The 12 Best Editorial Photographers in San Francisco

Editorial photography is the art of storytelling through the visual medium. Whether it’s for publications, wedding documentation, or one’s own brand imagery, the more effective a story is told without words, the better! And as the work of these top San Francisco editorial photographers demonstrates, there are all kinds of ways to convey a story to viewers.

1. Slava Blazer

Slava Blazer and his team of San Francisco editorial photographers specialize in storytelling portraits for actors, corporate business people, models, and more. They include major brands like Google, Facebook, and Mercedes-Benz as previous satisfied clients of theirs. And when it comes to working with people for portraiture, they find precisely the right balance between artistry and honing in on the unique qualities of their subjects!

2. Ian Tuttle

Ian Tuttle’s collection of editorial images includes projects with local and national publications where images help convey outdoor lifestyles, community issues, and more. His approach includes both documentary captures, as well as editorial portraits that give viewers a deeper look into the lives of his subjects. And true to the documentary character of his work, Ian prefers very natural color grading that keeps all of the emphasis on his subjects and composition.

3. Marc Olivier Le Blanc

Dynamic and engaging editorial portraits are the specialty of Marc Olivier Le Blanc. His approach draws on his past as a journalist in France, where his reportage skills were honed. However, he also crafts stunning, well-composed, and exposed environmental editorial portraits that find their way into publications like Diablo and Emerce magazines. Marc has a way of instantly engaging viewers by using poses and settings that are simultaneously personal yet illuminating!

4. Boris Zharkov

As a San Francisco editorial photographer, Boris Zharkov often finds his way into the studios, cafes, and fields of local artists and entrepreneurs. He uses the setting and charisma of his subjects to craft narrative images that help us better understand what these passionate creators do.

Boris has an eye for light as well that gives each image its own unique feel. In some scenes, he uses directional lighting for a distinct mood while in others he floods the scene with bright illumination. Each approach influences how we interpret the scene in front of us!

5. Carolyn Fong

Being a commercial, brand, and San Francisco editorial photographer, Carolyn Fong’s mission is to help people and their services and products be heard in the wider market! According to Carolyn, “I specialize in creating imagery that celebrates the craft, the people and the spaces that create community – often but not always – with some food & drinks.”

Carolyn’s work includes portraits with executive chefs, ad work for major events, and other visual artistry that you’ve likely come across already. Check out more of her work on her Instagram!

6. Erin Kunkel

The editorial and commercial photography of Erin Kunkel often takes her all around the world, not just San Francisco. Fitness articles, culinary illustrations, surf magazines, and other editorial images are just a few of the kinds of things you’ll find browsing her portfolio.

What’s more, she has a distinctive eye for color and light that really captivates you, especially when she works outdoors. Vibrant blues, golden sunshine yellows, and other elements leap out from the scene and demand your attention.

7. Abbey Anderson

Creative, fashion, and brand-oriented storytelling is what Abbey Anderson does best! Her approach is to dig deep enough to find out what her clients are passionate about and then portray that via engaging editorial portraiture.

We especially love the attention paid to backgrounds—Abbey may use studio pop art settings in one scene for the dramatic way color works with a model. Yet, in another, she may work outdoors with her subject, adding a sense of scale and perspective that entirely changes how we relate to them.

8. Braden Summers

The evocative colors and detail-rich settings favored by Braden Summers make him one of the finest portrait and San Francisco editorial photographers we’ve come across.

From collaborating with major brands like Marriott International to showcasing the ways love manifests across orientations and cultures, his work has an especial focus on inclusiveness and diversity that’s sorely needed in today’s world. In addition, Braden regularly works with people of color, LGBTQ, and other underrepresented subjects in order to further the telling of people’s stories through the visual arts.

9. Elysa Jean

Sometimes editorial photography goes beyond a human subject to tell stories about products and experiences. As the work of Elysa Jean demonstrates these editorial narratives can be just as diverse and captivating in the process.

Food and still life-oriented images are her specialties. The settings in which she showcases a dish or how she includes a person enjoying a particular product all add deeper layers to what would otherwise be just a pretty picture!

10. Dawn Heumann

Heart-driven stories are what Dawn Heumann is out to capture through her lens. From editorial and commercial images to food, beverage, and travel photography, she shows not only the person, place, or thing, but the connections and narratives surrounding it.

Dawn’s agricultural editorial images are especially powerful, documenting how food arrives at our tables and illustrating powerful stories about the settings and people that make it all possible. Browse Dawn’s Instagram to be inspired by her mastery.

11. Judy Doherty

Crafting commercial and editorial images with an emphasis on the culinary scene is how Judy Doherty operates her brand! With over 30,000 final images delivered, she is a master of collaborating and finding precisely the right tone to transmit the story and values of a brand to viewers.

Judy’s photography is distinctly vibrant in tone, celebrating the places, people, and products being portrayed. It also feels celebratory, especially when groups come together in front of her lens to enjoy a fine meal!

12. Molly Moormeier

Editorial photography with a focus on the stories of couples is what Molly Moormeier does best! Her focus on the lifestyles and life milestones of her subjects gives her work a deeply emotional quality.

We feel not only the nostalgia of weddings and engagement photography but also the unique settings and ways of interaction that changes with each couple—and threading it all, Molly’s own fine art vision of the wedding world shines forth. A love for natural lighting, subdued colors, and heartfelt intimacy that is always fresh!

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