List of notable or famous photographers from South Africa, with bios and photos, including the top photographers born in South Africa and even some popular photographers who immigrated to South Africa. If you're trying to find out the names of famous South African photographers then this list is the perfect resource for you. These photographers are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known photographer from South Africa is included when available.
List features people like Zwelethu Mthethwa, Austin Stevens and more!
This historic photographers from South Africa list can help answer the questions "Who are some South African photographers of note?" and "Who are the most famous photographers from South Africa?" These prominent photographers of South Africa may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected South African photographers.
Use this list of renowned South African photographers to discover some new photographers that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
Alfred Khumalo (5 September 1930 – 21 October 2012), better known as Alf Kumalo, and with the surname sometimes spelled Khumalo, was a South African documentary photographer and photojournalist.
Austin Stevens (born 19 May 1950) is a South African-born Australian naturalist, herpetologist, wildlife photographer, documentarian, television personality, and author best known as the host of the Animal Planet nature documentary series Austin Stevens: Snakemaster (2004−09).
Brent Stirton is a Senior Photographer for Getty Images, based in New York. His award-winning work has been widely recognized for its powerful depiction of issues related to conflict, health and environmental issues. Stirton specializes in documentary work and is known for his alternative approaches to photojournalism, including lighting portraiture in the field, and his prolific work rate. He travels an average of nine months of the year, working exclusively on commissioned assignment.
Stirton’s work has appeared in Newsweek, National Geographic, CNN Traveler, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, Le Monde 2, GQ, Geo and many other respected international titles. He also writes a blog for the Discovery Channel.
In working to visually interpret a story, Stirton often works in tandem with journalists from the world’s leading publications. In the last two years he has worked regularly with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper on topics such as the tsunami disaster or religious fundamentalism, compiling still documentaries on tropical news events which are then voiced over and aired.
He works extensively on humanitarian issues including HIV/AIDS, environment, poverty, conflict and post-conflict recovery, and women’s empowerment issues. Stirton works on a regular basis for the Global Business Coalition against AIDS and The Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He also works in the field for sustainability for The World Wide Fund for Nature, shooting global campaigns on the relationship between people and their environments. He also has worked for the Ford Foundation and the Clinton Foundation.
Stirton has won numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including five awards from the World Press Photo Foundation; in 2007 he was cited as a “Hero of Photography” in PopPhoto Magazine. Stirton holds a degree in Journalism from his native South Africa, where he began his career photographing apartheid issues.
Colla Swart, born 1930, is a well-known South African Photographer. She started professional photography in 1982, and has become famous for her nature and people photography in and around her birth town of Kamieskroon. Colla and her Canadian photographer friend Freeman Patterson hosted, until recently, annual photographic workshops in Namaqualand, known for its beautiful floral scenery around August - September.
Especially famous are her photographs of Namaqualand wild flowers, and her multiple exposure photographs.
She currently lives in Piketberg, Western Cape, South Africa, the hometown of her son and daughter-in-law.
Constance Stuart Larrabee (7 August 1914 – 27 July 2000) was a photographer best known for her images of South Africa and her photo-journalism on Europe during World War II. She was South Africa's first female war correspondent.
