Jonathan Mannion

Jonathan Mannion, born in 1970, is widely known for his work in celebrity portrait photography. His work can be characterized by his unique ability to orchestrate a moment that exposes the subject’s inner essence. He consistently communicates their stories with authenticity, respect and enduring relevance. In Mannion’s words, 

“My goal is to create the definitive portrait of that person at that moment, every time I shoot.”

Mannion first established himself as a cultural force through his work with the recording industry, documenting over twenty years of hip-hop music. Early in his career, when many in mainstream media were dismissing rap music as a passing fad, Mannion was hustling to create the cover art for Jay-Z’s debut LP, Reasonable Doubt. It was the first of many iconic album covers with prominent MC’s that quickly crowned Mannion as hip-hop’s premiere visual biographer. His reputation spread farther through a founding partnership with FADER Magazine, a collaboration that produced dozen of memorable cover images for the publication. He established and elevated a new aesthetic within the genre. The result, in the words of DJ Quick, is that “the world sees hip-hop through [his] eyes.”

Here is a highly successful commercial photographer who mainly works in black and white. His subject seems to be music celebrities. He is able to pinpoint precisely how a celebrity wants to be viewed without artificial settings. His photographs are very finely tuned to focus sharply on the main character. He is a pioneer in capturing the history of hip-hop and rap in imagery. He has photographed some of my personal favourite rappers such as Brother Ali and Biggie Smalls in a very intriguing way.