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Photography Discoveries of Summer 2026
BY VANESA KRIZONYTE
Three months, known as Summer, encapsulate every dimension of human pleasure and joy. From social gatherings, aura uplift to spirals in fashion trends. The medium of photography carries the weight of nostalgia and marks time. Ahead of Summer 2026, we set out to discover photography that captures stillness, emotion, and anticipation. Digging into leading photographers’ creative minds to find summer rawness and visual forms, opening the season ahead. From the voice of Alan Strutt on Hollywood summer to Jude Black’s Baroque-infused Harper’s Bazaar sets and the Agony + Ecstasy gallery founder releasing archival Walter Rudolph’s 80s Ibiza scenes. Through this culturally infused collection, we step into the long-awaited summer.
Expressing Yourself Through Voluminous Hair
Photographer Pip Dusadeevijai’s maximalist approach to fashion shoots encourages a free spirit attitude this summer. In one photograph for Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam, a model holds her teacup with elegance, while her voluminous hair becomes the focal point of the frame, lending the image a sense of personality.
“I’m so tired of the clean girl aesthetic. Everything is so clean, and it’s boring. I need a bit more fun.” says Pip.
Moving from Bangkok to London, Pip struggled to find a hairstylist who could do big hair. This reinforced his belief in the necessity of letting your hair loose this summer as a parallel expression of lived moments.
What does Summer 2026 mean to you as a creative?
Pip Dusadeevijai: I think summer is when you should work a bit less and enjoy life more, just let your hair down. If you’re amplifying good vibes, that is what you attract.
The Rawness of Summer Bonding
Celebrity imagery has the power to shape how we perceive culture, lifestyle, and the seasons themselves. Flicking through the renowned Alan Strutt collection, the photographs hold an affluent status while conveying that human connection is universal. Representing the dynamics of family and friendship relations. From the early stages of his career, Alan has been trusted in celebrity hands and openly invited into their life to capture intimate summer moments.
In 2002, Strutt found himself landing in Los Angeles to shoot a portrait of the Osbourne family. Strikingly, the black-and-white film elevates the emotions associated with summer.
Alan Strutt: I shot it in color film because it was for the Sunday Times magazine. I converted it to black and white for my own use.
The sun started dropping behind the palm trees, originally going for a backlit sunny LA vibe, and then as it started getting darker, I thought, I’m going to change this to a more heavy metal thing. It was outside, I decided to flash it, and I didn’t have much time, because the sun was setting. It was that perfect moment, and the family was fab.
Did you suggest poses and body language to the family?
Alan Strutt: Yeah, I think it was a bit of both. It helped that they’re British, so they had the same sense of humor, and they’d been there all day and done three other shoots.
We had good dialogue going, so I was suggesting stuff, and it was a real fun shoot.
Sometimes you’re doing a shoot, and there are lots of publicists and people there. The Osbournes were just there. Sharon looked after Ozzy, and the kids were the kids, so it was like doing a family portrait.
Every family album treasures candid angles of the days when time is not of the essence, typically captured by the mothering eye. Coming across Alan’s capture of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in a flawless natural state with no staged set is a rare scene – the ease and joy associated with summer.
Did the material qualities of a film camera facilitate celebrity rawness?
Alan Strutt: I’ve known Kate and Naomi since they were 15. In their 20s, Kate and Naomi used to go on holiday together, and they’d booked a villa in the South of France. Naomi rang me and said, “You want to come?” So I flew down there, and they were just chilling in the villa. Breakfast was at lunchtime, there’d be a meal early evening, then off to Saint Tropez or somewhere for a concert or club.
I took with me a smaller handheld Mamiya 645 camera because most of my life before digital I was shooting on a large six by seven camera, and it was heavy, it needed a tripod.
I came walking out of the villa and was holding the camera. The girls were going to have a water fight in the pool. They had no makeup on, just their bikinis. I think it was Kate who just went “Charlie’s Angels!” and they both went by that pose, in one frame, like a holiday picture.
So there are lots of pictures I’ve not actually used because it was like holiday snaps, but when I got back, I showed them to Vogue, and they ran a summer holiday edition.
I remember Robin, the art director, said, “I really like this, I’m going to get some more photographers to shoot this holiday style.” It did inspire a few things. It was a different way of shooting.
In-tune with Body Movement
Brazilian-born photographer Carlos Moura brings musical notes to photographs by taking inspiration from their dance background to frame models in a positive image. With many photographs following a signature style of models in tune with their arm movement. In one Mykonos shoot set by oceanic surroundings, a model stands pivotal on the rock, water flowing and arms in the air. The result is sculptural and a sensual experience of summer.
Do you think your work changes with the transition in seasons?
