The Photographer You're Sleeping On
2024-09-03 · 3 min read
Tyler Mitchell became the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in 2018, and while that milestone earned headlines, his broader body of work deserves attention far beyond a single assignment. Mitchell photography reimagines Black leisure, joy, and community in lush, painterly images.
His aesthetic pulls from multiple traditions: impressionist painting, saturated 1970s fashion photography, and the documentary specificity of the Black family album.
Mitchell portraits of young Black subjects in natural settings are deliberate acts of representation. He has spoken about creating images of Black people at rest, free from trauma and the white gaze.
His 2022 exhibition at the Gagosian, Chrysalis, presented large-format photographs that expanded his practice into fine art territory.
At just 29, Mitchell has shot for Vogue, Dazed, i-D, and the New York Times. His commercial work maintains the same visual language as his personal projects.
Explore his portfolio at https://tylermitchellphotography.com.
Tyler Mitchell is the photographer you should be paying attention to because his work proposes a world where Black joy is unremarkable and beauty is the default. In a medium saturated with cynicism, his optimism is revolutionary.
