If you’re a fan of beautiful, intimate images, you’ll want to know more about the top portrait photographers in the world. Lee Jeffries’ photographs are hard-hitting and often feature subjects who are on the outer fringes of society and in various states of turmoil. His aim is not to present a standard idea of beauty, but rather to bring people closer together in a common situation. David LaChapelle, meanwhile, creates hyper-realistic images, allowing you to feel as if you’re looking through someone’s private thoughts.
The photographer Nadar is another one of the world’s top portrait photographers. This French photographer took a famous portrait of the writer George Sand in 1864. Sand was born Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, who pushed gender boundaries in her life. She wore men’s clothes and had a storied affair with composer Frederic Chopin. The photographer used the newly invented woodburytype process to create the famous photograph.
Another photographer that is among the top portrait photographers in the world is Eve Arnold. She was a member of the Magnum Photos cooperative, and most famous for her photographs of Marilyn Monroe. In 1979, she travelled extensively in China. She had started using color film in the early 1970s. She shot an evocative portrait of women training to ride horses in Inner Mongolia. Her portraits are timeless and capture the essence of each person.