Copiously illustrated, Queer Lens explores the transformative role of photography in LGBTQ+ communities from the nineteenth century to the present day.
Photography’s power to capture a subject—representing reality, or a close approximation—has inherently been linked with the construction and practice of identity. Since the camera’s invention in 1839, and despite periods of severe homophobia, the photographic art form has been used by and for individuals belonging to dynamic LGBTQ+ communities, helping shape and affirm queer culture and identity across its many intersections.
Queer Lens explores this transformative force of photography, which has played a pivotal role in increasing queer visibility. Lively essays by scholars and artists explore myriad manifestations of queer culture, both celebrating complex interpretations of people and relationships and resisting rigid definitions. Featuring a rich selection of images—including portraits of queer individuals, visual records of queer kinship, and documentary photographs of early queer groups and protests—this volume investigates the medium’s profound role in illuminating the vibrant tapestry of LGBTQ+ communities.
Calling the Shots: LGBTQIA+ Photography from the Victoria and Albert Museum is an engaging and accessible exploration of LGBTQIA+ representation in photography, offering a groundbreaking survey of queer history through one of the world’s largest photography collections. Drawing from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, the book showcases a rich array of global LGBTQIA+ photographers, subjects, and communities.
Through six thematic chapters—Icons, Staged, Body, Liberty, Making a Scene, and Beyond the Frame—the volume highlights the vital role of photography in expressing, documenting, and celebrating queer life. Each chapter opens with a concise essay, followed by a visually stunning collection of photographs. Expanded captions and "artist in focus" features spotlight key works and moments in queer history, drawing attention to the intersection of photography with activism, performance, nightlife, and subcultures.
The book thoughtfully juxtaposes bold proclamations of queer identity with personal explorations of self, documenting moments of struggle, joy, and everyday life alongside staged performances and photographic fictions that challenge traditional notions of gender and sexuality.
Curated by Zorian Clayton, Calling the Shots serves as both an inspiring visual archive and a vital resource for anyone interested in the history of photography, as well as those passionate about LGBTQIA+ history. Through its inclusive lens, it offers a powerful and expansive appraisal of how photography has shaped and continues to reflect queer communities and culture.
Blending photography and poetry, Burnt Eyes explores nostalgia, memory, and identity, offering a profound reflection on the complexities of belonging and the stories that shape us.
Seasons of Time by Nathalie Rubens is an intimate and fearless photobook exploring the emotional distance and deep connection between mother and daughter, while confronting the beauty, vulnerability, and physical reality of a woman’s aging body with rare honesty.
1804 continues Rich-Joseph Facun’s exploration of life in the Appalachian foothills of Southeast Ohio, this time turning his lens toward the local university and its complex, symbiotic relationship with the surrounding community.
GOST Books presents Robin Bernstein’s debut photobook MAPALAKATA, a compelling visual investigation into landscape, memory, and the layered histories of Southern Africa. The project offers a nuanced reflection on how geography is not only inhabited, but continually rewritten through movement, extraction, and shifting narratives of belonging.
A reflective photobook by Newsha Tavakolian revisiting her early Iranian archive through contact sheets, personal notes, and reworked images. Spanning 1995–2007 and 2017–2019, it explores memory, loss, political context, and resilience through photography and process.
Discover Pyramiden, a contemplative photography book by Damien Aubin exploring abandoned Soviet Arctic settlements through themes of persistence, displacement, and quiet continuity.
For over seven years, Of Lilies and Remains has explored the depths of the goth and darkwave underground, unfolding in Leipzig—a city long associated with a vibrant and enduring subcultural scene. Moving between iconic gatherings such as Wave-Gotik-Treffen and more intimate moments on the fringes, the project offers a rare and immersive glimpse into a world often misunderstood, yet rich in expression and community.
Created by Luca in collaboration with Laura Estelle Barmwoldt, the work embraces a cinematic and deeply personal approach. Rather than documenting from a distance, it moves within the scene itself, capturing its atmosphere, its codes, and its quiet contradictions. The title Of Lilies and Remains hints at this duality—where beauty and darkness, fragility and strength coexist.
As the book prepares for its release, we spoke with both artists about the origins of the project, their process, and what it means to document a subculture that continues to evolve while remaining true to its spirit.
Patterns: Art of the Natural World (Damiani) documents photographer Jon McCormack's meditation on the
geometric patterns that define our planet's most breathtaking landscapes and ecosystems. Through McCormack's
documentation, the Earth reveals itself as both architect and storyteller. Across continents and scales, from
microscopic mineral blooms to vast aerial geometries, the images trace a living grammar of pattern, rhythm, and
resonance that connects the intimate to the immense.
