Top 15 Richest Photographers in the World 2024: Popular work, net worth, career highlights, & more

It’s a myth that people who work in arts only follow their passion and do not make much money. If you are an expert in your field, no one can stop you from earning fame and riches from your career. There are some world-renowned photographers who have gained immense popularity owing to their talent and excellent work and have also made a net worth of millions.

15 Richest Photographers In The World

The table provides the list of the top 15 richest photographers in the world along with their net worth and nationality.

World’s 15 Richest Photographers 2024

We have already discussed the 15 richest photographers in the world 2024. Let us learn a little bit more about them in detail below.

1. Annie Leibovitz

Her specialty lies in creating engaging portraits of celebrities. Annie’s most popular work is her photo of singer John Lennon which was taken hours before his death. Leibovitz is the first woman to have a feature exhibition at Washington’s National Portrait Gallery.

2. Cindy Sherman

Known for her photographic self-portraits, Cindy Sherman ranks second in the list of the world’s richest photographers with a net worth of $35 million. Cindy received international fame with her photographic series of 69 black-and-white photographs that she took for the series Untitled Film Stills. For her contribution to the arts, Cindy has been awarded multiple honors.

3. Gilles Bensimon

Gilles Bensimon is the former International Creative Director of Elle magazine who is also known for his photographs for the reality television series America’s Next Top Model. Gilles helped Elle reach a huge audience of 20 million readers globally. He is primarily a celebrity photographer who has worked with many top models and celebrities.

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4. Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky’s specialty lies in creating landscape color photographs and large-format architecture, that often uses a high point of view. His works are among some of the highest-priced art in the market among living artists. Rhein II sold for US$4,338,500 and Chicago Board of Trade III sold for $3,298,755 are some of Andreas’ best works.

5. Morgan Norman

Morgan Norman rose to prominence in 2007 with the exhibition Commedia Dell’arte and LIBIDO. Two years later, he was selected as the International Top Newcomer by the leading photograph company Hasselblad. Fashion, portraits, and dance are Norman’s fields of photography. Morgan has a net worth of around $18 million.

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6. Mario Testino

Mario Testino is a portrait and fashion photographer who has worked with renowned fashion magazines like Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, and V Magazine. He has been cited as “the world’s most prolific magazine and fashion trade photographer” by The Observer. Testino is the recipient of various honorable awards and accolades including the Hero Award, British Style Award, Elle Style Award, and others.

7. Jimmy Nelson

Jimmy Nelson is one of the richest photographers in the world with a total net worth of $3.7 million. He is known for his portraits of tribal and indigenous people but his works are often a source of controversy and criticized for inaccuracies and generalizations.

8. Peter Lik

Next to be featured in the list of wealthiest photographers in the world is the Australian photographer Peter Lik known for his nature and panoramic landscape images. Lik took his first photograph from Kodak Brownie box camera that he received as a gift on his 8th birthday. He is a self-taught photographer who learned photography mostly by trial and error.

9. Timothy Allen

Six times category winner in Travel Photographer of the Year, Timothy Allen is popular for his work with indigenous people and isolated communities around the world. A B.Sc degree holder in Zoology he discovered his passion for photography while doing his graduation. He started following his passion for photography after that and the rest is history.

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10. Marco Grob

Marco Grob is known for his portrait work that covers every aspect of human life, be it politics, sports, entertainment, technology, culture, etc. Grob started his career with still life photography but after working for 20 years turned his focus to people and portrait photography.

11. Lee Jeffries

Lee Jeffries is quite popular for his powerful portraits of homeless people that not only brought him international fame but also quite some riches.  With a net worth of around $1.5 million, Jeffries is one of the richest photographers in the world. His approach to the homeless is also praised for being immensely polite and down to earth.

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12. Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry is the creator of the highly-renowned photograph of the Afghan Girl with piercing green eyes. Other than this picture which appeared on National Geographic’s cover multiple times, McCurry has done many assignments for the magazine as well. A recipient of Magazine Photographer of the Year, Steve is also a member of Magnum Photos.

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13. Jeremy Cowart

Jeremy Cowart is a world-renowned and one of the richest photographers known for his work in the music and entertainment fields. He is also the founder of Help-Portrait, a worldwide movement of photographers who use their time, equipment, and expertise to give back to the less fortunate. His net worth stands at about $1.5 million.

14. Joe McNally

Joe McNally is another photographer who has made many photographic contributions to National Geographic and has won multiple awards in photography. His most famous work is Faces of Ground Zero which is a collection of 246 giant Polaroid portraits shot shortly after 9/11.

15. Zhang Jinghua

Zhang Jingna, also known as zemotion, is a fashion photographer known for her works in reputed magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. In 2018, she was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. She is one of the world’s richest photographers with a net worth of approximately $1.1 million.

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