Picks of the bunch: Huck’s top ten photo stories of 2018
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Owen Harvey (main image)
It’s been a good year for photography on Huck.
We’ve seen shots from inside Europe’s largest alternative-living community, uncovered the internet’s forgotten shit pics and laughed at photos of really – really – rich people getting drunk.
And that’s before mentioning our annual celebration of visual storytelling: Huck 67 – an all-woman photography special. Featuring the likes of Susan Meiselas, Kendrick Brinson and Mikiko Hara, it’s a spotlight on the women breaking new ground in the photography world.
Looking ahead to next year, here are the ten most popular photo stories of 2018 – as chosen by readers.
The photographer capturing subcultures that refuse to die
For the past six years, Owen Harvey has been finding out why people are drawn to styles from a bygone era – and developing some unexpected perspective on his own life in the process.
© Owen Harvey
Photos that flip the way we view sex, violence and women
Pooling influence from Hollywood, old advertisements and porn, visual artist Camille Mariet uses explicit, bold photography to subvert sexist stereotypes.
© Camille Mariet
Life inside Europe’s biggest alternative-living community
The ZAD is a micro-society in rural France where activists, farmers and free-spirits live in harmony. Photographer Kevin Faingnaert tried to find out why.
© Kevin Faingnaert
The Congolese dandies who see fashion as a way of life
‘La Sape’ is a lifestyle built on a simple set of values: dress sharp, act with integrity and inspire others. This is why they do what they do.
© Alice Mann
Inside the hotel that symbolises South Africa’s past
Celebrities, politics, murder: Johannesburg’s Carlton Hotel has seen it all. But as two artists sneak into its now-abandoned halls, taking pictures as they go, the emptiness speaks volumes.
© Yvonne Mueller and Leif Bennett
A cab driver captures 30 years of New York after dark
Street photographer Ryan Weideman drove a New York City cab for decades. With one eye on the road and a camera in his hand, every passenger became a story, every trip a wild ride.
© Ryan Weideman
Secret snapshots of Tokyo’s vivid street life
Mikiko Hara doesn’t need a viewfinder. Instead the Japanese street photographer shoots from the chest, allowing the camera to capture happy accidents that come as a surprise – even to her.
© Mikiko Hara, courtesy of Osiris
The internet’s forgotten shit pics are accidentally amazing
To relieve the boredom of his day job, Doug Battenhausen has been mining defunct websites for years – harvesting long-discarded gems from the bottom of the web.
© Doug Battenhausen
Pictures of really, really rich people getting drunk
Throughout the ’80s, photographer Dafydd Jones captured the well-heeled hedonists of England’s upper classes. ‘It was another world going on behind closed doors,’ he remembers.
© Dafydd Jones
Dystopian photos of London’s bankers in meltdown
Ten years after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, Stephen McLaren’s photos remember the fear, helplessness and demented ambivalence in the City of London at that time.
© Stephen McLaren
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
An epic portrait of 20th Century America
‘Al Satterwhite: A Retrospective’ brings together scenes from this storied chapter of American life, when long form reportage was the hallmark of legacy media.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
Vibrant photos of New York’s Downtown performance scene
‘Balloons and Feathers’ is an eclectic collection of images documenting the scene for over two decades.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Picking through the rubble: Glimpses of hope in the US election results
Clambering through the wreckage of the Harris campaign, delving deeper into the election results and building on the networks that already exist, all hope is not gone writes Ben Smoke.
Written by: Ben Smoke
US Election night 2024 in Texas
Photographer Tom “TBow” Bowden travelled to Republican and Democratic watch parties around Houston, capturing their contrasting energies as results began to flow in.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In photos: “Real life is not black and white” – Polaroid x Magnum Open Call winners
See pictures from the competition organised by two titans of contemporary photography, which called upon artists to reject the digitalisation and over-perfectionism of our modern world, technology and image-making.
Written by: Huck