If there’s one thing, and one thing only, that productivity vortex Instagram is good for, it’s finding incredible imagery. So, in 2020, it’s time to unfollow @fuckjerry — all the good memes are on Twitter anyway — and instead enjoy its original purpose; unearthing brilliant photographers that offer your feed something truly original.
Zhong Lin
Zhong Lin grew up in Malaysia, but is currently based in Taiwan. As part of her latest project she aims to take one portrait a day, but you can find her Instagram awash with bombastic fashion photography across incredible landscapes.
Cécile Smetana Baudier
Based out of Copenhagen, photojournalist Cécile Smetana Baudier would travel for months at a time pre-pandemic, creating expansive projects on complex environments. In lockdown, she shifted her focus towards her family in Northern Denmark in a story for i-D.
Melissa Alcena
Photographer Melissa Alcena captures beautiful portraits of her fellow Bahamians, from the barbershop to the beach. As breezy as this may sound, often the eyes and expressions of her subjects tell a deeper story.
Nishanth Radhakrishnan
The feed of New Delhi-based photographer Nishanth Radhakrishnan sits somewhere between fashion and street photography; a mixture of many different faces and an aureate glow are key features of his work.
Michael Liani
Israeli photographer Michael Liana has a special focus on capturing tender shots of queer couples in Tel Aviv.
Taemin Ha
Taemin Ha is a photographer from South Korea who caught our eye with a series of photos taken of skateboarders in Sikkim, in the North-East of India around the Himalayas.
Roni Ahn
Splitting her time between London and Hong Kong, Roni Ahn returned to the latter at the beginning of the pandemic, where she shot a beautiful series on life in lockdown for us. Her feed is something of a Wes Anderson fanatic’s dream.
JJ Lorenzo
London-based photographer JJ Lorenzo is originally from Spain. His recent project is about a generation of Ukrainians born and raised in an independent country, and how they navigate tensions between East and West.
Fabien Vilrus
Paris-based photographer Fabien Vilrus recently returned to his home — the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean — to shoot a truthful series on local youth culture.
Nick Gavrilov
Russian photographer Nick Gavrilov’s anarchist view on the world feels a little bit cyberpunk. And, given the hostile environment for LGBT+ citizens in Russia, it also captures a feeling of outright anarchy.
Akasha Rabut
Growing up between Hawaii and California, Akasha Rabut eventually settled in New Orleans 10 years ago. Her book Death Magick Abundance celebrates the many different facets of a city and culture unlike any other.
Jeano Edwards
When Jamaican photographer Jeano Edwards returns home from London and New York, he captures it with a simple ease and charm.
Naguel Rivero
The Argentinian photographer is based in Paris currently, but shoots a spectrum of stories — both fashion and documentary — all over the world.
Kemka Ajoku
Kemka Ajoku splits his time between Nigeria and the UK. He often uses the dusky evening light in Lagos to create tranquil portraits of his friends and family.
Rinchen Ato
The daughter of an ex-Tibetan lama — who fled the country to India, then Britain, at the beginning of Chinese Communist rule — Rinchen has returned to her father’s homeland to shoot its customs, culture and landscape.
Julia Marino
Dutch photographer Julia Marino’s work — often shot across Eastern Europe — is joyful and soft.
Silvia Rosi
Italian-Togolaise artist Silvia Rosi draws on her family’s heritage and migration in her work. Her latest series Encounter combines self-portraiture in photography and film to shed light on this complex narrative.
Rahim Fortune
Rahim Fortune’s portraits of daily life – family gatherings, weddings, football games – have such a depth to them that they often feel like scenes from a much bigger story.
Kata Geibl
Originally from Budapest, Kata Geibl currently lives in The Hague in The Netherlands, but often returns to Hungary to capture enigmatic portraits of home.
Imraan Christian
Cape Town-based photographer Imraan Christian’s feed paints an otherworldly view of South Africa.