12 Great Photography Websites for Inspiration

Let’s face it, we’ve probably all got a little too much time on our hands. The streets are quiet, covid has subdued our economies and assignments are more sparse than ever.

But when one door closes, another opens. All this spare time has made it ideal for reflecting, studying, perfecting post processing skills and, yes, seeking inspiration wherever we can.

With this in mind, we’ve scoured the virtual horizon in search of some of the best places for you to browse and discover the work of established and up-and-coming talents.

The result is 12 high quality inspirational ‘water holes’ where you can feed and refresh your creative photographic spirit. Enjoy!

1. Lensculture

Lensculture is a fantastic source of inspiration. From street photography to cutting edge social documentary work, you’ll find plenty of reports and imagery by some of the world’s most talented photographers. If keep exploring, you’ll find a great deal of value to be unpacked, for example Lensculture also offers helpful free guides on a very broad range of photography related topics.

2. Reportage by Getty Images

This is the crème-de-la-crème of Getty’s photographic talent and a fantastic place to learn from the best. You’ll find powerful up-to-the-minute photojournalism by some of the planet’s top editorial photographers.

3. L’Oeil de la Photographie

‘The Eye of Photography’, to use its English language title, is a very classy inspirational resource. The tone is artsy and contemporary. You’ll find up-to-the-minute photography news and articles. Head to the portfolios section to browse edited collections contributed by the site’s readers. This is one of the richest, most diverse and most contemporary resources you’ll find on our list.

4. Aperture Foundation

You might have heard of the Aperture foundation, as one of the premium publishing houses for high quality photographic books. In the site’s own words, Aperture is “a not-for-profit foundation, that connects the photo community and its audiences with the most inspiring work, the sharpest ideas, and with each other—in print, in person, and online.” The Aperture site is a treasure trove of links to the work of established and upcoming photographic names.

5. Magnum Photos

The ‘grand dame’ of the photojournalism world. Including icons such as Henri-Cartier Bresson and Robert Capa among its founding members, the Magnum website remains a fantastic place to seek inspiration from some of the biggest names in the business.

6. Burn Magazine

Founded by renowned Nat Geo photographer David Alan Harvey, Burn Magazine seeks to provide a platform for emerging talent. Many of the stories featured here are at the cutting edge of creative editorial photography. Burn gives a good sense of current visual trends on the contemporary photography scene. The site also has a fund for emerging photographers and a mentorship program.

7. 1854 Photography

A site that boldly proclaims to be ‘at the intersection of photography and everything’. Oozing with style, the 1854 site also has some serious substance beneath its hip looking exterior. You’ll find links to fascinating stories by breakthrough talents and there’s even access to awards and commissions. It’s a site that definitely wants you to ‘sign up’ but still offers plenty of value to the casual browser.

8. Invisible Photographer Asia

As its dot Asia URL suggests, the focus is firmly on what’s happening in the photo scene across Asia, with an emphasis on photojournalism. Alongside links to workshops and mentorship programs, you’ll also find a fascinating archive of street photography projects in Asia that is well worth checking out. There’s also a great section featuring interviews with photojournalists and creative photographers from around Asia.

9. Foto8

Here you’ll find a rich seam of photojournalistic inspiration to be mined. The homepage features a panel of images that lead to photo stories by world class photographers. Having said that, a lot of what you’ll see is a little dated (mainly from the past decade). Indeed, it feels like Foto8 has come to a standstill. However, it’s still providing access to a rich archive of work, with tabs linking to a blog, a magazine, exhibitions and reviews (long out of date) and some interesting interviews, including with such legends as Philip Jones Griffiths.

10. Monovisions

As its name suggest Monovision is all about black and white photography. You’ll find jewels of the monochrome photography universe from both past and present. There’s a ‘masters’ section you can browse by specialization and an archive of vintage black and white imagery going right back to the 1800s. If you want to dig a little deeper, check out the interviews section, also organized by specialization. For black and white fans, Monovisions is a must.

11. Zuma Reportage

The website looks a bit dated but the content is blazing hot. Zuma Reportage represents a stable of some of the world’s top photographers, supplying images to leading media outlets. You’ll find up-to-the-minute edited photo stories that set the bar in terms of quality and content. If you fancy yourself as a photojournalist, Zuma Reportage is a great place to find inspiration.

12. Inspiration Grid

If you’re into creative photography, this is a great place to sate your appetite for ideas and inspiration. The site has a very contemporary feel with lots of colourful and alluring links leading towards some stunning photo collections. The collections are clearly labelled with corresponding styles – such as art photography or fashion and beauty. If you feel like casting your net beyond photography, Inspiration Grid has sections for design, art, illustration and editorial.

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Written by Yvan Cohen | Yvan has been a photojournalist for over 30 years. He’s a co-founder of LightRocket and continues to shoot photo and video projects around South East Asia.

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