Robert Yager is a British born

freelance photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. Studying photography in the US, Yager decided to start documenting Los Angeles street

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

s in 1991. From there, Yager has been a contributing photographer to a host of magazines.

Biography

Robert Yager grew up in London, England and is a

-based photographer. With an interest in anthropology, particularly street and

counter-culture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

and having studied Latin American Studies in the UK and Mexico, as well as photography in the US, Yager decided to delve into the world of Latino street gangs in Los Angeles. It was 1991 and he has been documenting the lives of gang members ever since. For two decades Yager has been a contributing photographer, doing covers and features, of portraits and reportage, for a host of magazines. Among them: ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' (UK), ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', '' The Guardian Weekend'', ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'', '' Fortune'', ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', '' Esquire'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' and ''

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''. Among the accolades he has received, Yager was awarded a fellowship from the Aaron Siskind Foundation at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in New York. Yager published a book of photographs with great Circle Books, titled 'a.k.a. BooBoo', which covers a 14-year time span in the life of Cindy Martinez, a female gang member. An exhibition of this work led to becoming David Lee Roth's personal photographer, documenting his return to touring the USA & Canada in

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

, during 2007, 2008, and again in 2012.

Awards and achievements

*2019 �
Tokyo International Foto Awards Advertising winner
*2019 �
International Photography Awards Advertising/Fashion
*2019 �
PDN Photo Annual 2019 Advertising/Corporate Work winner
*2012 – Finalist for the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography *2008 – PDN Music Photography Award: 2nd place – David Lee Roth & Eddie Van Halen *2008 �
International Photography Award: 3rd place- People/Lifestyle – David Lee Roth
*2005 �
International Photography Awards: 1st place – Editorial/Photo Essay – Playboys Gang Life
*2004 – AOP Zeitgeist Award for editorial photography *1998 – 'Award of Excellence' Communication Arts *1996 �

School of Visual Arts, NY. *1994/95 – 'Southern California Journalism Award', Los Angeles Press Club -'Best Photo Essay' in a weekly newspaper. *1994 – Finalist for the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography

Exhibitions

*2020: "Foremost” Photography World’s Emerging Stars Exhibition – Hotel Collective, Okinawa, Japan, 16-30 January 2020. *2019-20: “Best of Show” International Photography Awards *2019: “On The Block – Images From The Street” – House of Lucie, Los Angeles October-November 2019. *2019: “We Rise” – Los Angeles. 18-27 May 2019. *2018-19: “Ink” – Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, California 25 August 2018 – 3 February 2019 *2018: “We Rise” – Los Angeles. 18-28 May, 2018. *2018: “How To Read El Pato Pascual” – MAK Center, West Hollywood. September 2017- January 2018. *2014: “Postcards From The Edge” – Groundworks, Downtown Los Angeles. November 2013-January 2014. *2012: "Mariposa Nocturnal" – Smoking Mirrors, Pomona, California. August–September *2011: "Land of the Lost Angels" – Canal Club, Venice, California. April *2011: "Valley of the Dolls" – L.A. Design Center, Los Angeles, California. February *2010: "Tonanzin" – Smoking Mirrors, Pomona, California. December *2010: "Callajeros" – Smoking Mirrors, Pomona, California. February *2009: "Document" – Paul Bright Gallery, Toronto, Canada. May *2007: "a.k.a BooBoo" – A&I Photo Lab, Los Angeles, California. June–August Solo Show *2006: "Gang Life" – Jennie Ricketts Gallery, Brighton, England. September Solo Show *2006: "Vice Show" – Silverstein Gallery, New York City, New York. July *2005: Create:Fixate "Deluxe" – HD Buttercup, Los Angeles, California. May *2005: "Park Your Art" (curated by Ethan Cohen) – Art LA, Santa Monica, California, January *2004: Create:Fixate "The Photography Show" – Spring Arts Tower, Los Angeles, California, July *1999: "Remembrance: The Eternal Present" - Houston Center for Photography, Houston, Texas. March–May *1997: Visa Pour L’Image festival of photojournalism – Perpignan, France. September *1997: "The Cross in a Contemporary World" – Sag Harbor Picture Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York. March–May *1996–1997: "Wedding Days: Images of Matrimony in Photography" – Japan. May–March *1995: "P.L.A.N. (Photography in Los Angeles Now)" – Unity Arts Center and Spring Street Galleries, Los Angeles, California. July–September *1995: "Pulp Fact" – The Photographers’ Gallery, London, England. May–June *1995: "Artists For Chiapas" – Julie Rico Gallery, Santa Monica, California. May *1994: "Current Works" – Leedy Voulkos Art Center Gallery, Kansas City, Kansas. September–October *1993: "Wings of Change" - The Directors’ Guild of America, Los Angeles, California. November–December

References

Playboys
By Yager, Robert (29 September 2011) ''Glasschord''
Ex-L.A. Gang Member Trades Streets For Family Life(Photos By Robert Yager)
By Del Barco, Mandalit (6 September 2011) NPR
Gang Life by Robert Yager
By DANILO (10 April 2011) ''Koikoikoi''
Photo Loco
By Dunstan, Natasha (Tash) (2011) ''Hell Yeah Magazine'' (Pages 34–43)
Capturing LA Gang Culture
(October 2010) ''Digital Camera Magazine'' (Pages 30–33)
ROBERT YAGER GANG: Las pandillas de LA desde sus propias entrañas
(14 July 2010) '' Joia Magazine''
Le gangs di Robert Yager
By Grassi, Dimitri (9 November 2009) ''Ziguline'' *Robert Yager By McEvers, Kelly (2 January 2003) ''The Alternative Pick'' *La Vida Loca By Dean Brierly (December 1994) ''Camera & Darkroom'' (22–33)

External links

"Robert Yager Photography" (Official Website)"Robert Yager Photography" (Facebook)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yager, Robert Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century British photographers 20th-century American photographers 21st-century British photographers 21st-century American photographers Photographers from London Photographers from Los Angeles British expatriates in the United States