MY FAVORITE Detroit Photographers

There are many talented Detroit photographers who spend quite a bit of time capturing and documenting the city. Sure, there are those who may wander downtown a few times a year to see what is new. No, these are not those photographers. These photographers are ones that I would call "dedicated to photographing Detroit". They are not all considered only Detroit photographers, but they are talented and make Detroit look good. Whether they spent many years in the past, or the present, photographing Detroit, they made it to this list because 1) They love to shoot the city and 2) I know them in some way, shape or form. I would feel a bit weird listing photographers I didn't know, but these are people I have come across in years past whom share my love of the city.

This list is not in any particular order, but for each one I will share some background of how I know them and a link to their work. We may share a love of Detroit, but we all see it in a slightly different way. I love how I can go shooting with people and see the images they shared from the experience, scratching my head as to why I didn't see what they saw. Because...we are all a bit different in how we see the world.

Without further ado, below are the photographers. A link will take you to their work at the end of their description. I encourage you to check out their photography to see what they see.

1. Detroit Unseen (Bob Huston). Okay, I am being a bit biased here, because Bob is what I would consider one of the most accomplished urban explorers I've ever come across. I feel confident in saying no one has been in more abandoned buildings in Detroit than him. He lives and breathes abandonment. I met Bob through my friend John, and at the time we were both interested in exploring abandonment outside of Detroit. He was the master at finding the locations, I would put together the road trip, and we would hop in the car and go. I've been to many locations throughout the eastern US with him, seeing things I would never have seen if not for him. We once had a conversation about photographers and exploring, and he said he considered himself an explorer first, and a photographer second. I was the opposite. And it holds true, as he has started to jet set across the world finding more locations to investigate. You can find his work at Detroit Unseen on Instagram. He is also on YouTube.

2. Lou Peeples. I met Lou through Exposure Detroit, a now defunct local photography club that existed on Flickr, and also held in-person photo events like photo walks and Artist Receptions at the Bean and Leaf coffee shop in Royal Oak. Lou is always out there, even today, in the early morning dawn exploring what the city has to offer. We have met in person, but have not shot together before. I would call his style moody and engaging. Find his work on his website, One Pointe Photography.

3. Joni Lohr. I met Joni through the abandonment trips I used to host through Motor City Photography Workshops back in the day. She has an eye for the abandonment as well as the city. Growing up in Detroit, she captured the streets during the times she was living in. Today, she lives in Boston and travels to Europe where she still likes to capture abandonment, but also likes cityscapes and concert photography. She has been invited to dozens of art shows and always seems to be showing her work somewhere! You can find her photos on her website JoniLohr.com.

4. Andrew Petrov. We met through the Detroit Photography Facebook group, where we started FB Messenger conversations about Detroit and the photography biz. He has worked hard to become one of the best known headshot photographers in Detroit. He not only photographs people, but also loves Detroit architecture. Even though we haven't met in person, I anticipate we will meet up one day. Also check out the database he's been creating for Detroit buildings through www.detroitphotography.com

5. John (detroiturbex.com). I will never forget my first in-person meeting with John. He reached out to me in 2014 to see if I was interested in taking over his abandonment tours he offered through his website, Detroit Urbex (he had a new career opportunity and I was happy to do so). Anyone who has ever researched Detroit abandonment has come across his website at some point. When we met, he reminded me of a tall lumberjack, but without the gruffness. Along with Bob, he also has shown me many locations in Detroit that I would never have known about or had access to. He recently purchased a Leica medium format camera and is now using it to "officially" document the streets of Detroit. He once told me, "I wish I had this camera when I was first starting out capturing Detroit". I have had that same thought, wishing I had better equipment to photograph those locations that are now gone. Every once in awhile we will take his car through Detroit to see what we can see. You can find his latest work on his website, The Detroit Archive.

6. Danny Rebb. Many years ago, I started a Facebook photo group called Detroit's Urban Beauty. One day, I felt like I was ready to move on and I was going to close it, but then decided to see if anyone was interested in continuing it. Danny stepped up to the plate, happy to be part of keeping it going. Danny is always out there capturing the city, even today. I always see his newest images he shares on Facebook. We have not met in person, and we do say we are going to go out shooting one day, and I anticipate that will happen at some point! You can follow him through his Facebook fan page.

7. Tom Hagerty. Tom has also joined the admin team for Detroit's Urban Beauty, which is a perfect fit because Tom has been capturing Detroit for decades! He has a lot of photos of the city that I could only wish I could have seen. He has a wide range of photographic interests. Born and raised in Detroit near Six Mile & Livernois, he started taking photos at age 10. Now living in Lakeland, Fla. and photographing Detroit Tigers spring training.You can find his work through his Facebook page, it's like walking through a time capsule.

8. Robert Monaghan. Robert is another of those photographers who is always on the ground, capturing the latest there is to see in the city, whether abandonment or the streets. I have met Robert several times over the years, usually he would come to say "hi" when I was at one of my art fairs. You can find his photo stream on Flickr.

Header image courtesy of John of Detroit Urbex - Bill’s Door and Lock, 2011 at 12510 Dexter Avenue