Documentary photography goes beyond aesthetics. It tells real, often untold stories—about people, culture, conflict, and change. In India, a country of immense social diversity and dynamic realities, documentary photographers play a crucial role in shaping narratives through honest, powerful images.

From capturing indigenous communities to documenting climate change, these ten photographers are among the best in India, each with a unique voice and visual style.

📸 1. Rohit Chawla – rohitchawla.in

📍 Delhi
Why He’s Top: Known for blending fine art with reportage, Rohit’s photo essays on culture, politics, and human rights have appeared in India Today and international publications.
🎯 Focus: Cultural identity, social issues, portrait-driven documentary

📸 2. Soumya Sankar Bose – soumya.space

📍 Kolkata
Why He’s Top: His long-term projects explore marginalized communities, memory, and trauma. A Magnum Foundation grantee.
🎯 Focus: Queer identities, post-colonial trauma, intimate storytelling

📸 3. Poulomi Basu – poulomibasu.com

📍 London/Kolkata
Why She’s Top: Internationally awarded for her powerful narratives on women’s rights and environmental crises, including the acclaimed project Blood Speaks.
🎯 Focus: Gender violence, justice, resistance

📸 4. Sudharak Olwe – sudharakolwe.com

📍 Mumbai
Why He’s Top: A Padma Shri awardee, Sudharak documents India’s working class, sanitation workers, and rural communities with empathy and grit.
🎯 Focus: Labor rights, slum life, invisible communities

📸 5. Ronny Sen – ronnysen.com

📍 Kolkata
Why He’s Top: Known for poetic visual narratives, Ronny’s documentary work blends fiction and non-fiction, most notably in End of Time (Jharia coal mines).
🎯 Focus: Environmental collapse, urban decay, Eastern India

📸 6. Smita Sharma – smitasharma.com

📍 Delhi
Why She’s Top: A National Geographic contributor, Smita covers gender-based violence, child trafficking, and borderland tensions with deep sensitivity.
🎯 Focus: Gender justice, crime, human trafficking

📸 7. Arko Datto – arkodatto.com

📍 Kolkata
Why He’s Top: His vibrant yet unsettling visuals tackle climate migration, political conflict, and nocturnal life in South Asia.
🎯 Focus: Displacement, climate change, hyper-reality

📸 8. Chandan Khanna – chandankhanna.com

📍 Mumbai / Miami (AFP)
Why He’s Top: A visual journalist for Agence France-Presse, Chandan documents news, protests, and humanitarian crises across continents.
🎯 Focus: Breaking news, urban conflict, global South

📸 9. Tanvi Mishra – tanvimishra.com

📍 Delhi
Why She’s Top: As a photo editor, curator, and visual storyteller, Tanvi’s work examines how images shape truth.
🎯 Focus: Visual research, slow storytelling, identity politics

📸 10. Javed Iqbal – javediqbal.in

📍 Mumbai
Why He’s Top: A journalist and photographer who focuses on tribal issues, conflict zones like Bastar, and Adivasi resistance movements.
🎯 Focus: Indigenous rights, conflict reportage, grassroots movements