st January 2019.
95	Olga Chernysheva		Pinterest		Russian – documentary photographer. Saw exhibition of Moscow underground workers at the Tate on 31st January 2019.
96	Chris Killip		Pinterest		British – documentary photographer Most famous for his photography project at the Pirelli factory which took over three months to complete.
97	Imogen Cunningham		Pinterest		American – one of the first female professional photographers. A modernist known for botanicals, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Most famous for: Botanicals with evocative light and extreme detail. Member of the f/64 club so a contemporary of Ansel Adams, et al.
98	David Gibson		Pinterest Instagram Amazon		British – Street photographer; originally B&W only then converted to colour c. 2004. Also writes about Street Photography. Founder member of iNPUBLIC (with Nick Turpin) Gave an excellent presentation to the Amersham Photographic Society 4th February 2019.
99	Pete Rowbottom		Pinterest		British – 2018 Landscape Photographer of the Year. Also shoots cool urban/architecture and people/travel.
100	Alan Burles		Pinterest		British – Winner of the 2018 Street Photography International Award. Some impressive super minimalism.
101	Fu Yongjun		Pinterest		Chinese – top photojournalist and street photographer.
102	Stefano Pensotti		Pinterest		Italian – 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year. CPS Canon Photographer.
103	Dave Heath		Pinterest		American – documentary photographer and contemporary of W Eugene Smith, Diane Arbus and others. Addresses issues of isolation reflecting his own upbringing as a orphan. Pioneer of the small groupings of two or three images – where the white space, representing the interaction between the images, is referred to as the third dimension. Most famous for his book: “Dialogues with Solitudes” – amongst all else, interesting layout with lots of negative space. Exhibition starting at the Photographers Gallery 8th March 2019. Art of Photography YouTube viewed on the 6th March 2019.
104	Scott Kelby		YouTube		American – photography educator and YouTuber. Was very influential to be at the start of my photography. Big cheese amongst the Photoshop Guys. Is now an entire industry in his own name. Was a favourite when I was just starting out learning to use my camera and Photoshop.
105	James Burns		Pinterest		British – lunar photographer based in London. Project “London from the rooftops.”
106	Martin Munkacsi		Pinterest		Hungarian – was a major influence on the more famous Richard Avedon. Reportage and fashion from late 20s to 50s – created a more dynamic style of image often involving models running on the beach.
107	Allan Markman		Pinterest		American – Macro still life, constructed using found objects. Combination of small rusty mechanical parts or other man-made objects with the occasional leaf, berry, flower or creeper vine.
108	Guy Bourdin		Pinterest		French – Fashion photographer using simple bold colours to make striking images. Innovative poses occasionally with the model as a minor part of the image.
109	Walker Evans		Pinterest		American – Early 20th century, b&w street and documentary. Maintained his artistic freedom by having a day/ night job on Wall Street.
110	Bill Brandt		Pinterest		British – very early documentary and street portraiture, c. 30s. Obviously all b&w shot on a cumbersome large format camera.

Whilst an attempt to put my greatest influences highest up the list, I hope you will appreciate how difficult this is. I certainly expect to revise this post over time.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about this post, please comment below. Or alternatively, connect with me through the social media channel of your choice right; in fact, please do that in any case!