Gage Skidmore
Gage Skidmore | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 16, 1993 Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | www |
Gage Skidmore (born May 16, 1993) is an American photographer and Creative Commons contributor. He is known for photographing American public figures, most commonly politicians and celebrities. His work has been used by publications including The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic, the Associated Press, and NPR.
Early life
Skidmore was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on May 16, 1993.[1] He attended high school there and later moved to Arizona, where he graduated from Glendale Community College and Arizona State University.[2][3] As of 2025, he continues to reside in Phoenix.[4]
Photography career
Skidmore began taking photographs in March 2009, with his first event being the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.[5] Later that year, he documented the 2010 U.S. Senate campaign of Rand Paul, due to his support for Rand Paul's father Ron Paul during his 2008 bid for president.[6][7] He provided the photographs publicly on his Flickr account under a Creative Commons license.[6] During Ron Paul's 2012 presidential bid, Skidmore took a gap year to photograph Paul and several other prominent politicians campaigning for President leading up the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.[5][7]
Skidmore is one of the most widely published political photographers in the United States.[8] During the 2016 presidential election, his photographs were used by The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and NPR, among others, as well as on the official website of presidential candidate Donald Trump.[2][8][4] Skidmore has attended the annual San Diego Comic-Con where he has taken photographs of celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise, Samuel L. Jackson, Angelina Jolie, and Bruce Willis.[2]
It was estimated in 2012 that his photographs had been reposted over 1 million times.[7] A Priceonomics study showed that as of 2016, he had posted nearly 40,000 photographs to Flickr since 2010 with his Flickr account being linked to over 30 million times.[2] He has since posted over 130,000 photographs from political events, pop culture conventions and travel photography.[9] Vice News described Skidmore as "one of the most prolific Creative Commons photographers out there" with photographs used by every major outlet.[10] In addition to his Creative Commons work, Skidmore has been commissioned as a photographer by National School Choice Week, Western Journalism, the Conservative Review, and Reason magazine.[5]
Selected works
See also
References
- ^ Ellefson, Lindsay (May 16, 2016). "INTERVIEW: Here's the Photographer Whose Lens You've Seen the Election Through". Mediaite. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
We wanted to know more, so we reached out to Skidmore, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday today.
- ^ a b c d Crockett, Zachary (January 22, 2016). "How a College Student Used Creative Commons to Dominate Political Photography". Priceonomics. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ "Gage Skidmore - iSearch". Arizona State University. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ a b "About". Gage Skidmore - Phoenix, Arizona-based Political, Portrait, Event, Conference Photographer. May 9, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
Gage Skidmore began as a photographer in 2009, and has since captured hundreds of events, including political rallies, conferences, conventions, special events, fundraisers and portrait sessions... In addition, Skidmore's work has appeared in countless publications, in print, television and online, and include, among others, Associated Press,... National Public Radio,... The Atlantic,... The Washington Post,..., and many more… Gage Skidmore – Phoenix, Arizona-based Political, Portrait, Event, Conference Photographer
- ^ a b c Zhang, Michael (January 26, 2016). "This 22-Year-Old is Shaking Up Political Photography with Creative Commons Images". PetaPixel. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Steuer, Eric; Halperin, Jennie Rose; Vézina, Brigitte; Harris, Dee (June 17, 2016). "Spotlight on Gage Skidmore, political photographer". Creative Commons. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Dan (September 11, 2012). "How a 19-year-old student became one of the hottest political photographers in the country". Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Zach Montellaro (August 31, 2015). "The Most Prolific Political Photographer You've Never Heard Of". National Journal.
Chances are, you've seen one of his photos, but haven't heard the name of one of the most widely published political photographers in America. Gage Skidmore's work has appeared in major publications like The Washington Post, The New Republic, our sister publication The Atlantic and yes, National Journal to small one-man blogs across the web. Even Donald Trump's official campaign website uses Skidmore's photographs.
- ^ "Gage Skidmore Flickr". Flickr. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ^ Koebler, Jason (February 23, 2018). "Bloggers, Rejoice: Gage Skidmore Is at CPAC". Vice News. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
He's one of the most prolific Creative Commons photographers out there, meaning his photos have illustrated thousands of news stories and blogs in every major publication, including this one.