The 12 Best Editorial Photographers in Minneapolis

Minneapolis editorial photographers create some of the best work we’ve seen. The city of Minneapolis itself has a unique cultural fabric that has found its way into the work photographers do in the city. Its broader artistic community has no doubt influenced even the photographers here — for we see greater diversity in the community than most. 

And where better to look to the city’s finest photography than its editorial photographers? After all, Minneapolis editorial photographers tell the story of the city and its inhabitants, making way for authentic storytelling. Let’s look at some of Minneapolis’s best and brightest photographers.

1. Hollie Leggett

A photographer and graphic designer pursuing her studies at MCAD, Hollie Legget allows her understanding of graphic design to inform her editorial work. Her series of fashion and beauty portraits are gorgeously art-directed, ensuring that they stand out no matter what. 

Her work has been featured in Luxia, Selin, Scorpio Jin, and Fever Dream Zine. With her eye for artistic compositions, we believe she’s a sure choice for product, model, and beauty photography everywhere. 

2. Dan Iverson

Dan Iverson is the person behind the Minneapolis editorial photographers collective, Anthologie. His work at Anthologie revolves around people and the businesses they build — from professional headshots and people at work to stock photography, events, products, and more. 

His work is also well-tailored for business and enterprise communication. In fact, his coverage of events has found its way to popular media agencies such as Alamy. Iverson’s editorial work captures the happenings of an occasion front and center, making them the perfect snaps for editorial storytelling. 

3. Katy DeZellar

Katy De Zellar is a Minneapolis editorial photographer who focuses on fashion and beauty portraits. Her sun-kissed, naturally-gorgeous models are photographed in unique angles that show off their unassumingly good looks. She has an eye for color and a playful energetic vibe that help make her photographs pop. 

Her work is regularly featured in Mob Journal, Dreamingless, Selin, ROIDX, and WINK: Writers in the Know. If you are in need of a photographer who can make any fashion editorial fun and stylish, look no further than DeZellar.

4. Caroline Yang

Caroline Yang is a Taiwanese American editorial photographer whose work blends art and editorial photography. Whether it is stunning compositions or political subjects, Yang covers both culture and controversy with elan. 

A member of the collectives Diversify Photo and Women Photograph, Yang has photographs featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Sports Illustrated, and Huffington Post, among others. She is a visual artist who is not afraid to show her own viewpoint in her work. Overall, Yang’s work is simply unmissable.

5. R.J. Kern

R.J. Kern is an artist and photographer who specializes in stylized portraits of people, the subjects centering mainly around farm life. We love how his work is equally inspired by portrait painting and the American pastoral life.

Using studio photography and minimal staging, Kern strives to achieve the same well-lit portrait effect that oil painters used to in the past. He has been a featured artist in multiple galleries and has his photography published in a photo book, the UnChosen ones. You can find his work in The Guardian, Star Tribune, The Concordian, MinnPost, and more. 

6. Steffen Sharikov

Steffen Sharikov is a multi-field creative, working in the fashion and editorial segment as a photographer. His portraits and photographs are often well lit and meticulously angled — perfect elements for gracing magazine covers.

Part of his style also includes a flair for the dramatic, which is evident in the manner of art direction his shoots take. His fashion portraits have graced the covers of Moevir and Gmaro, and his work is particularly popular with other creatives and advertisers. Give Minneapolis editorial photographers like him any prop and setting, and he’ll craft a gorgeous cover photo every time.

7. Katie Grace Nelson

A lover of coffee, motorbikes, and hard-hitting photographic stories, Katie Nelson has never shied away from unsettling stories and situations. Be it human rights, racial justice, or global health and police matters, her work has covered multiple stories across the United States and East Africa. 

The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, Al Jazeera, The Telegraph, Associated Press, and Public Radio International frequently publish his work. Nelson ensures she brings hard-hitting stories forward with her powerful editorial photography.

8. Alex Kormann

Alex Kormann captures newsworthy events at precisely the defining moment — when we anticipate something climactic happening. This characteristic of his helps his pictures stand out as the resident photographer of Minneapolis’s Star Tribune. 

From competitive ice hockey and skiing events to historic protests and COVID-19 coverage, Kormann proves that it is not about the genre but about the story. Capturing the true, unfiltered spirit of the city, he is our pick for sensational visual storytelling out of all the Minneapolis editorial photographers. 

9. Aaron Lavinsky

The Star Tribune in Minneapolis has some very talented photographers on its staff, as we look at another one of its talents — Aaron Lavinsky. While covers a lot of sports photography, of interest to us are his very human, emotive photographs — vaccinating nurses at work, Black Lives Matter protesters, mourning families, and more. 

His pictures also stoke the curiosity of a visitor, urging them to know more and get to the story behind them. His work is often uncomfortable to look at, yet it’s also a gentle reminder that important stories aren’t always pleasant. 

10. David Goldes

David Goldes is no ordinary artist. In fact, his multidisciplinary art approach includes color, physics, electricity, and photography. Playing with photography, elements, electricity, and science lends his work an eclectic, organic beauty. Using household items as both props and subjects, Goldes manages to bring out the spark and the sizzle while also adhering to his minimalist aesthetics. 

The New Yorker and The New York Times have both published his work. His work has also been compiled into a coffee table book that has gained him recognition in art circles. 

11. Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber

A team of storytellers, Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber believe in connecting with everything they photograph. Both Ackerman and Gruber make an effort to understand and convey authentic emotions and experiences, whether it is a child or an adult. They also develop rich imagery that invites various creative interpretations. 

Their work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Nature, and so many more. Their effortless translation of stories to visuals makes them a photographer pair to watch out for.

12. John Yuccas

A photographer with expertise in all things related to food, John Yuccas has explored food photography to a great extent. In fact, it brings a sense of passion, preparedness, and ethic to his photographs. His goal is to bring this philosophy into all the pictures he creates, making them publication-worthy. 

Magazines such as Esquire, Food and Wine, Explore Minnesota, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Eater, and Lake Superior Magazine often feature his work. Whether it is food, people, or the stories they have to share, Yuccas frames them all in his unique, inimitable fashion.  

Minnea-polizing the photography scene

Editorial photographers are said to reflect a city’s stories, local culture, and community of citizens. And Minneapolis is special in having visual storytellers ranging from fashion to news, to sports, to arts, and beyond. 

With some of the best all-around publications in the country, Minneapolis is certainly fertile ground for editorial storytelling — and boasts an equally talented pool of editorial photographers. 

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