Best Rising Photographers of August 2026
Posted on August 20, 2026
By
Sandrine Hermand-Grisel
Every month, we discover incredible work from photographers living and traveling around the world through our open call for entries.
Mary Kay Kirsner
United States
My interest in photography began as a teenager in Madison, Wisconsin, when my parents gave me a camera. I had always been interested in graphics, especially the black-and-white photographs I looked forward to seeing in the upcoming edition of Life Magazine. Both my father and grandfather were photo enthusiasts and influenced my early passion. During my teen years, I used my camera to make my home environment feel more novel by photographing everyday objects in the garage and basement in unique ways. But as a young adult, I realized that the most compelling photographs were those of people. As a young, shy, but adventurous woman, I felt both terrified and excited about the challenges of pursuing candid, people-focused photography. My camera had been a companion for decades, but until 2019, my journey was solo and full of expected disappointments. Everything changed that year when I attended my first workshop and joined the incredible community of street photographers worldwide. Since that time, I have studied the work of the masters and have also been fortunate to work directly with many of the most talented street photographers alive today, transitioning my prior years of intermittent photography into a full-time vocation. Whereas I am most excited about photographing on the streets of global cities, I have also spent three years following rodeos (the only public events to endure throughout COVID) and many more years photographing the Iowa State Fair. A number of my photographs have been part of exhibits at local galleries, including the Des Moines Art Center, and have also been recognized as finalists in numerous international street photography festivals. In 2025, I produced a zine titled Backstage with the Royal Hanneford Circus as a gift to the Hanneford family for allowing me to invade their personal space for three days. I am currently working on a zine about rodeo life in Iowa, and one on beach life in Siesta Key, Florida, where I have also photographed for years.
Beidi Tu
China
Beidi Tu is a female photographer and writer based in ShenZhen, China, and a member of the ShenZhen Photographers Association. She interested in how a person can appear different depending on perspective—how we split ourselves between who we are and who we present to the world. She always says gazing at oneself—looking deeper, as if gazing into an abyss. As a photographer, you should be able to instinctively capture the deep beauty in everyone.
Markus Kirchhofer
Germany
Markus Kirchhofer is a photographer from Cologne/Germany, who focuses on portrait and documentary photography. After playing music for many years, he moved into photography as his main creative output. In a digital world, his workflow is deliberately analog.
''I choose analog photography for its patience and poetry. Film forces me to slow down and stay fully present with my subjects. Without distractions, I connect deeply with the environment to tell authentic human stories.''
Ying Yin
China
Ying YIN, born in Shanghai, China and currently based in Japan. She often works from the perspective of a spectator, conveying the symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity through emotionally charged scenes.
Oleg Buyanov
Russia
Oleg Buyanov is a fine art photographer whose practice centers on portraiture and collage as tools for exploring identity, visibility, and social tension. His work engages with questions of representation, particularly within marginalized communities, where the act of being seen can be both empowering and precarious. Working across staged photography and constructed imagery, Oleg Buyanov challenges traditional expectations of portraiture. Rather than presenting the subject as fully visible and defined, he introduces elements of concealment, fragmentation, and ambiguity. This approach reflects the complex dynamics between exposure and protection, presence and absence—especially relevant in contemporary discussions around LGBTQ+ visibility and personal agency.
