Outstanding Contribution to Photography 2025Sony World Photography Awards. Known for her ability to capture social stories with depth and sensitivity, Meiselas shines a light on often marginalized communities through powerful images. For fifty years, she has left her mark on the world of photography.
A career dedicated to human stories
You know, I like to talk to you about photography from time to time, and Susan Meiselas is a photographer who counts. Born in 1948 in Baltimore, she began her career as a photographer in the 1970s after studying at Harvard. Her first major project, Carnival Strippers (1972-1975), focuses on the lives of women in traveling strip joints in New England and already shows his interest in complex and human subjects. In 1976, she joined the famous Magnum Photos agency, an institution in the field of reporting. This step marked the beginning of his deep commitment to documenting social and political realities.
Significant projects and strong social commitment
Meiselas' work focuses on topics relating to human rights and social struggles. With Prince Street Girls (1975-1990), she followed the daily lives of young girls in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York, documenting their lives over several years. More recently, in 2015, she worked on A Room of Their Own, a project bringing together visual and written testimonies from women victims of domestic violence in the United Kingdom. Her reporting on the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, where she took the famous photo of Molotov Man
has become one of his emblematic works. In another project, Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History, she highlights the stories of the Kurdish people, once again highlighting their commitment to causes that are often ignored.
A retrospective at Somerset House in London
If you have the opportunity to visit London next year, in April 2025, Somerset House in London will organize a major exhibition dedicated to Susan Meiselas. The exhibition will feature five of his most notable series, including Carnival Strippers, Prince Street Girls and A Room of Their Own. These works show how Meiselas, over the years, forged deep bonds with his subjects.
With this award, Susan Meiselas joins big names like Sebastião Salgado. Through her images, she continues to defend respectful and humanist photography. This award is a great tribute to his contribution to documentary photography. and its lasting impact on social representation through image.
And I take advantage of this article to ask you a question: Do you have any photographers that you particularly like? Tell us in the comments.
