Since opening his studio in New York City in 1983, photographer Stephen Wilkes has built an unprecedented body of work and a reputation as one of America’s most iconic photographers, widely recognized for his fine art, editorial and commercial work.

Stephen was born in 1957 and he lives and works in New York.

Biography
Since opening his studio in New York City in 1983, photographer Stephen Wilkes has built an unprecedented body of work and a reputation as one of America’s most iconic photographers, widely recognized for his fine art, editorial and commercial work.

His photographs are included in the collections of the George Eastman Museum, James A. Michener Art Museum, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Dow Jones Collection, Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation, Jewish Museum of NY, Library of Congress, Snite Museum of Art, The Historic New Orleans Collection, Museum of the City of New York, 9/11 Memorial Museum and numerous private collections.
His editorial work has appeared in, and on the covers of, leading publications such as the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Time, Fortune, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and many others.

Wilkes’ early career interpretations of Mainland China, California’s Highway One, and impressionistic Burned Objects set the tone for a series of career-defining projects that catapulted him to the top of the photographic landscape.
In 1998, a one-day assignment to the south side of Ellis Island led to a 5-year photographic study of the island’s long abandoned medical wards where immigrants were detained before they could enter America.
Through his photographs and video, Wilkes helped secure $6 million toward the restoration of the south side of the island.
A monograph based on the work, Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, was published in 2006 and was named one of TIME magazine’s 5 Best Photography Books of the Year.
The work was also featured on NPR and CBS Sunday Morning.

In 2000, Epson America commissioned Wilkes to create a millennial portrait of the United States, America In Detail, a 52-day odyssey that was exhibited in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Day to Night, Wilkes’ most defining project, began in 2009.
These epic cityscapes and landscapes, portrayed from a fixed camera angle for up to 30 hours capture fleeting moments of humanity as light passes in front of his lens over the course of full day. Blending these images into a single photograph takes months to complete.
Day to Night has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning as well as dozens of other prominent media outlets and, with a grant from the National Geographic Society, was recently extended to include America’s National Parks in celebration of their centennial anniversary and Bird Migration for the 2018 Year of the Bird.
Day to Night: In the Field with Stephen Wilkes was exhibited at the The National Geographic Museum in February, 2018.

Day to Night was published by TASCHEN as a monograph in 2019.
The book is available as an XXL Edition and an Art Edition, the latter including one of two fine art prints from the Day to Night series.

Wilkes’ work documenting the ravages of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy has brought heightened awareness to the realities of global climate change.
He was commissioned by the Annenberg Space for Photography to revisit New Orleans in 2013 after documenting Hurricane Katrina for the World Monuments Fund.
His images were exhibited with his photographs on Hurricane Sandy in the 2014 Sink or Swim, Designing for a Sea of Change exhibition.

Wilkes directorial debut, the documentary film, Jay Myself, world premiered to a sold out crowd at DOCNYC November 11, 2018.
The film is an in depth look into the world of photographer Jay Maisel and his move out of his 35,000 sq. foot building at 190 Bowery.

Wilkes was a speaker at the TED2016: Dream Conference on his Day to Night series.
In 2017 Wilkes was commissioned by the US Embassy, Ottawa to create a Day to Night photograph of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

Despite his intense dedication to personal projects, Wilkes continues to shoot advertising campaigns for the world’s leading agencies and corporations, including: Netflix, OppenheimerFunds, SAP, IBM, Capital One, The New Yorker, Johnson & Johnson, DHL, American Express, Nike, Sony, Verizon, IBM, AT&T, Rolex, Honda.
Wilkes’ extensive awards and honors include the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, Photographer of the Year from Adweek Magazine, Fine Art Photographer of the Year 2004 Lucie Award, TIME Magazine Top 10 Photographs of 2012, Sony World Photography Professional Award 2012, Adobe Breakthrough Photography Award 2012 and Prix Pictet Consumption 2014.
His board affiliations include the Advisory Board of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications; Save Ellis Island Board of Directors, on which he served for 5 years; and the Goldring Arts Journalism Board.

He received his BS in photography from Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a minor in business management from the Whitman School of Management in 1980.

Education
Bachelor of Science
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University
Major: Photography
Concentration; Business Communications
Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University

