Our First Photographers

With the launch of the Image Story, it’s necessary to give a big and sincere thank you to the photographers we’re featuring as the first “alumni” for this project.

These are photographers who are friends and whose work we turned to when we wanted to showcase great images. Moreover, they’re photographers who believed in sharing their passion for photography enough to generously share their work and time, all when this site was little more than a blank page.

In no particular order, the Image Story would like to thank our friends:

Michael DeYoung

Michael DeYoung is a commercial photographer specializing in outdoor and adventure photography. Based in Taos, New Mexico and doing extensive work in Alaska and the American Southwest, Michael has shared a masterful image from the Great Sand Dunes National Park that combines his expertise in landscape photography with a keen commercial edge. View Michael DeYoung’s image story.

Valerio Berdini

Valerio Berdini is an Italian photographer based in the UK who focuses on travel photography and photojournalism. In addition to shooting around the globe, Valerio is also a prolific music photographer. He has been published in Condé Nast Traveler, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, and more. Valerio has contributed a striking image of Monks in Myanmar rallying on the verge of a pivotal political election. View Valerio Berdini’s image story.

Guillaume Kayacan

Guillaume Kayacan is a Brussels-based fashion photographer who splits his time between Belgium and Turkey, and is represented by the French photography agency Kaptive. Guillaume contributed a beautiful portrait from a test shoot in his home and gave an intimate look into how he works with models and lighting. View Guillaume Kayacan’s image story.

Constantino Schillebeeckx

Constantino Schillebeeckx is a photographer who has done work all over the world in the travel and humanitarian sectors. Trained as an engineer, Constantino is also developing a full motion control rig with his company Motus Motion. Constantino has shared a compelling image of street photography in which he has incorporated off-camera flash in a location setting on the crowded streets of Benares, India, to beautiful effect. View Constantino’s image story.

Ian Mylam

Ian Mylam is a British travel photographer and commercial pilot who resides on the Island of Funen in Denmark. A veteran world-traveller, Ian’s photography encompasses an eclectic mix of subject matter from all parts of the globe and spans fine-art, travel, urban and landscape genres. Ian has contributed a fantastically moody street portrait from the heart of the Manama Souq in Bahrain. View Ian Mylam’s image story.

Andrew Whitton

Andrew Whitton is a commercial photographer specializing in entertainment, and works extensively in the music industry in the UK and around the world. From concert photography to meticulously lit portraits, Andrew is one of the rare music photographers who is equally at ease in the pit and in the studio, and an expert in both arenas. Andrew has contributed a feature from the legendary Abbey Road studios from his work with the English pop group Take That. View Andrew Whitton’s image story.

Andrew Swartz

Andrew Swartz is a New York City-based photographer working in the fashion and music industries whose clients include Spin, Rolling Stone,  Clear Channel, and Atlantic Records. Andrew has contributed a unique music moment from the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. View Andrew Swartz’s image story.

David Cleland

David Cleland is a landscape and documentary photographer based in Belfast, Ireland, who is renowned as a long exposure expert and proponent of the Fuij X-Series line of mirrorless cameras. David has contributed a beautiful image from Tyrella Beach, Dundrum, Northern Ireland. View David Cleland’s image story.

Dabe Alan

Dabe Alan is a commercial photographer based in Portland, Oregon. An avid skateboarder and skate photographer, Dabe has contributed an action image freezing skater Jamie Jacobson at the apex of a technical move. View Dabe Alan’s image story.

Rachel Juarez-Carr

Rachel Juarez-Carr is a British photographer and journalist who has lived in Los Angeles and now travels around the world on assignment. She has recently published a photo book titled Seven Years of Ordinary Life in L.A. from her time in the US. Her current projects include publishing a book on the island of Pantelleria, which is where her contribution was photographed. View Rachel Juarez-Carr’s image story.

Adam Elmakias

Adam Elmakias is a San Diego-based entertainment photographer who specializes in music photography. Adam has toured around the world with bands such as All Time Low, Bring Me The Horizon, Pierce the Veil, and more, acting as their official tour photographer. Adam’s contribution comes from his work on tour with the band A Day To Remember with a unique fisheye image. View Adam Elmakias’s image story.

Sarah Jacobs

Sarah Jacobs is a freelance lifestyle and editorial photographer based in New York. She is also photo editor of The Landing, a magazine dedicated to original reporting, writing, photography, and illustration. Sarah brings us an image with from her personal work of cinematic landscapes. View Sarah Jacobs’s image story.

Chris Owyoung

Chris Owyoung is an internationally published photographer specializing in concert photography and portraits for musicians. He is co-founder of the Image Story. Chris has contributed an image from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica. View Chris Owyoung’s image story.

Todd Owyoung

Todd Owyoung is a New York City-based photographer specializing in the music industry. He is co-founder of the Image Story. Todd has contributed an image of Lake Ågvanet from the archipelago Lofoten in the far North of Norway. View Todd Owyoung’s image story.

Again, a huge thanks to our first contributors. We warmly invite you to view their images and their generous contributions of the stories behind these images.

We also hope that these contributions inspire other photographers to consider submitting to the Image Story. If you’re interested in submitting an image to the Image Story, please visit the Submissions page.

Moreover, if the goal of the Image Story is something you would like to see succeed, sharing the site with fellow photographers would be a huge support.

We’re super excited to begin sharing  inspiring photography. To stay connected for all new stories, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.