20 Famous Portrait Photographers You Should Know

20 Famous Portrait Photographers You Should Know

LEGENDARY & CLASSIC PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS

1. Annie Leibovitz (USA)

  • Known for: Celebrity portraits for Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone

  • Iconic shots: John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Queen Elizabeth II

2. Richard Avedon (USA)

  • Known for: Stripped-down fashion and celebrity portraits

  • Notable work: “In the American West” series

3. Yousuf Karsh (Canada)

  • Known for: Dramatic black-and-white portraits of world leaders

  • Iconic shot: Winston Churchill, 1941

4. Dorothea Lange (USA)

  • Known for: Documentary portraits during the Great Depression

  • Iconic image: “Migrant Mother”

5. Steve McCurry (USA)

  • Known for: Powerful human portraits in war-torn and cultural regions

  • Famous photo: “Afghan Girl” (National Geographic)

6. Diane Arbus (USA)

  • Known for: Portraits of marginalized people — raw, honest, haunting

7. Irving Penn (USA)

  • Known for: Elegant, minimalist portraits and fashion photography

8. Helmut Newton (Germany)

  • Known for: Provocative and glamorous portraits with strong lighting

9. Philippe Halsman (Latvia/USA)

  • Known for: “Jumpology” and surreal celebrity portraits, often with Salvador Dalí

10. Arnold Newman (USA)

  • Known for: “Environmental portraits” — showing subjects in their personal/work spaces

🎨 MODERN & CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS

11. Platon (UK)

  • Known for: Intense, close-up portraits of world leaders and icons (Obama, Putin)

12. Mario Testino (Peru)

  • Known for: Glamorous portraits of royalty and supermodels (Princess Diana, Gisele)

13. Zanele Muholi (South Africa)

  • Known for: Empowering black & LGBTQ+ portraiture, often self-portraits

14. Tyler Mitchell (USA)

  • Known for: First Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover (Beyoncé)

15. Peter Lindbergh (Germany)

  • Known for: Black-and-white portraits of models with natural beauty and raw emotion

16. Nadav Kander (UK/Israel)

  • Known for: Moody, cinematic lighting and introspective celebrity portraits

17. Mark Seliger (USA)

  • Known for: Editorial portraits for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair

18. Rineke Dijkstra (Netherlands)

  • Known for: Series-based portraiture capturing emotional transitions (e.g. adolescents)

19. Rankin (UK)

  • Known for: Bold, colorful, often humorous portraits for commercial brands

20. Anastasia Taylor-Lind (UK)

  • Known for: Conflict-zone portraiture with a quiet, intimate style

Back to blog