The 12 Best Editorial Photographers in Boston

We shouldn’t have been, but we were a bit surprised to find the extraordinarily high caliber of talent in the pool of Boston editorial photographers. As you can see here, it’s also a diverse lot, impressively covering a number of subgenres. You’ll truly enjoy browsing through the work of this extraordinary selection.

1. Adam DeTour

A commercial and editorial photographer since 2009, Adam DeTour’s editorial portraits have appeared in various magazines and newspapers (like the New York Times). But his portfolio reveals something we don’t really see much among Boston editorial photographers: food photography.

DeTour regularly works and photographs cuisine and restaurant features, and his images are used regularly in regional and specialty magazines like Edible Boston, Yankee, Culture, and other publications. Stylistically bright, crisp, and with minimalistic simplicity, DeTour’s pictures often serve as issue covers, so you may have actually already seen his work!

2. David Degner

Seeing a client list with impressive publications like Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times already tells us a lot about freelance photographer David Degner, much like his photojournalistic images tell stories. Going through Degner’s portfolio actually feels like browsing a robust general magazine, too.

His assignments visually document a wide variety of subjects — old growth forests, construction, COVID restrictions, etc. And regardless of the story theme, Degner always seems to strongly capture and convey a human element, a very powerful common thread that ties all his work together.

3. M. Scott Brauer

There is no mistaking from his portfolio that M. Scott Brauer is an active photojournalist. In fact, he likely doesn’t pack a superfluous amount of equipment and accessories, working with just what he can carry around with him. It’s just a guess, but considering that many of his images have that street photography feel, being flexibly unencumbered is probably something he values.

What gives pause, however, is his work’s excellent execution, both technically and compositionally, as if the man’s a mobile studio clashing with the “evolving real life” signals we often get from his pictures. Natural talent is really the only way to explain it, we think.

4. Allison Dinner

Although we can see from Allison Dinner’s website that she’s an accomplished product and food commercial photographer, it’s her documentary work that brings her all the awards and big-name media clients she casually mentions on her About page. A peek at her Instagram account immediately reveals that photojournalism is what makes her tick.

In fact, she goes on story assignments all around the world. The practically endless stream of current events images, including news situations many of us would consider rough or even extreme, put Dinner’s editorial work at an awe-inspiring level.

5. Jodi Hilton

It’s official: there are a lot of world-class freelance hardcore news photographers among the pool of Boston editorial photographers. Jodi Hilton is another. In fact, her lens captures stories for a who’s who of big news media outlets and magazines.

Amid all the difficult, often heart-wrenching, images, it’s cleansing to see Hilton also put it all in some perspective and devote her eye and creative skills to local lifestyle editorial features. It’s like a reset button for the soul, we’d imagine.

6. Brad Romano

“I take pictures.” That’s all Brad Romano’s website says he does. No philosophical musings on art, creativity, or even storytelling. He doesn’t need to — his images do all the talking, clearly and loudly. Romano’s work has a very strong street photography feel of captured fleeting reality. Even his portraits!

But unlike many in that sub-genre, Romano’s portrait photography is neither chaotic nor seemingly accidental, with superb lighting, composition, and timing on full display. It’s as if he planned that split-second all along. Truly instinctive, masterful work.

7. Angela Rowlings

Angela Rowlings’s portfolio is expectedly packed with an incredible variety of editorial images with a powerful common thread — the human experience. She has nearly two decades under her belt taking pictures for big-name local and national news media and magazines.

Whether she’s covering a local snowstorm or the Venezuelan presidential election, Rowlings’ ability to spot, zero in, and capture the little easy-to-miss human stories gives her visual records life and meaning for those of us lucky enough to view them.

8. Brian Babineau

Taking pictures of sports is Brian Babineau’s thing. But not just any sports — the absolute pinnacle of Boston professional sports. Babineau has parlayed his unquestionable talent into some of the sweetest gigs in Boston pro photography, as the official team photographer of both the Bruins and the Celtics, and a game staff photographer of the Red Sox.

No surprise that his work has appeared in (and on the covers of) numerous magazines, news media, books, products, and more. Browsing through his portfolio instantly reveals why: the man simply has an incredible ability to click that shutter at decisive moments, with the technical skill to turn his sensibilities into truly spectacular images. Nail the shot? Babineau does it all the time.

9. Josh Campbell

Josh Campbell primarily takes fitness and active lifestyle photographs, for which he has numerous magazine credits, including covers. He also periodically goes on assignments, where his particular skill set and willingness to brave the elements come in handy (such as a Boston Globe Magazine feature on “Tough Winter Jobs”).

You’ll find his portfolio of less newsy and more features-oriented images an impressive mix of crisp action shots, dramatic portraits, and even slick studio commercial shots. All his images demonstrate Campbell’s incredible versatility and technical mastery, whatever the situation.

10. Philip Keith

Among the elite Boston editorial photographers we’ve seen, Philip Keith isn’t big on talking about himself. However, there are revealing breadcrumbs scattered about, like peeks into his client list that includes Businessweek, The New Yorker, and TIME. And, of course, there’s his portfolio, which speaks volumes.

Keith takes intimately powerful portraits. That he prefers sharply detailed and textured classic black-and-white — even his color work has a monochromatic feel — adds majorly to the eye-grabbing impact of his work.

11. Linda Campos

Another among Boston’s editorial photographers devoted to the culinary arts, Linda Campos’s specialty is food photography. However, she’s so good at it, her delectable images are staples on numerous glossies, like Yankee, and even gracing The New York Times.

All it takes is a look at her portfolio to see why. Particularly noteworthy is that most of her work looks like location shoots using available light and resources. This is instead of working in a very tightly controlled studio environment, demonstrating a remarkable technical proficiency and talent.

12. Kate Rogan of Ellie Finn Photography

Within the pages (and covers!) of South Shore Home Life & Style, Chatham Living, and Cape Cod & the Islands magazines, you’ll often find the work of Ellie Finn Photography’s Kate Rogan. If her refreshing and undeniably beautiful lifestyle images don’t sell you on the blessings of living by the shore, nothing will.

Rogan has a soft, delicate touch. In fact, her naturally-lit images are often very subtly diffused, adding to her compositions’ wholesome and very comfortable feel. If you don’t know what idyllic means, just look through Rogan’s work.

Amazing editorial work in The Hub

If you read our round-ups of Boston creators regularly, you know Boston’s got some of the best photographers on the planet. Boston editorial photographers are no exception, and we’re looking forward to following their work for years to come.

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