Carlos: Yeah. You see trends change in what people are going to wear. I think this summer is going to be more vibrant, everything’s going to pop a lot. So I can be really crazy and loud in my editorials.
Do you guide your model’s body language, or is the movement a natural response to your presence?
Carlos: As I was a dancer, I like models to be moving. Just feeling the air and themselves.
Mykonos is a windy place, so they need to be really stable not to fall off the rock. When I have a client, I want them to feel themselves. I worked with many women during my career. I’ve listened to many good and bad histories from them, so when they’re doing the photo shoots, I just want them to feel the best, freedom.
The Past and Present of Ibiza
The Agony + Ecstasy gallery retrieves the 80s Ibiza photography collection by Walter Rudolph. Founder Emma Salahi shares the mission is to “breath new life into a photographer who otherwise would be unseen.” Bringing forward nerve-touching nostalgia, early Ibiza fashion, and summer moments rooted in human connection.
Following the past in Rudolph’s captures, how do you feel about the declining nightlife and shift towards a health-conscious society?
Emma: In 80s Ibiza, people were free, liberated, and performative. Being nude with no care. People are now conscious of how they want to be perceived in Ibiza. There are certain poses and locations they capture because of Instagram.
Describe the personality of a Walter Rudolph collector and Agony + Ecstasy gallery visitor?
One with a connection to the past. We’ve seen an attraction from the fashion industry, including Kate Moss, because it’s culturally relevant.
Ideal clients are people who adore the island, antique imagery, and artwork to be hung in their home.
I hope to continue the legacy into books, they are accessible and can be a coffee table staple piece.
In a time of changing habits and declining nightlife, the discovery of Walter Rudolph summer photography is uplifting for holding onto a communal spirit that once defined the island. Salahi revealed a highly anticipated second release of the Walter Rudolph Ibiza 1976 book available at the end of June 2026, offering another opportunity to step into the island’s past.
Summer Light and Sensation
Jude Black is the modern-day Caravaggio, using principles of light in his photography to construct the sun as a directional refinement of muse. The light division in ‘Dark Side of the Dark’ shifts where identity sits within the image. As Jude explains, “it is temporal, it’s where the image holds a moment that feels both fixed and unstable, like something that has already slipped away even as you’re looking at it.” Sequins catch the light, illuminating the body and amplifying the radiance associated with summer.
Does your creative lens change depending on the season?
Considerably. In Dark Side of the Dark, the use of Hard light emulates the sun. If you’re a photographer only using sunlight, your choices are limited, but if you know how to emulate the sun, you can do whatever you want. My style usually mixes sunlight and flashlight together, it’s quite difficult.
How do the sequins enhance the character you are trying to demonstrate in the photograph?
After years of experience, I try to capture psychological sensations. My technique is making lots of jokes because photographers are really bad with models. I always build a connection, and this way, you can take the best out of it.
There is something in my pictures linked to colour grading and a sensation.
A Moment for Haute Couture
Through the lens of Gibril Jallow, summer is delivered in a high-quality curation that opens feelings of luxury. Set against the warm sea ambiance, delicate waves, and radiance of Binta Ba, his photograph evokes the sensation of summer evenings. Transforming fashion imagery into cinematic scenes. Every fragment of Jallow’s work follows forward-thinking notions and dedication. Sharing a heartfelt conversation on his memories of the shoots and ways summer impacts creative outlets, Jallow revealed:
“Africa is always sunny,” and “I remember I had sand in my shoes at the airport.”
The immediate response from us is, why? Jallow replied, “The preparations for finding and bringing the horse to sea.”
What does summer 2026 consist of and any sneak peeks?
I’m focused on quality over quantity production. Following my university background, I feel the creative fusion and inspiration to work towards launching a brand.
Is there a requirement for another brand in the fashion industry?
My brand is different. No one is producing these types of headpieces embellished with Swarovski and silk. The response has been incredible, with models such as Mari Fonseca Taggart taking the pieces after shooting and designers directly sending requests. For the Lake Como shoot, I produced a piece to match the Celia Kritharioti dress.
The transition through these photographs stimulates a varied takeaway of emotions summer 2026 will bring. Some look to the past, others embrace movement, glamour, or personal expression, but all share a desire to capture the fleeting nature of the season. As Emma Salahi suggests, revisiting the past can strengthen our connection to the present. Dusadeevijai inserts a spirit of freedom, Strutt reminds us that human connection exists in all social circles, Moura celebrates bodily engagement, Black explores mastery of light to uplift souls, and Jallow presents a vision of luxury summer.
Interviews for this story were conducted in May, 2026. With gratitude to Pip Dusadeevijai, Alan Strutt, Carlos Moura, Emma Salahi, Jude Black and Gibril Jallow. Published June, 2026.
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