Zak Waters is an award-winning editorial photographer, whose newspaper clients include The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

, The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

, The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...

 and Le Point

Le Point

Le Point is a French weekly news magazine. It was founded in 1972 by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of L'Express, which was then owned by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a député of the Parti Radical...

.

He was born in London but was brought up in the North East (Washington, then later Gateshead, Sunderland) from the age of three months. His early interests included music and radio: Waters was a regular contributor to the Sunderland Star, in what his website claims was "reputed to be the most successful column in free press history in the early 1990s". The column was called Disappearing Wear and gave depictions of local history through words and photographs.

After studying Film at the University of Northumbria, Waters moved to London where he took on jobs as assistant to Magnum

Magnum Photos

Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...

 photographers Ian Berry, Peter Marlow

Peter Marlow

Peter Marlow is a British racewalker who competed at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, finishing 17th in the 20 km walk....

, Stuart Franklin

Stuart Franklin

Stuart Franklin is a photographer, a member of Magnum Photos, and a former President of Magnum Photos . He was born at Guys Hospital, London.-Education:...

, Philip Jones Griffiths

Philip Jones Griffiths

Philip Jones Griffiths was a Welsh photojournalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam war.- Biography :...

 and Bert Glinn. After working with photo agency Insight Visual (London), Waters went on to work as a stringer

Stringer (journalism)

In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....

 in the UK for Agence VU (Paris), Agence REA (Paris), Springer News (Berlin). In addition to his freelance work, he now strings for Black Star

Black Star (photo agency)

Black Star is a New York City-based photographic agency that offers photojournalism, corporate assignment photography and stock photography services worldwide....

.

Work

Although Waters is best known for his editorial work, his portraiture is critically acclaimed and he has received numerous commendations in this field.

Birdmen

Waters' interest in the working-class North East and its dying industries and traditions led him to shoot his highly acclaimed Birdmen series which tells the stories of pigeon fanciers from the area. The photographs are shot in black and white and are in a reportage style.

Awards

Year	Award	Position
2010	London Photographic Awards: Portraiture	Bronze
2009	London Photographic Awards: Portraiture	Bronze
2009	Terry O'Neill Award Terry O'Neill (photographer) Terry O'Neill is an English photographer, who achieved his greatest success documenting the fashion style, and celebrities of the 1960s. He attracted attention for photographing his subjects in unconventional or candid settings....	Shortlisted
2009	ePhotozine Black and White Photography Award	Shortlisted
2008	Black and White Spider Awards	Shortlisted
2007	Terry O'Neill Award	Shortlisted
2007	Royal Photographic Society Award	Won
2007	Terrence Donavon Award	Won
2007	National Geographic National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical... All Roads Award	Nominated
2007	London Photographic Awards: Portraiture	Highly Recommended
2006	Black and White Photography Magazine	Photographer of the Year
2006	National Geographic All Roads Award	Nominated
2005	National Geographic All Roads Award	Nominated
1995	The British Airways Award for Youth Achievement	Shortlisted
1994	BP Oil Young European Artist	Won (UK)