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.
You might like
In the 1960s, African photographers recaptured their own image
Ideas of Africa — An exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art explores the 20th century’s most important lensers, including Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé and Kwame Brathwaite, and their impact on challenging dominant European narratives.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Reynaldo Rivera’s intimate portrait of queer Latino love
Propiedad Privada — Growing up during the AIDS pandemic, the photographer entered a world where his love was not only taboo, but dangerous. His new monograph presents inward-looking shots made over four decades, which reclaim the power of desire.
Written by: Miss Rosen
In photos: The newsagents keeping print alive
Save the stands — With Huck 83 hitting shelves around the world, we met a few people who continue to stock print magazines, defying an enduringly tough climate for physical media and the high street.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Inside Bombay Beach, California’s ‘Rotting Riviera’
Man-made decay — The Salton Sea was created by accident after a failed attempt to divert the Colorado River in the early 20th century. Jack Burke reports from its post-apocalyptic shores, where DIY art and ecological collapse meet.
Written by: Jack Burke
The quiet, introspective delight of Finland’s car cruising scene
Pilluralli — In the country’s small towns and rural areas, young people meet up to drive and hang out with their friends. Jussi Puikkonen spent five years photographing its idiosyncratic pace.
Written by: Josh Jones
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
