Social platforms like Tumblr and Instagram have made it easier than ever for talented photographers to show off their work — but it still takes some digging to get through the too-close pictures of food to find the ones who will really inspire you.
Here are some of our favorite emerging photographers — the ones whose names you may not have know yet, but will definitely be hearing in the near future.
Olivia Bee
|
Olivia Bee (photo by Craig McDean for W Magazine) |
The word “precocious” was created for this 19-year-old wunderkind out of Portland, Oregon. Bee, who largely credits Flickr and the accidental assignment to a photography class in junior high for her success, was just 14 when she got her first commercial work, and hasn’t stopped since. Her work has appeared in VICE and the New York Times, and she’s worked with big international brands like Hermes and Fiat.
|
Collin Hughes (photo via Collin Hughes) |
The list of clients that Collin Hughes has worked with reads like an urban 20something’s handbook — Warby Parker, All Saints, Bonobos, Epitaph Records — which is only a good thing for the New York native who says he loves to tell brand stories through compelling visuals. But it’s not all commercial work for Collin; He’s also taken his camera to some seriously remote places (Antarctica, anyone?) to capture all the beauty that nature has to offer.
|
Brent Lewis (photo by Andrew Nelles) |
Like so many photographers, Chicago-based Brent Lewis’s interest in the artform started when someone — in this case, his grandfather — lent him an old camera. Now, Brent is a staff photographer at the Rockford Register Star, where his compelling candids and portraits lend emotional value to news and sports reporting. Brent is also keenly tuned in to social issues; his series “A Place To Call Home” focuses on poverty in his native Chicago.
|
Milly Colley (photo via Milly Colley) |
Milly Colley is a familiar name to fans of trade papers like Photography Monthly and Turning Pro magazine, who have featured her work more than once. Focusing on fashion and femininity, Colley’s dreamy pastoral landscapes and portraits bring out the girly-girl in all of us.
|
Kyle Johnson (photo via Kyle Johnson) |
One look at Kyle Johnson’s colorful, crisp photographs of the great outdoors and it’s clear that he’s straight out of the Pacific Northwest, but it’s not all fish and streams for this dynamic shooter. Kyle is also a skilled portrait photographer, and regularly turns his lens toward another of his loves — elegant, West Coast food and drink.
|
Dawn Heumann (photo via Dawn Heumann) |
Some people fall into photography; others, like Dawn Heumann, are born into it. The daughter of a documentary filmmaker, Heumann came to photography not simply to take pictures, but to capture people. In addition to stunning wedding and baby photography, Heumann has also focused her lens on other elements of the human experience; her series Impermanence beautifully captures dilapidated and abandoned spaces.
|
Brent Knepper (photo via Brent Knepper) |
Long before the train service opened its residency program to would-be travel writers, Brent was taking advantage of Amtrak’s inexpensive offerings. Those feeling the tug of wanderlust may or may not want flip through Brent Knepper’sRailpassTumblr, where he shares his not only gorgeous photos from across the United States, but also his experiences doing what many of us only dream of. |
Julian Bialowas
|
Anyone who says you can’t take quality photos with your phone needs to take a moment with Julian Bialowas’s iPhone album, which he also shares in one of the more beautiful Instagram accounts known to mankind. When he’s not snapping photos of his jealousy-inducing hikes, Julian has also shot for Ducati and Levi’s. |
Julian Bialowas (photo via Julian Bialowas Instagram) |
Katie Orlinski
 |
If you’re looking for a photographer who’s using her skills for social good, look no further than Katie Orlinski, who’s shot in some of the most war-torn areas of the world, including Libya, the Gaza strip, and Ciudad Juarez. Using her combination of journalism chops and composition skills, Katie’s work reflects the human consequences of war. |
|
Self-taugh Briton Care Johnson is an inspiration for young photographers wondering how to make it as a freelancer; Not only has she had a pretty great deal of commercial work, she’s also engaged in her community, working as a young ambassador for Young Britain Women of the Future. She also frequently gives lectures, so there’s always something new to learn from her. |
 |
