I really don’t like lists… Normally they’re just a reminder of things I don’t want to do. So for this post, I thought I make a list that I do like and hopefully you will too. The list I’ve made is what I believe are the best 50 photographers in history. It’s a list which covers all genres of photography: from street, landscape, wedding and portrait. All the photographers on this list have bucked the trend and broken new ground.  Many of the photographers on the list have a very different style and approach to me, but their skill and consistency are second to none.  Wherever possible I have left a link to their websites, but some of the older photographers don’t have one so I’ve linked to their wikipedia page. I do hope you’ll enjoy this list as much as I have putting it together.

(Please note this is a work in progress as I find the time to write a little piece on each photographer)

N.B. They’re not in any particular order…

• Maciej Dakowicz Maciej is a Polish photographer whose work has only recently come to my attention. In many ways Maciej’s reminds me of Robert Frank’s best known work the Americans. His work has that feeling of an outsider looking in, just observing life, observing culture. What’s different from Frank’s however is the culture he’s observing is ours. His photographs of Cardiff at kicking out time will ring a bell with the vast majority of people aged from teens up until their late 50s and it’s not a pretty sight, but is it truthful? Yes and that is why I believe Maciej is such a wonderful photographer and one who will be looked on in many years to come as the guy who captured the naughties…for good or bad.
• Richard Avedon Richard Avedon is now deceased, but he really was ‘the’ American fashion photographer. Following Avedon’s death The New York Times wrote“his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America’s image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century”. Need I say more?
• William Eggleston Eggleston’s fame comes from being the first photographer to work in colour film to gain any real recognition within the art world. He is very much from the shoot what you see school of thinking. The kind of guy (according to all I have read) who does so in such an unfussy way that it’s hardly apparent he’s creating such masterpieces at all. Out of the 50 on my list, I would consider Eggleston to be in the top ten most important  photographers of them all.
• Jesh de Rox is a portrait and wedding photographer, but it’s his wedding photography which I find to be so staggering. He pushes photography and post-production techniques to an absolutely new level; creating images which are more like fine art paintings. Photography meets Mark Rothko is how I describe his work. Utterly staggering.
• Will Pearson is best known for his ‘Gigapixel’ photographs of cityscapes where he takes many many images and combines them into one where it is possible to zoom in for literally miles and wherever you land it will be pin-sharp.  These photographs are mind-blowing, but not the only trick up Pearson’s sleeve… His alternative perspective and stock images are amongst the most creative and technically brilliant you’ll find anywhere in the world.
• Henri Cartier-Bresson to me, is photography. His philosophy, style, approach is what has driven me to where I am today.  I could write about Cartier-Bresson forever, so to keep it short, please follow my link and enjoy the master.
• Zena Holloway is a underwater photographer. She produces the most stagering photographs which to me are otherworldly. I do not know too much about how Zena achieves her staggering results, but please take a look at her website, I’m sure you will be blown away.
• Eolo Perfido is a advertising/fashion photographer who works worldwide for the likes of Pepsi, Enel and Vouge to name a few. Perfido’s style changes on each assignment, but the results are always look slightly out of this world with an almost CGI feel to them.
• Cole Rise is relatively unheard of at the moment, but I have no doubt this will soon change. He is a landscape photographer with a twist.  Many of his photographs feature people who appear to be floating or jumping, but just too high to be naturally possible… Very hard to put into words, so please take a look at Rise’s website to explore his wonderful visions.
• Lia Saile takes simple feminine photographs. Sail’s photographs could be easily overlooked as there is not really any obvious effort put into them. However, I or any photographer knows that images as fantastic as these do not come by chance. I really admire anyone who can pull off understated photography with consistency, but I have yet to see anyone’s work who’s is as strong as Saile’s. This is the reason Saile’s in my list and near the top of it.

More on the next page…