Rory Doyle is a working photographer based in Cleveland, Mississippi in the rural Mississippi Delta. Born and raised in Maine, Doyle studied journalism at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. In 2009, he moved to Mississippi to pursue a master’s degree at Delta State University. Doyle has remained committed to photographing Mississippi and the South, with a particular focus on sharing positive stories in the Delta.
He was a 2018 Visual Artist Fellow through the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts. He won the 16th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest in 2019, the 2019 Southern Prize from the South Arts organization, the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award, and the 2019 ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography.
Doyle has exhibited in New York, London, Atlanta, Mississippi and beyond. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, ESPN, The Guardian, CNN and numerous outlets.
He was a 2018 Visual Artist Fellow through the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts. He won the 16th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest in 2019, the 2019 Southern Prize from the South Arts organization, the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award, and the 2019 ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography.
Doyle has exhibited in New York, London, Atlanta, Mississippi and beyond. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, ESPN, The Guardian, CNN and numerous outlets.
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PUBLICATIONS & CLIENTS
New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveler (China), Reuters, Newsweek, The Atlantic, NPR, CNN, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN The Undefeated, Washington Post, Smithsonian, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Agence France-Presse, People Magazine, Yahoo News, ABC News, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Lonely Planet, AARP, Esquire, Associated Press, Southern Living, Men’s Journal, The Bitter Southerner, CNN Style, In the Dark Podcast, National Parks Magazine, Photo District News, Feature Shoot, Forbes, British Journal of Photography, Sierra Magazine, Financial Times, Medium, Huck Magazine Lenscratch, Vox Media, The Marshall Project, Reebok Spartan Race, Teach for America, The Local Palate, The Sun, Daily Mail, Oxford American, JOIA Magazine, Food Network, MUSÉE, C41 Magazine, Canoe & Kayak Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Tiny Atlas Quarterly, Marriott, Penton Media, Roads & Kingdoms, Delta Sky Magazine, Mississippi Magazine, Delta Magazine, Delta State University, Fathom and more.
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AWARDS
2020 – National Geographic Society, COVID-19 grant
2020 – Yunghi Grant
2020 – PH Museum Photography Grant, shortlist
2020 – All About Photo Awards, finalist
2020 – Rural Performance Production Lab, Sipp Culture
2020 – BarTur Photo Award, finalist
2020 – Head On Photo Festival, Australia, finalist
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, finalist
2020 – International Photography Awards, 1st place, Traditions/Culture
2020 – LensCulture Exposure Awards, finalist, jurors' pick
2019 – Zeiss Photography Award
2019 – Southern Prize — South Arts
2019 – Smithsonian Photo Contest, Grand Prize Winner
2019 – Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography, New Orleans Photo Alliance
2019 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, finalist
2019 – ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, Social Documentary Network
2019 – GUP Editorial Award, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2019 – GUP Publication Award, 2019 Critical Mass
2019 – American Photography Open, Shortlist
2019 – Critical Mass Top 50, Photolucida
2019 – Ones To Watch, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
2019 – Taking Focus Grant
2019 – South Arts, State of Mississippi Fellowship for “Delta Hill Riders”
2019 – Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation, artist grant
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
2019 – MS Institute of Arts and Letters, photography category
2019 – New York Times Portfolio Review, New York City
2019 – Emerging Photographer, Fall 2019, PDN and Rangefinder Magazine
2019 – PDN's 30, nominee, Photo District News
2019 – International Photography Awards, Honorable Mention
2019 – Life Framer, "Urban Stories," Finalist
2019 – International Photography Grant, documentary finalist
2019 – Ones to Watch 2019, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
2019 – Photo Chronicles, portrait series, Finalist
2019 – Slow Exposures, Honorable Mention, Zebulon, GA
2018 – Photojournalist of the Year, 2018 Eye Em Photo Contest, Berlin, Germany
2018 – Finalist – Photographer of the Year, Eye Em Photo Contest, Berlin, Germany
2018 – National Press Photographer’s Association, first place, best online gallery, Washington Post
2018 – Mississippi Arts Commission, 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship grant
2018 – Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, finalist, Tel Aviv, Israel
2018 – Malta International Photo Award, second place, storytelling, Malta
2018 – Artist in Residence, Slow Exposures, Zebulon, GA
2018 – Creative Hub Competition, finalist, London, England
2018 – Slow Exposures, Honorable Mention, Zebulon, GA
2016 – Gold Medal, International Regional Magazine Assoc., “A Wild Shrimp Chase" for Mississippi Magazine
2013 – Mississippi Press Association, Second Place breaking news photo, Third place daily news photo
2012 – Mississippi Press Association, First Place breaking news photo, Third place daily news photo
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EXHIBITIONS
Solo:
2020 – "Delta Hill Riders," Arts Council of Lake Oswego, OR
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Hudgens Center for Arts and Learning, Duluth, GA
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," The Print Space, London, England
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland, MS
2018 – "Delta Hill Riders," Half King Photo Series, New York, NY
Group:
2020 – Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA
2020 – Photoville FENCE, multiple cities
2020 – Essential Images, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, CO
