Two weeks ago we asked for your help to find the 20 most influential contemporary Street Photographers and the feedback we received was just fantastic. We are very grateful for your participation. You recommended many Street Photographers out of which a list of 115 names was finally made. Thank you!
You Recommended And You Voted
A week ago, we asked you dear Readers to do one more thing for us and that was to vote for your most influential Street Photographer out of the list of 115. You voted 20,357 times!
Thank you!
It is understandable that each one of you is influenced by different Street Photographers for different reasons and that is what makes this vote even more interesting. Influences play an important role in the way an artist perceives the world and his/her art, so it is only logical that each one of us has different sources of inspiration, making our perception of what we consider “an influence” unique. What is important is that you all helped us with your vote to find who are the 20 most influential Street Photographers at this time according to you.
One of the Street Photographers on this list, Thomas Leuthard, explained this nicely in his post when he shared the link to the poll on his facebook page. He said:
“Make your personal suggestion, who is the most influential street photographer for you. Not the best, not the most famous, not the coolest, the one who influences you…”
So, last year we all nominated together 75 Street Photographers. Then you voted 21,137 times and from those 21,137 votes, 20 names stood out. These names got into the first ever crowdsourced list of Street Photographers. A list that you made and that has been viewed more than 76645 times (at the time of writing this).
Let’s do this again!
So, this year we invite you all to do this again! Things have changed in the Street Photography scene. There are new names that are being mentioned all the time on the Social Networks, there are others out there that are trying hard to make a difference, influencing people around them. More and more Street Photographers are publishing books, filming short documentaries about Street Photography, being interviewed, winning awards and more. The list of names is ever changing and keeps on getting more and more interesting. So, since things are always evolving and ever changing we ask you once again to make your suggestions by sharing your favourites with us!
You make suggestions and share your favourites with us
Just like last year, we the Editorial team, have already made a list of names of 21 Street Photographers that we think are the most influential for 2016. We want you to add to this list by posting as many names of Influential Street Photographers as you like in the comments. You can post 1 name or 50 names. All names will be added to a poll and then we will all vote on them.
ATTENTION: These names will be filtered by us, we will not accept names of Street Photographers that aren’t truly influential.
So for example if you have been a Street Photographer for the last 6 months and you want exposure and you think you can add your name to this list, think again. We want you to suggest true, influential Street Photographers. We will accept suggestions for a week, until next Wednesday evening. Then, we will take those suggestions and have a poll for another week. When the votes are in, we will know who the “The 20 most Influential Street Photographers for 2016” are.
The names Street Hunters recommend
Here are the 21 names of Street Photographers that we recommend in random order. We gave ourselves a limit of 7 names each so we wouldn’t get too carried away:
Elliott Erwitt
Mark Cohen
Ed Templeton
Josef Koudelka
Stacy Kranitz
Tatsuo Suzuki
Daido Moriyama
Eric Kim
Gabi Ben Avraham
Boris the Flash
Alex Webb
David Alan Harvey
Martin Parr
Bruce Davidson
Valerie Jardin
Dirty Harry
Bruce Gilden
Boogie
Pau Ll. Buscató
Tavepong Pratoomwong
Narelle Autio
Each of the above Street Photographers are influential in their own right. For one reason or another. Somehow they have shaped the wider Street Photography community and are continuing to do so. We look forward to receiving your suggestions.
So, come on! Send in the names of the Street Photographers that you think are the most influential for 2016!
ATTENTION: If you can’t comment on our website for some reason, try a Social Network login to comment. If again you can’t comment, just visit our Facebook Page and share your suggestion in the comments of the post there.
A week ago, we asked you dear Readers to do one more thing for us and that was to vote for your most influential Street Shooter out of the list of 75. You voted 21,137 times!
Thank you!
It is understandable that each one of you is influenced by different Street Photographers for different reasons and that is what makes this vote even more interesting. Influences play an important role in the way an artist perceives the world and his/her art, so it is only logical that each one of us has different sources of inspiration, making our perception of what we consider “an influence” unique. What is important is that you all helped us with your vote to find who are the 20 most influential Street Photographers at this time according to you. So here they are:
Exactly one year ago we wrote a post that went viral at the time. Since then it has been viewed more than 75000 times and commented on more than 50 times. This post is called “The 10 most Influential Active Street Photographers“. If you haven’t read it, we recommend you check it out and let us know what you think in the comments. In this post, we presented Street Photographers that we think are worth mentioning for 2 specific reasons. How influential they are and how active.
Influential: “having great influence on someone or something.” Active: “engaging or ready to engage in physically energetic pursuits.”
Bruce Gilden. In the circles we run in, the very mention of his name seems to part the masses like the Red Sea. There doesn’t appear to be anyone on the fence. Love him or hate him, that’s it. But the opinions on him always seem to go back to the way he works. Once one watches a video of him in action, an opinion is immediately formed. More on that later. Regardless of how he operates, there’s one thing that can’t be denied… he’s an amazing talent. His images back it up and they command respect.
Gilden(born 1946), has been with Magnum photos since 1998. Before I continue, let me say that by being a member of Magnum does not mean they are the photographic equivalent of a “chosen one”. But I’ll be honest, the name Magnum carries a lot of weight for good reason. Almost much everything I’ve seen from Magnum shooters is pretty damn stellar. Ok, let’s carry on.
Gilden is known globally as a street photographer and, from what I’ve read, he proudly considers himself one. He’s been walking the streets of his hometown, New York City, for over twenty years and bringing to us what most folk consider “hardcore” street photography. Why is it hardcore? Simply put, Gilden gets in people’s faces. And he’s still doing it to this day. “The older I get, the closer I get.”
Bruce Gilden doesn’t sneak candid shots. He pounces into the subject’s personal space with his camera and handheld flash and fires. Watch the available YouTube videos and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. There’s no stealth mode. No hiding. No being clever or coy. Just a full-frontal attack. This is how Gilden operates and what has forged his style.
After quite a few suggestions from you, the StreetHunters.net Readers, we added an extra section at the bottom of the post called “Influential Active Street Photographers recommended by our Readers”. Enjoy!
Introduction
During the past years Street Photography has become widely accepted as a form of art and expression. More and more people have learned to appreciate it and to understand how hard it is to get it right. The reason why Street Photography has become more mainstream is because of some influential few that have managed to spread the word about it through their style, their blogs, their videos and their constant sharing of their experiences. These few Street Photographers that share their ideas with the rest of the world, their methods and their passion for the art have transformed Street Photography into what it is today.
The StreetHunters.net team decided to make a list of those influencers as a way to say “thank you” for their contribution to the world of Street Photography. We understand that some of you dear StreetHunters.net Readers might not agree with some of the names being on this list. We also understand if you feel like it must be longer, or shorter. But, no matter what each and every one of us thinks, it is certain that every single Street Photographer presented here today, has helped re-shape Street Photography as we know it. So here goes:
