The 10 Best Fine Art Photographers in Providence

Answered

Photoshoot locations on Peerspace typically cost $80 — $220 per hour.

Curious to see the work of the top Providence fine art photographers? Fine art photography is a tricky field. It isn’t often you find photographers who use their cameras to add an additional dimension of artistry to their imagery. These are people for whom the goal is expression, not documentation.

In a city like Providence where art is constantly evolving, finding a photographer who understands the importance of aesthetics and interpretation can become a difficult task. And so, we at Peerspace are excited to bring to this list.

A quick word on finding unique hidden gem spaces for your passion projects

Rustic and Vibrant Open-Concept Creative Studio
Source: Peerspace

As the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, Peerspace not only strives to shine a light on the work of our favortie creatives, but we also help connect people with amazing spaces that bring that work to life.

You can use the Peerspace platform to uncover hidden gem spaces across Providence and the globe, all owned by local hosts who strive to ensure you have an amazing time in their space. Peerspaces are available for creative purposes, like photo and film shoots, corporate events, and social events, like parties and weddings.

Just like you can book a Peerspace for any reason, so the types of venues run the creative gamut, too. Think everything from historic 1870s Victorian mansions in Wanskuck to rustic and vibrant open-concept creative studios in Pawtucket.

You get the idea; for now, let’s get back to the topic at hand. The following Providence fine art photographers are greatly contributing to the Rhode Island photography culture. Let’s take a look!

1. Enjoy powerful portraits with a message through the lens of Mary Beth Meehan

Mary Beth Meehan is our go-to photographer when it comes to taking portraits. In fact, she creates bold, powerful close-ups of incredible people who make up the rich social landscape of the city, people whose stories can change perceptions and only enrich them. She’s committed to “radically disrupting” how people see each other. And with the simplest, most direct portraits, she lets a community confront its own. 

What is unique about Meehan’s work is how she chooses to display it — tall posters hung publicly on major landmarks and urban spaces. In doing so, she catapults the “average person” into someone whose presence is important to the fabric of the city. As someone who ensures her subjects are authentically seen, Meehan is a truly exceptional Providence fine art photographer. 

2. Revel in small yet impactful moments with the work of Cindy Wilson

With years of experience with a camera under her belt, Cindy Wilson is a fine art photographer who seeks out sights and views of sudden fleeting beauty and meticulously captures them in her frames.

Wilson doesn’t have a particular style. In fact, all of her photographs are vastly different from one another. Yet, she manages to capture the most interesting aspect of her subjects and invites her audience to bring their own interpretation when witnessing her work. This ability to make her work universal and approachable at the same time is what makes Wilson stand out among her peers. 

3. Get amazing insights into the tiniest worlds thanks to Ruth Anne Holloway

Ruth Anne Holloway’s Instagram handle is an altar to the God of all things small. Her gorgeous micro-photography pictures leave no corner unexplored. 

From drops of dew to leaves, flowers, and even spider webs, Holloway covers a wide range of subjects with loving skill. In addition, she has turned blurs, every photographer’s bane, into a deliberately wielded tool to improve her pictures artistically. Her eye for aesthetics and love for her craft also make her a fine art photographer to watch. 

Check out our list of Providence’s best commercial photographers for more local professionals who can help your brand stand out!

4. Explore our most pressing social topics with the work of Annu Palakunnathu Matthew

Annu Matthew is an Indian-origin photographer in Providence whose work speaks strongly of social commentary and community experience. 

Her photography and exhibitions tackle myriad topics like minorities, post-9/11 intolerance, and more. One of her most interesting series is her recent “An Indian from India” where she uses portraits of major Native American figures and adds her own portrait mirroring the old portrait. She titles them with a play on words like “Indian” and “Savage,” which indicate very different things when applied to each figure or ethnicity individually. As an artist with a voice, Matthew discusses immigration, minorities, women, and people of color very well in her art, a key part of the city’s social commentary.

5. Explore Providence from a new angle with the work of Elton Duarte

Elton Duarte is an artist dabbling in multiple media — sometimes music, lots of tattoo art, but we feel what’s not to be left out is his work with the camera. 

Much of his work is portraiture, but his unique captures have at once a visceral and whimsical quality. These qualities turn his photography into art. His use of low light against under-exposed subjects is something we can’t wait to imitate in our next photography sesh. From unique subjects to everyday life, Duarte finds magic everywhere as he sets out to “do art.”

6. Enjoy dreamy, mysterious photographs from the lens of Christopher Garrison

Christopher Garrison is one of the most skilled photographers out there in Rhode Island. And of particular interest to us is his work in fine art photography. 

His website reveals a series of gorgeously composed pictures in black and white — moving in composition, sharp in contrast. His Instagram handle reveals a different side, where his personal pictures draw attention to the daily delights in his life and work! Garrison’s work is proof that the eye of a photographer doesn’t change whether they’re on or off duty.

7. Enjoy fashion-filled poetic images from the mind of Dionisio Burgos

With his photography outfit Luminous Views, Dionisio Burgos claims and owns fashion and portraiture, but that in no way diminishes his artistry as a fine art photographer. 

Using a series of thematic costumes and well-executed sets and lighting, he creates the capacity to say more than what is direct with one picture. And at that point, we find that the message is more than just the medium or the subject. Burgos’ captions are a beautiful extension of how his subjects feel. And in using minimal words and explanation, he lets his viewers in on how he approaches his craft. That’s also the hallmark of great Providence fine art photographers. 

8. Enjoy portraits dripping with wit and nostalgia care of Jay Ruzicka

Jay Ruzicka’s photographs are some of the most wonderful streetscape explorations we’ve seen from any of the Providence fine art photographers. 

Imbibing the streets with artistic, near-comic quality, he brings alive a very noir quality to even an empty alley. The rich treatment of colors and quality creates a nostalgic visual that brings myriad stories and scenarios to mind. This evocative quality ranks Ruzicka among the best Providence fine art photographers we know. His mysterious range of photographs promises a near-cinematic fictional world right next door in the city where you live, and you won’t see your streets the same way again!

Discover our most unique lifestyle photoshoot ideas to help inspire your next project!

9. Get eclectic images that tell a story with the work of Renee Newman

Renee Newman’s approach to photography is wildly creative, with a variety of styles, inspirations, and expressions. In fact, her work is sometimes quirky, sometimes nostalgic, and always on-point! 

Newman’s photography is a celebration of the offbeat, the wild, and the grotesque, designed to arrest your attention. She doesn’t shy away from conventional imperfections. Rather, she amplifies and celebrates them. Loaded with the prospect of a story behind the image, these brightly colored photographs have a wealth of potential and playful meaning, definitely worth looking forward to from Newman’s lens in the future!

10. Get fine-art wedding photography when you book Hayes and Baker Photography

Hannah Hayes and Andy Baker are a married duo who own and operate Hayes and Baker Photography, one of the top Providence wedding photographers who make fine art wedding portraits. What stands out most to us in their portfolio is how unformulaic their images are. We don’t see the typical wedding pictures over and over again. Instead, Hayes and Baker capture images that really speak to their couples, like we’re seeing private moments between two people deeply in love.

We also appreciate how they beautifully capture the landscape of their wedding portraits. It’s another aspect of their style that highlights who their couples are and what makes them different. If you’re looking for fine art wedding photographers based in Providence, it’s hard to imagine any better than Hayes and Baker!

Providence fine art photographers: conclusion

photo studio in Providence
Source: Peerspace

Fine art photographers add a layer of their magic to the things and people we see every day, finding beauty and presenting it to those who miss it in humdrum life. The city of Providence, with its diverse history and people, has some of the most active creative communities, and it is no surprise to us that the experts we find in these communities are one of a kind. We’re crazy about these 10 best Providence fine art photographers, and we’re thrilled to see how their work progresses in the years to come.

And if you’re a photographer in Providence looking for exciting new spaces to shoot, then check out Peerspace. On our site, you can find historic homes, professional studios, lovely lofts, and so much more, all owned by local creatives like yourself. These spaces have incredible ambiance, artistic vibes, and more often than not, professional gear and props at your disposal.

Check out our platform today to find the most unique spaces near you!

Find unique photoshoot locations in Providence on Peerspace

Get together somewhere better

Book thousands of unique spaces directly from local hosts.

Explore Spaces

Share your space and start earning

Join thousands of hosts renting their space for meetings, events, and photo shoots.

List Your Space