Horror photography is a subgenre of photography that seems to be looked down upon by many in the industry. Maybe because there is a huge amount of poorly constructed horror photography art whose main premise is getting scantily clad girls in bathtubs, whilst the photographer pours fake blood over them. But if you dig deeper than the GWC gorefests, there is a handful of artists to be unearthed that are creating worlds, inventing characters, and scaring the pants off people through clever visuals and storytelling. To save you the hassle of scouring the interwebs for these dark souls, I have created a list for you (in no particular order). Just don't blame me if you have nightmares!
*So before we jump into these dark gems, here are the ground rules. All people on this list must use a camera to take their own photos. I will be doing a list of Photomanipulators and artists soon.*
Joshua Hoffine
I couldn't start this list off without having Joshua at the top of the pile. As it says on his website 'Joshua Hoffine is one of the most recognized photographers in the world. He is a pioneer in the subgenre of Horror Photography. And to be fair, I agree. When I first bought my camera and started to take photos, Joshua was one of the first horror photographers that I came across. Whereas most horror photography at the time was grungey, alternative-based gore images. Joshua's work told dark stories through clever fantasy imagery. The images are masterfully crafted through the use of sets (that Joshua builds himself), creative lighting, and collaborating with movie-standard special effects makeup artists. Every creation is like a scene from a movie. And this is why most see him as the GOAT in horror photography.
To see Joshua's work CLICK HERE.
Clinton C Lofthouse
So I am going to be a cheeky little so-and-so now and put myself on this list. Why, well firstly because this is my rodeo, and ill ride if I want to (sticks tongue out). But also, I feel like my work adds to the subgenre in a positive way. The truth is, it has been a while since I dabbled in the horror photography genre. I took a little hiatus to set up and create my commercial business. As fun as horror photography and dark art is, making a sustainable living from it is hard. My plan was to get the commercial business ticking away and then be able to fund my personal dark art and horror urges. So here I am 4 years later, creating a brand new horror photography website and writing a blog. I'll save you the pain of me describing my work to you, ill let you make your own mind up on that.
Rick Jones, Horrify Me
Rick Jones is an award-winning horror photographer (cough cough like someone else on this list cough cough) from the UK. Using movie-quality SFX and his moody chiaroscuro style lighting, Rick creates savagely beautiful imagery which includes homages to the horror movies we all know and love. Rick's images range from brutal to WTF!! Whereas most horror photographers create their work as personal art, Rick has transformed his into a successful business model, which is very inspiring to see. Anyone can book in with Rick and the team and become their own favorite horror icons. To see Rick's work CLICK HERE.
Thomas G Anderson
If David Lynch and Nosferatu had a lovechild, Thomas G Anderson's work would be it. Taking surreal situations in everyday life, finding the scares in them, and then sprinkling them with a gothic seasoning is what Thomas does best. It feels like Americana but if we were all Satanists.
I have known Thomas for many years now and watching his work grow, and the successes he's had in the genre (including two i-horror awards) I believe there is still a lot more to come from this California-based artist. To see Thomas's work CLICK HERE.
Jannike Viveka
I came across Jannike's work recently on Instagram and was blown away by her creativity and storytelling through self-portraits. being an artist who seems to take forever between creating each image Jannike seems to be pumping out high-quality images every day. Just the brainpower and creativity alone to do that is impressive. Ranging from gothic to downright Gorey, Jannike never fails to hit as you scroll the feed. It is always exciting to stumble across dark artists like this and dig through all their past work. If you want to see Jannikes work CLICK HERE.
Ashley Von Helsing
Hailing from a small town in New England, Ashley von Helsing creates in her own worlds a 'hybridization of otherworldly realities with present-day deep atmospheric qualities'. Translated: she creates epic dark art, surreal and gothic imagery with a fashion-like feel and technical design that most other dark artists do not. Looking through Ashley's work is like stepping into an alternate reality, one in which superstition, black magic, and demons are real, and Jean-Paul Gaultier is president. Through a twist of fate, I actually met Ashley at a gathering with friends, when I was suffering from the worst case of vegas flu in my life. Random but true. To see Ashley's work CLICK HERE.
Kelly Robitaille
Although there isn't much blood and gore, Kelly produces gothic fantasy images where girls with big eyes look like they have just escaped from a Tim Burton movie. Dark art and horror photography don't always have to be about violence and Kelly proves that through clever editing, styling and lighting. Kelly keeps a lot of her darker work on her IG be sure to check it out HERE.
Lukasz Jaszak
Lukasz is another recent find who I stumbled across when one of his images was consistently on the explore section of my IG. Focussing mostly on portraits, Lukasz creates dark art and horror characters through the use of photomanipulation, creative outfits, make-up, masks, and lighting. Of all the artists on here, Lukasz's works feel the most Metal, like he's climbed inside Rob Zombies head and pulled the best bits out, and mixed it with his own creativity and humor. Again, just like Jannike the volume and consistency of work are just as impressive as the concepts. To see Lukasz's work CLICK HERE.
Christopher Mckenney
I came across Christopher's work a few years back. It was the image of a sheet with no legs and face pushing into the material. It was one of the most simple, but awesome ideas I had seen for a long time. The white sheet is synonymous with ghosts, and Christopher uses it to great effect in lots of his images. In another time I could see him and Thomas G Anderson being siblings, they have a similar yet totally unique style. Capturing little pockets of Americana through dark art storytelling. The environment is a huge part of Christopher's work, grounding the surreal works in a style that is documentary-like, but also like it could be a set shot from a season of American Horror Story. To see Christopher's work CLICK HERE.
So there you have it. Nine horror photographers, you HAVE to follow now. I was going to do the top ten but I couldn't think of a tenth...If I have missed someone, or you know of an incredible horror photographer, be sure to drop a link in the comments.