Misan Harriman (born 15 December 1977)[1] is a Nigerian-born British photographer, entrepreneur and social activist. As well as being one of the most widely-shared photographers of the Black Lives Matter movement, Harriman is the first black man to shoot a cover of British Vogue in the magazine's 104-year history. In July 2021, Harriman commenced his appointment as Chair of the board of trustees for Southbank Centre, London.[2]
Misan Harriman | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Harriman in 2022 | |
| Born | 15 December 1977 Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria |
| Nationality | British, Nigerian |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, entrepreneur, Chair of Southbank Centre |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Known for | Photography |
| Spouse | Camilla Holmstroem |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editHarriman was born in Calabar, Nigeria, in 1977.[3][4] He is the son of Chief Hope Harriman (a businessman and politician from Warri in Nigeria's Delta State).[5] He attended Stubbington House School and Bradfield College in England. After school, Harriman worked in recruitment in the City of London.[6]
Photographic career
editHarriman was interested in photography from an early age, this including giving a presentation at school on Stanley Kubrick's use of light in Barry Lyndon (1975) aged nine. In 2016, Harriman set up an Internet media agency, What We Seee. He began photographing in 2017 and is self-taught.[7][8]
Celebrities
editHarriman's photographic career has included photographing a diverse list of celebrities, including Rihanna, Stormzy, Olivia Colman, Princess Beatrice, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tom Cruise.[4] In early 2021, Harriman remotely took the photograph used to announce the pregnancy of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.[9] In June 2022, Harriman photographed one year old Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.[10]
Reportage
editHarriman documented the Extinction Rebellion, climate strike and anti-Trump protests in 2019.[7] In the spring of 2020, he took a series of pictures of people living through the COVID-19 lockdown in his home town of Woking in a project called Lost in Isolation.[11][12] His pictures of the Black Lives Matter protests taken in the summer of 2020 appeared on the BBC and in Vogue magazine and The Guardian, and in July were shown on the Piccadilly Lights at Piccadilly Circus in Central London.[13] Harriman's triple gatefold cover for the September issue of Vogue—traditionally the most important issue of the year[14][15][16][17]—included portraits of Adwoa Aboah, Marcus Rashford and 18 other activists associated with the Black Lives Matter movement from around the globe.[8] He was assisted by two photographers, Cornelius Walker and Ron Timehin.[6][18]
Other
editIn July 2021, Harriman took up the appointment of chair of trustees of the Southbank Centre.[19][20]
In 2023, he made his directorial debut with The After, a short film about a man who lost his family in a stabbing spree, starring David Oyelowo. The film, produced by Nicky Bentham for Netflix, was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2024 Academy Awards.[21]
Personal life
editHarriman is married to Camilla Holmstroem. They have two daughters.[6]
References
edit- ^ Harriman, Misan [@misanharriman] (15 December 2023). "As I turn 46 today ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 4 February 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Brown, Mark (20 May 2021). of the board of trustees "Black Lives Matter photographer becomes Southbank Centre chair". The Guardian.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Fleming, Amy (27 January 2021). Tom Cruise fist-bumps a rising star: Misan Harriman's best photograph. The Guardian.
- ^ a b Nath, Sayantani (14 February 2021). Who is Misan Harriman? Meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's photographer pal who took their pregnancy pic on iPad. MEAWW.
- ^ Amaize, Emma (8 November 2012). "Hope Harriman dies at 79". Vanguard (Nigeria).
- ^ a b c Butter, Susannah (13 August 2020). "Misan Harriman: 'I find myself standing in a moment of history'". The Evening Standard.
- ^ a b Warner, Marigold (23 June 2020). "Misan Harriman on photographing London's BLM protests". The British Journal of Photography.
- ^ a b Peters, Ellie (3 August 2020). "Meet Misan Harriman, The BLM Protest Photographer Who Captured Vogue's September Cover". British Vogue.
- ^ Kelly, Guy (15 February 2021). Who is Misan Harriman, the confidante who ‘remotely’ photographed the Sussexes’ baby announcement?. The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Royals wish Lilibet a happy first birthday". BBC News. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ Stanciu, Elena. "Lost in Isolation - Found in Solitude: A Photo Series by Misan Harriman" Archived 17 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine. PetrieInventory.com
- ^ (28 May 2020). "The photographer bringing his community together". BBC News Online
- ^ (7 July 2020). "Piccadilly Lights encourages empathy in the fight to end systemic racism", Ocean News.
- ^ (4 August 2020). "Edward Enninful: Focusing Vogue on activism a 'no-brainer'". BBC News.
- ^ Sandhu, Serena (4 August 2020). "Vogue's September issue with Marcus Rashford and Adwoa Aboah inspired a hope I've never felt before as a reader of 12 years". The i Newspaper.
- ^ Cambell, Niamh (3 August 2018). "Why the September issue of Vogue is always a big deal in the fashion world". Evoke magazine.
- ^ Alexander, Ella (1 August 2016). "Why is the September issue so important to fashion?". Glamour Magazine.
- ^ Warner, Marigold (4 August 2020). “A symphony of activism”: Misan Harriman on his historic Vogue cover. British Journal of Photography.
- ^ "Press Release: Misan Harriman appointed Chair of Southbank Centre" (PDF). Southbank Centre. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Campbell, Joel (21 May 2021). "Misan Harriman appointed Chair of Southbank Centre". The Voice. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Stephanie Simon (24 January 2024). "Short film 'The After' gets nominated for 2024 Oscar Awards". Voice of Nigeria. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- What We Seee Archived 1 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine