I’ve compiled a list of 15 of my personal favorite photography collectives. These collectives aren’t limited to one genre or style, but should appeal to anyone who loves Street and Documentary Photography.
These collectives are filled with some of the most talented photographers from around the world. Hopefully, after going through these amazing collectives you can find some new photographers and work to follow too.
15 Top Photography Collectives for Street Photographers
1. In-Public
In-Public is the oldest collective on the list and was set up in 2000 to provide a home for Street Photographers. While all the photographers show their own personal style and focus, the one common theme of In-Public is capturing the unusual in everyday life. As their site says, “The pictures remind us that, if we let it, over-familiarity can make us blind to what’s really going on in the world around us.”
Link: www.in-public.com
2. Observe
OBSERVE focuses on candid Street Photography while exploring different genres to capture everyday life. This is an international photography collective spanning four continents and showcases a variety of photographic styles in Street Photography.
Link: www.observecollective.com
3. Burn My Eye
Burn My Eye is a collective of very talented photographers that not only showcase their own work, but also curate other photographers’ work into themed photographic series.
Link: www.burnmyeye.org
4. APF
The APF Collective is a very international mix of photographers capturing life around the world. The collective is an entity of Artphotofeature magazine that focuses on showing a vision of the world through story telling and their own personal style.
Link: www.apfcollective.com
5. Strange.rs
Strange.rs is another international photography collective, but with a focus on a variety of photo projects that members collaborate on. Their projects are very unique and provide a narrative that often shows the strange within everyday life.
Link: strange.rs
6. Publigraphy
PUBLiGRAPHY is a group of photographers from different backgrounds with a focus on interpreting the world around us by capturing the unusual or unseen aspects of daily life. The photography shows a curiosity and experimentation that helps it stand out on its own as a photography collective.
Link: www.publigraphy.com
7. Noor
This collective is more focused within the documentary and photojournalist genres. NOOR includes many award-winning photographers that have documented everything from civil and political unrest to war and natural disasters around the world. They work on both individual and collaborative projects to show people the struggles happening everywhere and bring a better understanding of what is going on in the world.
Link: noorimages.com
8. Full Frontal
This collective stands out on the list for its use of flash. All of the photographers practice flash photography, but bring their own style within this recently popular style of Street Photography. Flash has a way of bringing out drama, character and color from life on the streets and no collective showcases this look better.
Link: fullfrontalflash.com
9. That’s Life
That’s Life is a collective of Street Photographers who capture life on the streets of India. While the photography is focused within only one country, it couldn’t be more full of life and diverse styles. There might not be a better country for a collective to focus on either. The light, culture, colors, chaos and life of India provide the perfect landscape for this group of extremely talented photographers.
Link: www.thatslife.in
10. Seconds 2 Real
Seconds2Real is a collective of Austrian and German Street Photographers with a focus on showing life in their countries. Unlike some collectives, the photographers all know each other and work together frequently.
Link: www.seconds2real.org
11. The Street Collective
The Street Collective brings a very diverse group of international photographers all documenting their own environments through their personal visions. They showcase a mix of collective and individual projects with opportunities for other photographers to also contribute to their public projects.
Link: www.thestreetcollective.com
12. Stroma
The word Stroma comes from the greek language and means “to spread out.” This collective’s aim is to bring a broad photographic perspective on life around the world from a diverse group of photographers.
Link: stromaphoto.com
13. Metro Collective
The Metro Collective has been around since 2004 and since being born in Washington DC, has grown to include members from Los Angeles to Stockholm. Their photography shares a documentary spirit and a focus on projects and personal work around the world. Through creativity, they aim to connect documentary photography to people everywhere.
Link: metrocollective.org
14. Grey Skies
GreySkies is a smaller group of photographers, all based in Edinburgh, Scotland. While they work together on different themes, they also bring a diverse group of work possessing their own personal styles, with a focus on life.
Link: greyskiescollective.com
15. Vivo
As the website says, “Vivo is a word that connotes life in several languages and observing life is what this collective does.” This is another collective that showcases life in countries around the world.
Link: www.street-photographers.com
Magnum
What about Magnum Photo? I guess they’re alright too.
The one that started it all. The best of the best and what many photographers look to as the highest level. Magnum Photo is in a category all its own and on a list by itself.
Link: www.magnumphotos.com
These are some of the photography collectives I personally enjoy so if there are any that you follow or recommend, please add them in the comments below!
* The Momentum collective was included in this list, but their website is currently down so I had to remove it, unfortunately. Momentum was a collective of very talented Eastern European Street Photographers who brought a unique vision of life in their part of the world. Hopefully, it will be back up again in the future so I will include a link here just in case.
Hi, great selection ! And you re right, Magnum is up there on top..
check out our new collective called Fragment. http://www.fragmentphotos.com...
Regards
Nico
Thanks Nico! I really like your collective in France too, great work in there. I’m familiar with many of the photographers, but didn’t know you had grouped up together, that’s great! Love your personal work titled “Rise and Shine” too!
no mention of our collective “Ratz Azz”… heartbreaking
awesome list, thanks for sharing
Thank you too Yuri!
Thanks for this. Very useful. There are some here I hadn’t come across before.
Thanks Olli, I’m glad you could find some new collectives from it! There’s always new ones I keep finding too.
EyeGoBananas is a good Italian collective.
Thanks for the recommendation, Tom! I’ll check it out.
Great post! Thanx a lot.
I have known only a few of the collectives listed here.
Here are two more interesting SP groups:
http://www.spontanea.org
http://www.tinycollective.com (great work shooting only with phones)
Thanks for the comment, Petr! And thanks for the recommendations! Tiny Collective is a great one and I’ll definitely check out Spontanea.
Hi, Forrest!
Our photo collective here in Prague, Czech Republic, finally has a web site :)
You can check our work at
http://www.praguestreetphotography.cz
Thankx :)
Hi Petr, thanks for the link. Congrats on getting your website up and good luck to you all!
I would recommend also:
Turkuaz Street http://www.turkuazstreet.com/
Cracow Street Collective https://cracowstreetcollective.tumblr.com/
Thanks for the recommendations, Sebastian!
Anyone know of any film-only street photography collectives?
Don’t forget about https://www.nyc-spc.com/
Thanks! Yes, definitely a good one with some great street photographers.
I was looking possible collective or plase to sell my images, but these all photograph people, humans. Causes anexiety, do they pay to their targets from modeling. Street photografing has this commercial side that when you get profit your target who gives that money to you possible dont have anything, it is abuse in manyways, people at street are poor and easy to abuse like this to commercial purposes, so on look uncommon and intresting only because they has to use their imagination for their appearance cause of lack of money. some doesent care, bigger problems.
There’s no photographing models in these collectives so the people in the photos aren’t getting paid. This is mostly candid life and as far as the photographers, you don’t get into street photography for the money so anything they make from their images is little compared to the work and time they put into it. Most are photographing anything they find interesting in a public space, which is their right and hopefully is done in a way that doesn’t negatively effect anyone, and likely doesn’t effect anyone at all. People in the street are just people in public, they could be anybody. You won’t find many people in these collectives focusing on homeless, though, if that’s what you assume by “people at street are poor and easy to abuse.”
Great List. I found some very good photographers trough it.
Its so beautiful too see how this “genre” is beloved and so passionately
practiced.
With some like minded street photographers I created the first
street collective of our country Switzerland.
This is not spam, the link is real. We just opened our blog and
we have currently five members.
If you want to check it out, we would be honored very much:
https://www.swissstreetcollective.com