Solo exhibitions
2019 Day to Night, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL, USA
2019 Bird Migration, National Museum of Wildlife Art of The United States, Jackson, WY, USA
2019 Day to Night: Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach, FL, USA
2018 Day to Night: ProjectB Gallery, Milan, Italy
2018 Day to Night: Fairfield Museum and History Center, Fairfield, CT, USA
2018 Day to Night: In the Field with Stephen Wilkes, National Geographic Museum,
Washington, D.C., USA
2017 Day to Night, Galerie GadCollection, Paris, France
2017 Day to Night, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2017 Ellis Island Ghosts of Freedom, Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2016 Day to Night, Robert Klein Gallery, Boston, MA, USA
2015 Day to Night, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2015 Remnants, Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2014 Day to Night, Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, USA
2013 Bethlehem Steel, ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, PA, USA
2012 Day to Night, Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2011 Connecticut Responds & Reflects: 9/11, Fairfield Museum, Fairfield, CT, USA
2011 Day to Night, Clampart Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2010 Nu-Art Link Gallery, China, Westport, CT, USA
2010 James A. Michener Art Museum, Ellis Island, Doylestown, PA, USA
2009 Steuben Glass Gallery, Ellis Island, New York, NY, USA
2008 Monroe Gallery of Photography, China, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2009 Fairfield Museum, Images, Fairfield, CT, USA
2008 The Construction of the Olympic Stadium and other Chinese Public Works, ClampArt,
New York, NY, USA
2008 China, David Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2008 Stephen Wilkes, Ellis Island, Chicago Cultural Arts, Chicago, IL, USA
2008 Stephen Wilkes, Ellis Island, Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA, USA
2007 Stephen Wilkes, China, ClampArt, New York, NY, USA
2007 Stephen Wilkes, Ellis Island, ClampArt, New York, NY, USA
2006 Ellis Island Revisited, Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2006 Ellis Island Revisited, David Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2006 In Katrina’s Wake, World Monuments Fund Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2005 Bethlehem Steel, Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2004 Bethlehem Steel, Apex Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2004 Ellis Island, Monroe Gallery of Photography, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2003 Ellis Island, Apex Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2002 The Female Form on the Lava Beds of Hawaii, Soho Triad Fine Arts, New York, NY, USA
2001 Ellis Island, Soho Triad Fine Arts, New York, NY, USA
2000 America in Detail, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA, USA

Group exhibitions
2024 Photo London, ARTITLEDcontemporary, London, United Kingdom
2023 PAN Amsterdam, ARTITLEDcontemporary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2023 Photo London, ARTITLEDcontemporary, London, United Kingdom
2022 PAN Amsterdam, ARTITLEDcontemporary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2022 Photo London, ARTITLEDcontemporary, London, United Kingdom
2022 PAN Amsterdam, ARTITLEDcontemporary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2022 KunstRAI, ARTITLEDcontemporary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2021 Photo London, ARTITLEDcontemporary, London, United Kingdom
2021 PAN Amsterdam, ARTITLEDcontemporary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2017 Who Shot Sports: A photographic History, 1843 – Present, Brooklyn Museum, NY, USA
2015 Arts in Embassies: Ottawa, ON, Canada
2014 Annenberg Space for Photography, Sink or Swim, Designing for a Sea of Change
2014 Museum of the City of New York, Rising Waters, Photographs of Hurricane Sandy
2013 Museum of the City of New York, Rising Waters, Photographs of Hurricane Sandy
2012 Peter Fetterman Gallery, Forever Young, The Art of Music Photography
2004 Florence Lynch Gallery, Hypertexture, New York, NY, USA
2000 Soho Triad Fine Arts, Summer Works, New York, NY, USA
1992 George Eastman House: The Art of Persuasion, Rochester, NY, USA

Awards
2018 American Photography, Selected Winner
2018 PDN Award of Excellence, Advertising
2017 American Photography, Selected Winner
2015 Prix Pictet, Consumption, Honorable Mention
2015 American Photography, Selected Winner
2014 PDN Award of Excellence, Photojournalism, Vanity Fair
2014 American Photography, Selected Winner
2014 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2013 PDN Award of Excellence, Photojournalism, Sandy
2013 PDN Award of Excellence, Fine Art, Day to Night Shanghai
2013 Communication Arts Photography Award of Excellence
2013 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2012 Time Magazine Top 10 Photographers
2012 Communication Arts Photography Award of Excellence
2012 Sony World Photography Professional Award
2012 Adobe Breakthrough Photography Award
2011 Photo District News Award of Excellence
2011 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2010 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2010 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris Fine Art Series 2nd Place & 3rd Place, Photojournalism
2009 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2008 World in Focus PDN, Portraits/Sense of Place 1st, Place
2007 Prix De La Photographie Paris, Honorable Mention; Human Condition
2007 Lucie Awards 1st. Place, Professional Photographer, Editorial, The Rise of Big Water
2007 Lucie Awards 1st. Place, Fine Art, Ellis Island: Ghost of Freedom Lucie Awards
2007 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2006 Photo District News Award of Excellence
2005 American Photography, Award of Excellence
2004 Epson Creativity Award
2000 Communication Arts Award of Excellence
2004 Lucie Award Fine Art Photographer of the Year
2000 Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography
1992 The Art Directors Club Distinctive Merit
1992 Adweek Magazine Photographer of the Year

Collections
George Eastman House International Museum of Film and Photography
Dow Jones Collection
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Library of Congress
Carl and Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation
Griffin Museum of Photography
Jewish Museum New York
Barclays Bank Corporate Collection
James A. Michener Art Museum
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Museum of the City of New York
Snite Museum of Art
9/11 Memorial Museum
New Mexico Arts Division, Department of Cultural Affairs

