Rankin

Rankin (born John Rankin Waddell, Glasgow, 1966) is a British photographer, publisher, and film director whose work has shaped contemporary photography, fashion imagery, and cultural portraiture since the early 1990s.

Rankin emerged as a key figure in British visual culture as the co-founder of Dazed & Confused magazine with Jefferson Hack. The publication became an influential platform for experimental photography and youth-led cultural production. Publishing remains central to his practice through AnOther, AnOther Man, and HUNGER magazine, founded in 2011, and through more than 40 photographic monographs published independently and with teNeues and Rizzoli NY.

Rankin’s practice is rooted in portraiture. He has photographed figures from music, film, fashion, and public life including David Bowie, Dua Lipa, Madonna, Jay-Z, Kelis, Zendaya, Idris Elba, The Rolling Stones, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 2023, he photographed King Charles III for The Big Issue to mark the King’s 75th birthday.

His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Portrait Gallery, London, and is held in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection.

Rankin lives and works in London.