Gemma Padley is a writer and editor on photography.
Gemma has been writing about photography since 2007. Her clients past and present include: British Journal of Photography, Elephant, AnOthermag.com, Foam, The Telegraph, Time LightBox, the BBC, Port, Photomonitor, the RPS Journal and 1000 Words, among others. She has authored, edited, ghostwritten and contributed texts to photography books with publishers Laurence King Publishing, Ivy Press, Hoxton Mini Press, Self Publish, Be Happy and Cassell. She also works directly with photographers, artists, curators, gallerists and agencies on texts of all kinds, including forewords, wall texts, captions, press releases and essays. To date Gemma has undertaken commissions for and with Nadav Kander, Dafna Talmor, Tom Lovelace, Tom McGahan, Nicholas J R White, Tom Brannigan, Natasha Caruana, Jo Dennis, Francesca Maffeo Gallery and Webber Represents among others. Gemma lives and works in Suffolk, UK.
The Women Who Changed Photography, Laurence King Publishing, August 2024.
This book tells the stories of 50 remarkable women photographers from all over the world and across history whose diligent efforts have had a profound effect on photography. Offering insights into their lives and techniques, the book invites readers to celebrate these trailblazers in their own photography. Order a copy here.
New photography of the Bird, Hoxton Mini Press, May 2022.
From wild parrots in the streets of Tokyo to prize pigeons outside New York, this book brings together the world’s best contemporary photography of birds and asks us to look anew at these mysterious winged creatures in all their complexity and majesty. 28 photographers feature in a collection that breathes new life into a timeless subject.
Into the Wild, Laurence King Publishing, September 2021.
An epic visual story of wildlife photography's pioneers and world firsts. From some of the very first pictures of wild lions and tigers on record and the first-ever underwater colour photograph, right up to the spectacular images from the wildest corners of the earth that modern-day technology allows, Into the Wild is an extraordinary collection of over 250 images and 150 years of our efforts to document the natural world.
Look At This If You Love Great Photography, Ivy Press, June 2021.
Featuring 100 of the best photographs ever created, Look At This If You Love Great Photography is a compelling and eclectic collection of images by some of the world’s best-known photographers and rising talents. From gut-punching photojournalism to images that blur the lines between art forms, this book offers a fresh, unexpected take on photography.
Think Like a Street Photographer by Matt Stuart, Laurence King Publishing, March 2021.
In a career spanning twenty years, Matt Stuart has taken some of the most accomplished, witty and well-known photographs of the streets. From understanding how to be invisible on a busy street, to anticipating a great image in the chaos of a crowd, Matt Stuart reveals the hard-won skills and secrets that have led to his greatest shots.
Joel Meyerowitz: How I Make Photographs, Laurence King Publishing, September 2020.
The first in a ‘Masters of Photography’ series of books where key photographers discuss how they take their amazing shots, Joel Meyerowitz: How I Make Photographs reveals everything you always wanted to know about the photographer’s approach to taking photographs. Through bite-sized lessons and ideas, Joel discusses his influences, ideas, and experiences.
From Above: The Story of Aerial Photography, Laurence King Publishing, October 2019.
Since the birth of photography, photographers have been taking images of the earth from the air – with spectacular visual results. Celebrating over 150 years of these incredible images, From Above tells the fascinating story of how these pictures were created and the photographers that have propelled image-taking to bold new heights.