Sankar Sridhar
India
Sankar Sridhar is an award-winning documentary photographer, author, and travel writer whose work maps the fragile intersections of landscape, identity, and memory. Swapping a career as a daily news reporter for the icy expanses of the Himalayas—a decade-long exploration that culminated in his acclaimed book, Ladakh: Trance Himalaya—Sridhar combines his training as a mountaineer with an immersive, patient approach to recording fast-evaporating pastoral and nomadic lifestyles. Lauded by The New York Times’ Lens Blog as “Compelling, A Must See,” his visual vocabulary has earned him honors as a Hasselblad Masters Finalist, Landscape Photographer of the Year at the Indian Photo Festival, and recipient of the Indica Culture Photography Grant. His photo essays have been featured globally by CNN International, Geo, The Daily Mail, and the Royal Geographical Society's Geographical magazine. Sridhar’s internationally exhibited work holds top distinctions from the IPA, PX3, GPA, and Siena International Photography Awards (SIPA)
Eugene Resh
United States
Eugene Resh is a Belarus-born American photographer who spent most of his life in San Francisco and is currently based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He has been taking photographs for as long as he can remember – including the childhood days of shooting with an old Zenit film camera and developing and printing films in a converted bathroom. Those days are long gone, but Eugene rarely leaves house without his digital camera. His favourite genres are street and travel, although he likes to blend the two. On his trips across the world, he seeks out to reflect and portray each destination, each country through the eyes of a street wanderer, a quiet observer. According to Eugene, the best way to capture the essence of any place is through the faces and captured emotions of its inhabitants. True to that statement, most of his work includes people of various walks of life that he encounters on his journeys.
Julien Drogoul
France
Born in Montbrison, France, and currently working in Saint-Étienne, 36-year-old Julien Drogoul balances his profession as a nurse with a decade-long practice in photography. His recent years have been shaped by alternating between his healthcare career and long journeys abroad, periods dedicated to street photography. While he also shoots events and weddings, Julien Drogoul defines himself primarily as a street photographer. His work over the last few years resulted in the black-and-white project Dialogue, which was featured in an art gallery exhibition (and several others places) and published as a monograph by Corridor Éléphant Éditions. He is currently developing several new projects.
Oliver Klink
Switzerland/United States
I am a fine art photographer whose work explores light, culture, and the human condition. Developed through extensive travel, my long-term projects examine the relationship between people and their environments. My current project documents the streets, neighborhoods, and evolving culture of San Francisco, capturing the city's diversity, resilience, and everyday moments. I have published Cultures in Transition (2019) and Poetry In Motion (2024), earning a combined 12 awards for Best Photography Book. Known for my mastery of Piezography printing, I produce black-and-white images with exceptional tonal range and depth. Originally from Switzerland, I live in Los Gatos, California, with my wife and our two Ragdoll cats. My work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco); Middlebury Institute of International Studies (Monterey, California); Pictura Gallery (Bloomington, Indiana); Camerawork Gallery (Portland, Oregon); Shadows Gallery (Arles, France); Fotofever Art Fair (Paris); and the Conti Museum (Buenos Aires, Argentina). I was named a Critical Mass Top 50 Fine Art Photographer (2016, 2018) and Black & White Photographer of the Year by Dodho Magazine (2018).
Kyaw Zayar Lin
Myanmar
Kyaw Zayar Lin is an internationally acclaimed photographer hailing from Mandalay, Myanmar. Since picking up a camera in 2015, he has established himself as a powerful visual storyteller, earning over 500 awards in prestigious global photography competitions. His diverse and compelling work—spanning documentary, environmental portraiture, and mobile photography—has garnered major international recognition. Among his notable achievements, he was shortlisted for the Documentary Projects category at the Sony World Photography Awards (2022) and named the National Award Winner for Myanmar at the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards. His storytelling excellence has also been celebrated by HIPA, where his work was featured in their Humanity 2020–2021 publication, as well as by Pictures of the Year (POY) Asia, UNESCO, the British Council, and the World Photography Awards (NAPA). Renowned for his ability to capture human emotion, cultural heritage, and pressing environmental issues, Kyaw Zayar Lin's work has been celebrated across the globe—from earning top honors in the Weather Photographer of the Year, MMEG, and Jalón Angel awards, to claiming the Grand Prize at the Xiaomi Community Photo Contest and the 2025 Mobile Category Winner at the Weather Photographer of the Year. Consistently ranked among the world’s elite visual artists—including being named Myanmar’s #1 Travel Photographer and achieving World Rank #3 in the One Eyeland Travel Photo Contest—Kyaw Zayar Lin continues to capture the beauty, resilience, and stories of his homeland and beyond.
Written by Sandrine Hermand-Grisel — Founder & Director, All About Photo
Sandrine Hermand-Grisel is a photographer, curator, and editor of All About Photo, an international platform dedicated to supporting photographers worldwide. Read more
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