Women photographers rock! In this piece we showcase 20 of the very best.
“Just 20” we thought to ourselves when putting this list of women photographers together. “It’s going to be so hard to not go over that number!.” That’s because we know that the amount of female talent in our industry is almost endless. But we also know our readers have to find the time to eat and sleep too! So, with that in mind, we wanted to make a piece that focused on the best of the best – in our humble (and experienced) opinion. With Women’s History Month being
All the photographers in this article have been featured on The Phoblographer before, hence why we’re extremely confident in their creative capabilities. You’re also encouraged to check out each of their individual features too.
Want to have your work featured too? Here’s how.
“We want the list” we hear you chant. Okay, let’s get into it…
Sonia Szóstak (soniaszostak.com)
Sonia is a portrait photographer with a strong focus on fashion. In her series Havana Fashion Snaps, she was able to blend that iconic street photography look with those cutting-edge fashion vibes.
Her work is full of vibrancy, yet still holds a certain moody tone – we feel she gets the balance just right. You can see her full feature here.
Justyna Zdnczyk (@justyna_zdnczuk)
Justyna’s work really is gripping. Based in Hong Kong, she creates low contrast, colourful puzzle photos out of the countries varied architecture. Her work leans towards those minimalist vibes, however, keeps enough characteristics for her work to remain in the more complex categories.
To enjoy her work in its full glory, be sure to check out her series Hong Kong Puzzles
Laura Makabresku (lauramakabresku.com)
Laura’s portraiture is simply beautiful. It emotionally moves you whilst keeping your thoughts still and calm. We love the attention to detail that goes into her work. The little touches, such as Doves, that gives her photography more depth and meaning.
We asked Laura what was the crucial element that made her style her own, her answer…”Hope”. You can read the full interview here.
Jane Dickson (@janeinpeepland)
Jane Dickson is a badass. A true master of the game. This is a photographer who was shooting Times Square all whilst putting up with bullets coming through her windows. For the art, she would walk the streets during the era when they were infamous for being filled with pimps, punks and prostitutes – not forgetting to mention rife with drugs. In short, Jane Dickson is an example to every photographer coming through the ranks for what true dedication to the cause is.
It was a pleasure to interview her.
Maryline Rivard (@marylinerivard)
“I think it is important to show a certain vulnerability in a world where we constantly struggle to show that we are perfect, strong and powerful,” said Maryline when we spoke to her about her conceptual self-portraits. She gives us an honest, yet magical, narrative through her work. Her eye for details and creative vision make her, for us, a leading figure in this genre.
For her thoughtful answers and amazing imagery, we’re positive you will enjoy the full interview.
Helena Georgiou (@helena-georgiou)
Minimal street photography has become a growing trend over the years. Whilst many fail to do it well, there are some that get it right on point. Helena Georgiou is one of the fantastic street photographers that is doing minimalism correctly. Whilst her images are stripped back from multiple physical components, they are filled with colour, shape, texture and interesting subjects.
You can enjoy a range of her work here.
Cheyenne Beverley (cheyennebeverley.com)
Delivering retro vibes in the modern day has become a popular aesthetic in the portrait world. Whilst camera and editing software companies are doing all they can to cement the digital era, there are some photographers refusing to play ball by keeping that film feel alive. Cheyenne Beverley creates stunning portraits that are layered with that film style grain and accompanied by dark, moody tones.
To fully understand and appreciate her work, be sure to check out her Chrononaut series.
Beth Saravo (bethsaravo.com)
We love music, we love music photography and we love Beth Saravo. There are so many reasons to enjoy her work. Her images for a start are absolutely killer. They come with perfect timing, dramatic angles and almost let you hear the music. More so, Beth is doing her thing in what she describes as a male-dominated environment “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t make my abilities any less, and if I have to prove this on-site, I will” she says.
Read the full interview here.
Elisa Bleda (@elisableda)
If like us, you’re gripped by that glowing neon look then you’ll love the work of Elisa Bleda. In one of our favourite series by Elisa, she takes us through Chinatown – in South Africa. Her work offers drama through misty clouds, spooky buildings and mesmerizing neon lights.
If you’re interested in seeing Chinatown outside the usual status quo, check out her full Chinatown series.
Maria Svarbova (@aria_baro)
Sometimes you come across a photographer whose work just makes you feel at peace. It centres you and gives you a rewarding, satisfying feeling just by looking at it. Maria Svarbova creates beautiful photos built around symmetry and duplicity. In her series Origins, she uses water as a calming element of her photography. We’re no strangers to her work as we also featured her wonderful series Swimmers too.
Grace Chen (@skipwithgrace)
Grace Chen is living the dream. She travels, takes great photos and allows us to enjoy her journey (whilst leaving us a tad jealous). Her dedication is key to her success. She told us, “my long term goal is to visit all 195 (+) countries”. It must be said that Graces’ work is far from the cliche wanderlust Instagram feed you may be used to seeing. She has own style locked down, here you can see for yourself.
