14 famous photographers you should follow on X

Which famous photographers are still on X, and worth following?

Twitter was once a really imporant social media channel for photographers to share their work and network on. In 2024, we'll be honest... it's increasingly becomg less relevant for the profession. Since the platform was taken over by Elon Musk, who renamed it X, many photographers have reduced their presence or left the platform entirely.

That said, we're still not sure about Threads, while Instagram has problems of its own. And while Cara is specifically aimed at visual creatives, it hasn't exactly set the world alight yet in terms of numbers. At the same time, many journalists like myself still use X, because its focus on text suits our purposes so well. Which might provide useful if you're trying to attract media attention for your work.

Matty Vogel began touring with musicians in 2013 as a photographer, and he’s now widely known for his iconic photos, unique perspective and trusted relationships with artists like Billie Eilish and Thirty Seconds To Mars. His work has been published by a range of titles including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, Entertainment Weekly and Billboard. Keep up with his inspiring work via his regular posts on X.

Linus Johnson is a freelance photographer based in Los Angeles known for his work with celebrities such as DJ Khalid. Specializing in analog photography and always shooting on film, he lights and photograph artists and musicians for their press photos, albums and single covers, and capture intimate portraits on the sets of music videos. He shares both behind-the-scenes and finished images on his X feed.

David Sark is a photographer based in Sydney, Australia, specializing in moody, atmospheric images from around the world. With a background in visual communication and graphic design, Sark focuses on urban environments, particularly the interplay between illuminated cityscapes and human figures. His work explores interesting shapes, forms, and how people interact with urban spaces. He shares a lot of his work on X, albeit without much comment.

Henri Prestes is a Portuguese fine art photographer based in southern Europe. His work explores themes of memory, solitude, and discovery, often featuring shadowy figures in misty landscapes. He's received international recognition, winning Gold and Bronze Cube awards at the ADC Awards and has exhibited in the UK, US, Portugal and Spain. Prestes posts some of his best stuff on X, although admittedly not very regularly.

Joe McNally has been a photographer for National Geographic since 1987 and his prolific career includes assignments in nearly 70 countries. He's also shot cover stories for Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, Geo, Fortune, Life and other titles; won four awards from World Press Photo; and even bridged the world between photojournalism and advertising. Joe still uses X regularly, and his posts are rich with colorful and glorious photography.

Gregory Crewdson is a New York photographer best known for his cinematic, surreal and melancholic tableaux of small-town American homes and neighbourhoods. Given his huge impact on the art photography world, it’s astonishing that he has relatively few followers on X. His feed is, admittedly, mostly reshares of other peoples' news, articles and events concerning Crewdson... but in a way that’s informative and helpful rather than vanity-driven.

Based in New York, Lindsay Adler’s fashion and beauty photography has appeared in magazines such as Marie Claire, Elle Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and L'Officiel, and she's worked with brands including Canon, Adobe, NBC and Microsoft. As a photographic educator, she is also one of the most sought after speakers internationally, and has been named one of the top 10 best fashion photographers in the world. Adler makes enthusiastic use of her X account, posting regularly and interacting with her followers to a surprising level.

Richard A. Bernabe is an American photographer, teacher and author who specialises in nature, wildlife and travel photography. He’s visited more than 50 countries for clients including National Geographic, CNN, Time, The New York Times, Audubon and The BBC. Another photographer who seems to enjoy interacting with and sharing others' posts on X, his feed is constantly updated with news of his activities, and his epic and arresting wildlife photography.

Barbara Davidson is a three-time Pulitzer Prize and Emmy-winning photojournalist best known for her work on victims of gang violence in LA. She's honed her storytelling approach over two decades through multiple assignments across 52 countries; covering war, humanitarian crises and the human condition for the LA Times, the Dallas Morning News and the Washington Times. Subsequently, her feed is heavy on American politics, but the odd post does slip through about her photography, and these are never less than insightful and inspirational.

Chase Jarvis is an American photographer, director and fine artist who aims to break down the barriers between new and traditional media, fine art and commercial art. He has won multiple awards and been described by PDN Magazine as one of the top 30 most influential photographers of the past decade. He’s also the founder of the online education platform CreativeLive. His feed is largely a vehicle for promoting the former, with many inspirational quotes, tips and snippets of advice from various course leaders.

Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, film-maker and marine biologist with a strong interest in underwater photography and conservation issues. An assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine, he has won numerous awards from the likes of World Press Photo and BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His feed is less about photography itself and more about spreading the gospel of environmentalism, but there’s often visual inspiration here too.

Brian Smith is an American portrait photographer whose portraits of actors, business leaders, politicians and athletes have been used in advertising, by corporations and in hundreds of magazines over the last 30 years. As a Sony Artisan, Profoto Legend of Light and X-Rite Coloratti Master, Smith is one of the few on this list who actually posts about cameras and equipment. Some of this can look a little spammy, but if you are interested in staying on top of what’s on sale, and at what price, then to our minds, it’s better to get it from someone who knows what they’re talking about.

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Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella.

14 famous photographers you should follow on X

1. Matty Vogel

2. Jake Inez

3. Linus Johnson

4. David Sark

5. Henri Prestes

6. Joe McNally

7. Gregory Crewdson

8. Lindsay Adler

9. Richard Bernabe

10. Barbara Davidson

11. Chase Jarvis

12. Paul Nicklen

13. Brian Smith

14. Scott Kelby

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