Brian Hodges

Brian Hodges was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1962. He earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Colorado and an M.S. in Telecommunications Engineering from the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommuniations in Paris, France.

School children in uniform play football at lunch break in northern Uganda

After completing his master’s degree, Hodges started practising photography alongside his engineering career. This dual practice shaped his work method and artistic vision.

An internationally recognised photographer specialising in portraits and documentary photojournalism, Hodges’s portfolio spans the four corners of the globe; he has travelled to more than 60 countries, creating award-winning images. Being both multilingual and multicultural, he brings a unique view of cultural production and the artist’s role in society – views informed by his global experiences.

His photographs have been published in national and international books and magazines, including Geo Magazine, National Geographic Traveller, Vogue, Elle Magazine, Marie Claire, Huffington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, and Wallpaper Magazine among others. His images from Mongolia, Indonesia, and Mexico have been included in the book series Gypset (Assouline Publishing, 2012 – 2014). His work has also been featured in exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad.

In 2018, Hodges was selected as a featured artist in Australia’s largest photography event, the Head On Photo Festival. Throughout the festival, his portrait work from Papua New Guinea was featured in a large-scale street installation with an estimated audience of 70,000 daily viewers.

Diptych 2 – Soccer balls made from up-cycled rubbish are found throughout rural Uganda. Made entirely of recuperated materials, the balls give another life to something that would otherwise be thrown away – rag or sock, tire or bark, plastic bag or banana leaves. Each is a unique work of art.

Based out of Australia, Hodges is active internationally as a documentary photographer, photo educator, and philanthropist. Working with the NGO Photographers Without Borders, he completed pro bono projects to benefit environmental organisations in Indonesia (2014) and Mongolia (2018). He returned to those countries to teach documentary photography workshops to prepare foreigners wishing to work abroad in the non-profit sector.

Keenly interested in the power of documentary photography to effect social change, he has worked since 2015 on an ongoing social-awareness campaign focused on post-conflict recovery in Northern Uganda. His published images from this project have received positive critical acclaim and have been instrumental in helping aid organisations raise funds to support their projects in this region.

Hodges has received the PDN / National Geographic Traveler photography award and was recognised as one of the top ten documentary photographers in the 2018 Australian Photography Awards. He has also received multiple International Photography Awards (IPA) from the Lucie Foundation including 1st place in “People Photographer of The Year” 2021.

Books, Films and ExhibitionsBOOKS:
2015 Gypset Travel. Assouline Publishing. Contributing photographer
2009 Gypset Style. Assouline Publishing. Contributing photographer
2008 Food Festivals of Italy, Gibbs Smith Publishing. Contributing photographer
2007 Trattoria Grappolo: Simple recipes for Traditional Italian Cuisine. Gibbs Smith Publishing. Contributing photographer

EXHIBITIONS:
2021 Galerie Olivier Bijon / Solo show / Arles, France
2020 Photo IS:RAEL
2020 Photoville Fence / USA
2020 Head On Photo Festival / Featured artist / Sydney Australia
2018 Head On Photo Festival / Featured artist / Sydney, Australia
2018 Bright Photography Festival / Guest speaker / Australia