Julie Hrudova (@hrudography)
Julie Hrudova is making a name for herself through her Instagram account Street Repeat. But as popular as the account may be, it should not take away from the fact that Julie is a very capable, creative street photographer herself. Her work has a minimal vibe but has enough going on to build a story. She’s doing her thing in the street photography scene – and doing it extremely well!
We interviewed Julie back in October 2018, in which she shed further light on the story behind Street Repeat and her own body of work.
Amy O’Boyle (@amy.oboyle)
“I’m a huge advocate for quality over quantity” Amy tell us as she describes her work ethic. She adds, “[I} love the idea of taking 16 wonderful photos on holiday and wanting to print them all, instead of 700 RAW files”.
We are just in love with her attitude towards the medium. Clearly, Amy is a photographer that cares about keeping our industry to a high standard. And you know what…she is doing exactly that. Her portraiture is great, giving us that bright pastel feel. On top of all this Amy is shooting 35mm and medium format – quite frankly, she’s a super credit to our field.
Kaitlin Rebesco (@kaitlinrebesco)
A moment of light can be gone far quicker than the time it took you to notice it was there, so timing has to be impeccable. Through her work, Kaitlin Rebesco emphasis photography’s most important ingredient. Looking for those deep shadows and little breaks of light, she waits for her subjects to be perfectly positioned before she takes the shot.
Working out of Chicago, we really enjoyed her series Light in The Windy City
Elena Iv-skaya (@ivskaya)
We have featured Elena’s work multiple times on the site. Most recently we brought you her series Double Beauty, in which she challenged the pressures of the fashion world through a set of well-composed portraits. Her work uses the human body and shape to create visually balanced photography – all whilst using skin color as a form of contrast.
“Fashion photographers like Elena Iv-skaya bring back our faith in the industry” wrote our News Editor Joy Celine Asto. Check out the full feature here.
Tiina Törmänen (@tiinautti)
Tiina Törmänen is a photographer that practises her trade under the cold, clear Finnish waters. Her photography verges on being abstract, as she puts together the different aspects of lake life in order to make eye-catching images.
Her work is becoming increasingly popular as she has gathered over 45,000 followers on Instagram. Check out her series Underwater Lake Landscapes and you’ll soon understand why people, including us, are raving about her work.
Courtney Coles (@kernieflakes)
From Nelly to Ne-Yo, Courtney Coles has photographed some leading names in the music industry. She describes music and concert photography as a “chaotic experience” which highlights just how difficult the craft is. You have to keep up with the fast-paced mind of entertainers all whilst making images that have quality and substance – something Courtney does extremely well.
When we interviewed Courtney, a piece of advice that really stuck with us was “Be kind to not only yourself but those around you. Have fun”.
Sarah Blesener (@sarahblesener)
Sarah’s story is extremely moving and something, in our own way, we can all relate to. She started photography as a form of escapism. It has therapeutic value and photography connects her to people. This is clear in all her images, as you can feel that connection between photographer and subject.
Her work was also celebrated through the fact that in 2018 she was named an Adobe Rising Star of Photography. Take five minutes to read her moving story.
Kate Hook (@katehook__)
Calling all Lomography lovers! Kate Hook is rocking out that classic film roll and producing brilliant portraits with it. We’re big fans of alternative approaches when it comes to film photography and Kate is no stranger to that. She soups her film in lemon juice prior to developing, giving her photos what she describes as “that pastel look”.
“In life you can’t play it safe, that goes with my creative process too”, she says when discussing her approach. You can see the results here.
Marta Bevacqua (@martabevacqua)
Marta is another photographer that we’ve featured several times on The Phoblographer. Simply because year after year she continues to create beautiful portraits. It’s hard not to get excited by her work and have to not have the urge to understand it more. In her most recent feature, we looked at her series Silence in which she experimented with underwater portrait photography.
We were really captivated by the results and her ability to capture the essence of beauty in her subjects all whilst putting them in a vulnerable environment.
Why We Want to Show Love For Women Photographers
Photography and the arts, in general, should never come down to gender. The sad reality is, however, that the female experience is still very much a difficult one for those trying to do what they love. Women still have to fight to be heard. Speak to any female photographer, listen to their experience and learn that it’s not a bed of roses for them.
So The Phoblographer remains committed to highlighting the amazing talent we have in this industry – who just so happen to be women. Every photographer on this list is on it because of their amazing skills and qualities.
We will always rave about them – you should too.
All images in this article were used with direct/creative commons permission. Lead photo by Elena Iv-skaya. Used with creative commons permission. Feature Writer Dan Ginn contributed to the curation of this list.