Best Young Celebrity Photographers To Follow On Instagram In 2021

<

►

>

Image by Jerry Maestas

Celebrity photographers are often vaguely acknowledged with a photo credit and an Instagram tag. Needless to say, we’ve severely undermined their quality work and their outstanding talent. If you take a look at recent “viral” photos—for example, Halsey’s announcement photo of her baby bump—can you name the photographer?

Here’s a quick introduction to the best young celebrity photographers in the game right now.

Sam Dameshek @samdameshek

LA-based Sam Dameshek is documenting Hollywood like it’s the 90s. With a film camera and a bag of Portra 400 in hand, Dameshek’s projects are far from dull: from photographing the cover of Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber’s hit collab Monster to Halsey’s baby announcement photo. In addition to his Hollywood reputation, Dameshek is the director and co-founder of Wish Me Luck and the creator of Sam Dameshek Academy, an online course with professional insight into growing your business.

Bryant Eslava @bryant

Better known as @bryant, Eslava is a popular name amongst young social media creators, including TikTok star Addison Rae and YouTuber Emma Chamberlain. As the designated photographer of The Hype House, his dazzling portfolio mainly consists of behind-the-scenes documentary. Due to Eslava’s widely-beloved collection of Snapchat and Instagram filters, he has recently created a new photo and video editing app called Everbloom.

Krissy Saleh @krissy

Named “photographer of the year” by Seventeen Magazine, Saleh’s portfolio adds its own sparkle to this list. For a 22-year-old, her client list is impressive to say the least: Converse, Brandy Melville, Forever 21, Netflix, Kodak, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Puma, and more. Like many fellow photographers, Saleh experimented with FaceTime photoshoots during the COVID lockdown period, where one of her remote models was Olivia… as in Olivia Rodrigo, the Billboard-topping and Spotify-record-breaking pop artist of Driver’s License.

Nima Benati @nimabenati

Wondering what it’s like to photograph professional models, work on set, and collaborate with the biggest brands in the fashion industry? As an emerging fashion photographer on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Benati constantly shares her tiresome yet priceless experiences with her 718K followers. In 2019, she shot and directed a Dolce&Gabbana campaign, inspired by a Rubens painting that promoted the brand’s second size-inclusive women’s collection.

Amber Asaly @amberasaly

Hanging out with the A-list names of Hollywood is Amber Asaly, a.k.a Kylie Jenner’s favorite vacation photographer. Not only is Asaly responsible for those glamorous pics of Kylie in a Dior bikini, but her work branches off into campaigns for Puma, Inamorata, Juicy Couture and more. On her official Instagram account—the ultimate eye candy, if you ask me—you can easily scroll for hours, gawking upon the beautiful images of in-style models and celebrities.

Jerry Maestas @jerrymaestas

With a sparkle effect and a playful approach to lighting, Jerry Maestas’s photography is the definition of “cool.” Shooting for Euphoria Magazine among many others, his style reflects a moody and youthful spirit in every model. In his work, you can always find an old-school nostalgic vibe in the images, as well as a creative use of props (fake blood, cigarettes, a vintage television, etc.). Furthermore, Maestas has worked with Ashley BestDressed, Olivia Rodrigo, Kenzie Ziegler, Conan Grey and more.