One of the ways to understand the pulse of society and people is to study the arts that are created during that time. The evolution of popular culture, their beliefs, practices, way of living, and concepts can be figured out from the arts. The same goes for contemporary photography. What was considered to be avant-garde aesthetics in photography is a thing of the past. What was once thought to be incorrect and the work of an amateur in the past is considered to be normal and is celebrated widely at the moment.
Since contemporary photography is not a genre but rather an abstract expression, understanding contemporary photography can be difficult. But to understand them better, you may look into these contemporary photographers. You can look into this guide to know the best contemporary photographers to understand the concept better.
Andreas Gursky
Being known as a genius in the world of fine arts, Gursky is famous for capturing the pulse and essence of the modern world in interesting ways. Through digital manipulation, he cleans common places to achieve an aesthetic that does not exist in reality. But to understand his work, you will have to develop some abstract sensitivity.
Lee Jeffries
Lee Jeffries takes stunning black-and-white portraits of homeless people. Through his photography, he captures the emotions of these people who are invisible to the mainstream world.
Rehahn Croquenville
He is known for his portraits that are set in Vietnam, Cuba, and India. Through the photographs, he was successful to capture the diverse cultural and ethnic groups in Vietnam. He established the Precious Heritage Collection to showcase their traditions through various artifacts.
Steve McCurry
An exemplary photographer and storyteller, McCurry’s works range from themes like conflicts, traditions contemporary culture. Through his evocative color photography, he captures raw human emotions.
Jason M. Peterson
Through his monochromatic photography, Peterson was successful to evoke emotions in the viewers. His work is a juxtaposition of urban cityscape and human silhouettes.
Boogies (Vladimir Milivojevich)
One of the most influential millennial street culture photographers, Boogie takes the audience to a world of poverty, violence, and disorder. He portrays different hues of metropolitan cities by depicting disturbing pictures of addicts and gangs.
Nobuyoshi Araki
Known for his controversial photography, he focuses on themes that are highly sexual. He has taken candid pictures of Tokyo streets, death, and domination. His voyeuristic photography which has broken all the taboos has often been subjected to various controversies.
Timothy Hogan
Hogan has carved a place for himself in the world of photography with his craftmanship and still-life imageries. His mastery of lighting and colors can be seen in his work which is filled with symbols.
Annie Leibovitz
Whether it is her intimate images or images for commercials, she has captured every essence of the moment. If you are looking for one such photographer who has touched the pulse of contemporary time, then look into the portraits of Annie Leibovitz.
Rui Palha
One of the best contemporary street photographers, Palha has captured the pulse of the streets of Portugal. He captures everything that he sees and touches his heart at a particular moment and lets the viewers experience the rhythm of the streets.
You can look into the work of these contemporary photographers to understand the meaning and essence of contemporary photography.
