The Documentary Photography Special VII
Our favourite photography stories of 2020
Picks of the bunch — In a challenging year, visual storytellers are still finding exciting ways to document – be it through innovative new projects, or old archive series now seeing the light of day. Here are the best ones we covered this year.
Written by: HUCK HQ
A secret family history, reconstructed in the present
Santa Barbara — Diana Markosian left her childhood home in the former Soviet Union for a new life in California. But it was a journey she never chose to take. To understand her mother’s choices, she had to recreate the first chapter of a story that would inspire her most ambitious project yet.
Written by: Diana Markosian
Miranda Barnes is shaking up contemporary photography
New landscapes — The 25-year-old photographer went from sharing images on Tumblr to feature assignments for The New York Times in the space of a few short years. Now, she’s doing everything she can to tell stories that matter.
Written by: Miranda Barnes
A journey through the ever-shifting state of motherhood
Bower Bird Blues — Motherhood, of all the stories we possess, is perhaps the most well-known. But for photographer Ying Ang, no corner of culture – no books, films or art – captured the implosion that transformed her world. It demanded a new way of seeing.
Written by: Ying Ang
A photographer’s road trip through the heart of America
Be the cowboy — After falling victim to a violent assault, BMX rider Sandy Carson left his native Scotland for the US. It was there, travelling the breadth of the country, that he found a home in photography – capturing American life with an outsider’s eye.
Written by: Sandy Carson
Unpacking the legacy of photographer Ernest Cole
One of the best — Lindokuhle Sobekwa, a rising star of South African photography, pays tribute to the storyteller who inspired him most.
Written by: Lindokuhle Sobekwa
A humorous look at Japanese family life, in photos
No place like home — For over a decade, photographer Motoyuki Daifu has been documenting the lives of his loved ones, seeking out quiet moments of magic among the mundane.
Written by: Motoyuki Daifu
Meet Michael Jang, photography’s new cult hero
Coming of age — The 68-year-old’s photography views the world through a mischievous lens. After going unseen for decades, it’s finally gaining the plaudits it deserves – and he’s loving every second.
Written by: Michael Jang
What is photography’s role in the age of displacement?
Constant motion — With millions of people around the globe forced to flee their homes, images of refugees have become sadly too familiar. But is any of it truly cutting through?
Written by: Lewis Bush
The real Ozarks: a portrait of rural life in modern America
Arkansas State — Terra Fondriest documents life in her region with an unmatched intimacy – a challenge in a place awash with stereotypes. But the mother, firefighter and ranch worker is no outsider. She’s simply capturing what she knows.
Written by: Terra Fondriest
A conflict photographer reflects on his time in Iraq
The Grass — Photographer Cengiz Yar has seen things – from the rebels’ battle to oust Assad in Syria, to the human fallout of conflict in Iraq. But it was away from the frontlines that he truly came to value a universal right: having a patch to call one’s own.
Written by: Cengiz Yar
The Documentary Photography Issue VII: Home, reimagined
Out now! — ‘Home’ is both a physical and imagined space – a state and place of belonging. In our annual celebration of visual storytelling, join us as we spotlight the photographers capturing it in all of its wildly different guises.
Written by: Huck