The period of contemporary photography began a few decades ago. During the years, the style went through a number of changes, but the most prominent one was related to the switch from analog to digital photography. The very first digital camera was invented in 1975, and in 1987 Adobe Photoshop was presented to the world.
Today, every artist is given the opportunity to share their art via exhibitions, social media, or photography blogs. In the succeeding paragraphs, we will provide you with further information on what contemporary photography is and how it is different from modern photography. Also, we will present the most popular contemporary photographers for 2021.
What Is Contemporary Photography
A great number of people think that modern and contemporary photography are the same thing. Even though the two words are close in meaning, there is one major difference between the two types of photography. Modern photography is a term that refers to a period that began at the beginning of the 20th century. That was the moment when artists started to detach themselves from traditional techniques and styles and started relying more on their creativity and various innovations. During that movement, conservative values were rejected, and abstract art became incredibly popular. The Modernism movement came to an end in the 1960s.
Taking this fact into account, we may conclude that every photograph after this period should not be classified as modern photography but rather as contemporary photography. The latter style is constantly evolving, and many artists consider themselves contemporary photographers. The artists usually take photos of other people, however, some of them have specialized in landscape, astronomical, or advertising photography.
Some of the photos you’ll come across are heavily edited with Photoshop and other programs. On the other hand, a considerable number of artists prefer to keep their work as natural-looking as possible. They avoid using photo-manipulating techniques, such as texture application, over-exposure, or the combination of multiple images into one.
The Most Prominent Artist in the Field of Contemporary Photography for 2021
Now that you know what contemporary photography is, it is time to learn more about the most prominent photographers in this field for 2021. We have chosen five professionals with vast experience. Each one of them creates art that is easily recognizable by critics, and their work has received massive approval from many experts all around the world. Here is a full listing of the artists whose works we’ll go through in the next lines:
- Francesco Gioaia
- Marlou Pulles
- Angelika Kollin
- Noukka Signe
Francesco Gioia
Francesco Gioia is a young contemporary photographer living in London. He took part in the Street Photography Awards 2020 and has been featured by LensCulture. As can be seen from his social media accounts, his work is incredibly diverse, showing people of all ages in their everyday lives. The photographer does not rely on heavy editing.
Instead, he tries to enhance the colors of his shots without going too far with the editing. What’s so impressive about his works is that Gioia strives to capture people in the most unexpected moments. If you access his Instagram account, you’ll notice that his models are rarely posing. Also, many of his photos are taken outside under natural sunlight.
Marlou Pulles
Marlou Pulles is a professional photographer based in Amsterdam. She has specialized in still photography, and her main inspiration was Adriaen Coorte’s food still-life paintings. Pulles decided that she wanted to create similar art with the help of her camera. In her portfolio, it can be observed that she photographs fruits, vegetables, and various kitchen utensils. In addition to all this, she sometimes uses wooden block prints to create aesthetic images.
Pulles shares that she conceives the objects she photographs as her portraits. The artist believes that when there’s tranquility, everything may come to life. As you will be able to see on her personal blog and Instagram account, she often brings liveliness to her photos by making objects seem as if they’re moving.
Angelika Kollin
Another contemporary photographer whose work is greatly appreciated is Angelika Kollin. She resides in Florida, and most of her work is inspired by her continuous living in different countries in Africa. Realizing how important intimacy and close relationships with relatives are, Kollin started creating photography depicting the beauty of family relations and sociable life.
Her portfolio features mainly portrait photography. Most of her photographs are deprived of color in an attempt to help viewers better understand the idea behind her works. Angelika’s most notable project is You Are My Mother/Father. By it, she wants to show how essential a relationship with our parents is, and how it helps us form the rest of our lives.
Noukka Signe
Living in Stockholm, Noukka Signe has specialized in the fields of fashion and portrait photography. She began her journey from a young age, and it didn’t take long for fellow photographers to get in contact with Signe, asking for a collaboration. Most of her work successfully captures not only the beauty of the model but the magic of nature, as well.
The reason being is that a large portion of her portfolio presents shots taken outside. You will notice that Noukka takes both close-up and distant portrait photographs. The artist likes to experiment with colors and compositions. Therefore, it won’t come as a surprise that her works’ assortment features both colorful and black and white images.