Professional memberships
The Newhouse Advisory Board
The Goldring Journalism Arts Program
Fairfield Museum Advisory Board
Save Ellis Island, Board of Directors

Teaching experience
2019 Palm Springs Photo Festival
2017 School of Visual Arts
2016 Xposure International Photography Festival
2016 Ted Talk Dream Conference
2014 Greg Gorman Digital Photographic Workshop
2013 Palm Springs Photo Festival
2011 Palm Springs Photo Festival
2010 James A Michener Art Museum Lecturer
2009 The George Eastman International Museum of Film and Photography
2008 Palm Springs Photo Festival
2007 ICP Guest Lecturer
2007 Hallmark Institute of Photography
2000 – present Photo Plus Expo East
2000 – present Eddie Adams Workshop
1999 Maine Photographic Workshop
1988 Maine Photographic Workshop

Bibliography
2019 HOT Photo Magazine
2019 Stern Magazin
2018 Photo Magazine
2018 Artsy
2017 Travel & Leisure
2017 Wall Street Journal
2017 Time Magazine
2017 Bloomberg Businessweek
2017 Smithsonian Magazine
2016 National Geographic
2015 National Geographic
2015 National Geographic
2015 The New York Times Magazine
2015 ESPN
2014 Time Magazine
2014 Time Magazine
2014 Vanity Fair
2014 Vanity Fair
2014 Fortune Magazine
2014 Time Magazine
2014 New York Times Magazine
2014 Fortune Magazine
2013 Time Magazine
2013 Vanity Fair
2013 NY Daily News
2013 Huffington Post
2013 New York Times Magazine
2013 Forbes Magazine, Spain
2013 Fortune Magazine
2013 Better Photography, Mumbai
2012 Time Magazine
2012 CBS Sunday Morning
2012 Digital Photo Pro
2012 Weston Magazine Group
2012 Time Magazine
2012 FotoMagazine
2012 Fortune Magazine
2012 Picame
2012 Digital Journal
2012 Fortune Magazine
2012 National Geographic, Story: City Solutions
2011 The Telegraph Online
2011 Oggi
2011 Icon
2011 Flavorwire
2011 Daily Telegraph
2011 Huffington Post
2011 Photo District News
2011 The Sun United Kingdom
2011 The Village Voice
2011 New York Magazine
2011 The New York Times Magazine
2011 Fortune Magazine
2010 Venü
2010 TIME Magazine
2010 Conde Nast Traveler
2010 Communication Arts
2010 Fortune Magazine
2010 Fast Company Magazine
2010 SPREAD ArtCulture, Issue 5
2010 Shanghai: A History in Photographs
2009 New York Magazine
2009 Newsweek Magazine
2009 American Photographer 25 Award of Excellence
2009 New York Times Magazine, The Green Issue, Cover
2009 New York Magazine
2009 SPREAD ArtCulture, Issue 4
2009 Vanity Fair
2009 Vanity Fair
2009 Vanity Fair, Madoff’s World
2008 The Magazine, Volume XVI, Number IV
2008 Exit Magazine, Madrid, Spain
2008 Albuquerque Journal
2008 Santa Fe Reporter
2008 Pasatiempo, The Santa Fe New Mexican
2008 The Outlook Magazine: China
2008 Life Magazine; China
2008 Design Arts Daily: Still Life: China’s Modernization
2008 The Week
2008 Bloomberg.com
2008 New York Magazine On line
2008 Readers Digest
2008 L’Illustre France
2008 Vanity Fair
2008 French Photo
2008 The Village Voice
2008 National Geographic
2008 Focus Magazine
2008 MetroWest Daily New, Gates Publications
2008 The Boston Globe
2008 Los Angeles Times
2007 Art in America
2007 National Geographic
2007 Communication Arts
2007 Vanity Fair
2007 Play Magazine, The New York Times
2006 Forbes Magazine
2006 American Photographer
2006 Time Magazine
2006 The Wall Street Journal
2006 The London Daily Telegraph
2006 Interior Design
2006 ARTnews
2006 Journal of the Print World
2005 Pasatiempo
2004 The Albuquerque North
2005 The Santa Fe New Mexican
2004 The Santa Fe New Mexican
2004 Pasatiempo
2004 Studio Photography & Design
2003 Photo Insider
2003 Art Scene
2003 The Los Angeles Times
2001 Westport Magazine
2001 The New York Times
2001 Communication Arts
2000 Life Magazine
2000 Photo District, News
1998 Life Magazine
1998 The New York Times Magazine
1998 Photo District News
1993 The New York Times Magazine
1988 International Photography Issue # 1
1988 Photo District News
1987 The San Diego Union
1987 Studio Light, Issue #2

Monographs
2019 Day to Night, TASCHEN
2013 Consumption: Prix Pictet
2012 The Human Face of Big Data
2012 Condé Nast Traveler: Photographs
2011 The New York Times Magazine: Photographs
2011 New York: A Photographer’s City
2006 Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, W.W. Norton
1987 California One, The Pacific Coast Highway, Friendly Press