2018 Round-Up: Our 5 Most Read Photography Stories
- Words
- Steph Wade
2018 was the year that creatives around the world used their lens to push the boundaries of photography; using the medium as a powerful tool for exposure and change.
More powerful still are the subjects and stories behind the images. The photographers listed covered global conflicts and social unrest, capturing the aftereffects of war on the places once defined as home. They shot raw and honest portraits of real people, reflecting changing attitudes to sex-positivity and combating tired beauty industry rhetoric. From the curious coincidences captured in NYC by Jonathan Higbee, to Lin Zhipeng’s hedonistic images that are banned in his hometown, here are IGNANT’s most popular photography features from 2018.
1. Lin Zhipeng
The Chinese photographer shoots subjects that are all his friends; often caught in moments of intimacy behind closed doors. For Zhipeng, the personal became political after the Chinese government censored and then banned these photographs from public view. Find the full article here.
Image © Lin Zhipeng
If 2018 was the year that politics and photography collided, then it’s little wonder that our feature on American photojournalist Christopher Anderson almost tops this list. Anderson’s work covers a range of socio-political issues, from documenting Russia’s economic crisis to photographing Afghan refugees in Pakistani refugee camps. Find the full article here.
Image © Christopher Anderson
3. Gohar Dashti
Having grown up amidst conflict, Iranian photographer Gohar Dashti’s series ‘Home’, is especially significant to her. The series portrays the effect of war on the places once defined as home—each abandoned location that is photographed once belonged to people who emigrated due to political or social reasons. Find the full article here.
Image © Gohar Dashti
4. Bex Day
This year, photography assisted those whose aim was to transform societal attitudes towards beauty. Leading by example is Bex Day, a photographer with images displaying gender diversity, sexual fluidity, and freedom of choice—yet above all else, Day prefers to cast her subjects by their uniqueness and personality. Find the full article here.
Image © Bex Day
Jonathan Higbee’s series ‘Coincidences’, is an example that shows the importance of wit in everyday life. The series, shot on the streets of New York City, allows us to see the world in its most pure and humorous form—where an infinite number of magical and serendipitous moments occur at any given point in time. Higbee’s talent is being there in the exact moment to capture it. Find the full article here.
Image © Jonathan Higbee