2020 – Verzasca FOTO, Sonogno, Switzerland
2020 – PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel
2020 – Arts Council of Lake Oswego, OR
2020 – Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, Dresden, Germany
2020 – LensCulture New York 2020, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2020 – National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Western Folklife Center, Elko, NV
2019 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, England
2019 – Somerset House, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards, London, England
2019 – Visa pour L'image, projection, Perpignan, France
2019 – Photoville, "Delta Hill Riders," Brooklyn, NY
2019 – OBSCURA Festival of Photography, George Town, Malaysia
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
2019 – HeadOn Photography Festival, Sydney, Australia
2019 – Center Forward, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
2019 – Malta Postal Museum, "Delta Hill Riders," Valletta, Malta
2019 – Ones to Watch 2019, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Atlanta, GA
2019 – South Arts, 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC
2019 – Bridge Gallery, Cambridge, MA
2019 – South Arts Exhibition, Columbus State University, Bo Bartlett Center, Columbus, GA
2019 – Meridian Museum of Art, “ Meridian, MS
2019 – Artfields, Lake City, SC
2019 – Life Framer, Edition V, Bermondsey Project Space, London, England
2019 – "Mississippi Invitational," Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
2018 – 2018 Eye Em Awards, Berlin, Germany
2018 – Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
2018 – Meitar Festival, Tel Aviv, Isreal
2018 – Tikhonova + Winter Gallery, Harlem, NY
2018 – Slow Exposures, Zebulon, Georgia
2017 – “Delta Immigration,” Bologna Performing Arts Center, Cleveland, MS
2017 – Edna Manley College of Visual and Preforming Arts, "Delta Immigration,” Kingston, Jamaica
2014 – National Arts Club, Mississippi Rising, New York, NY
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WORKSHOPS
2019-2021 – Anderson Ranch, Advanced Mentor Studies, Jim Estrin and Ed Kashi, Snowmass Village, CO
2019 – co-teacher, RAW Photo Tours, documentary photography workshop, Mississippi Delta
2018 – Slow Exposures Artist in Residency, Zebulon, GA
2015 – Barefoot Workshops, one-week intensive documentary workshop led by world-renowned photojournalist Ron Haviv.
2014 – Leadership Bolivar County, six-month group leadership seminar for young community leaders
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ARTIST LECTURE VENUES
2020 – The Raw Society, Long-form Storytelling, Zoom teleconference
2020 – National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Western Folklife Center, Elko, NV
2019 – Zeiss Full Exposure Podcast, artist episode feature
2019 – Social Documentary Network, Powerhouse Books Arena, Brooklyn, NY
2019 – Real Photo Show Podcast, School of Visual Arts, New York City
2019 – OBSCURA Festival of Photography, George Town, Malaysia
2019 – Documentary Matters, Digital Silver Imaging and Social Documentary Network, Cambridge, MA
2019 – University of South Carolina, School of Journalism and Mass Communications
2019 – Constant Wander Podcast, "Forgotten Mississippi Flood"
2019 – Mississippi State Arts Conference, Mississippi Arts Commission, State Capitol, Jackson, MS
2019 – Mississippi Arts Hour, "Mississippi Invitational," Mississippi Public Broadcasting
2019 – Delta State University, Quality Enhancement Program
2018 – Mississippi State Arts Conference, Mississippi Arts Commission, State Capitol, Jackson, MS
2018 – Bolivar County Historical Society, Delta State University
2016 – Mississippi Arts Hour, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Mississippi Arts Commission
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EDUCATION
Undergrad — St. Michael's College, (Colchester, VT), journalism
Semester Abroad — University of Auckland, (Auckland, New Zealand)
Graduate — Delta State University, (Cleveland, MS), education
PUBLICATIONS & CLIENTS
New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveler (China), Reuters, Newsweek, The Atlantic, NPR, CNN, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN The Undefeated, Washington Post, Smithsonian, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Agence France-Presse, People Magazine, Yahoo News, ABC News, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Lonely Planet, AARP, Esquire, Associated Press, Southern Living, Men’s Journal, The Bitter Southerner, CNN Style, In the Dark Podcast, National Parks Magazine, Photo District News, Feature Shoot, Forbes, British Journal of Photography, Sierra Magazine, Financial Times, Medium, Huck Magazine Lenscratch, Vox Media, The Marshall Project, Reebok Spartan Race, Teach for America, The Local Palate, The Sun, Daily Mail, Oxford American, JOIA Magazine, Food Network, MUSÉE, C41 Magazine, Canoe & Kayak Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Tiny Atlas Quarterly, Marriott, Penton Media, Roads & Kingdoms, Delta Sky Magazine, Mississippi Magazine, Delta Magazine, Delta State University, Fathom and more.
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AWARDS
2020 – National Geographic Society, COVID-19 grant
2020 – Yunghi Grant
2020 – PH Museum Photography Grant, shortlist
2020 – All About Photo Awards, finalist
2020 – Rural Performance Production Lab, Sipp Culture
2020 – BarTur Photo Award, finalist
2020 – Head On Photo Festival, Australia, finalist
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, finalist
2020 – International Photography Awards, 1st place, Traditions/Culture
2020 – LensCulture Exposure Awards, finalist, jurors' pick
2019 – Zeiss Photography Award
2019 – Southern Prize — South Arts
2019 – Smithsonian Photo Contest, Grand Prize Winner
2019 – Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography, New Orleans Photo Alliance
2019 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, finalist
2019 – ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, Social Documentary Network
2019 – GUP Editorial Award, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2019 – GUP Publication Award, 2019 Critical Mass
2019 – American Photography Open, Shortlist
2019 – Critical Mass Top 50, Photolucida
2019 – Ones To Watch, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
2019 – Taking Focus Grant
2019 – South Arts, State of Mississippi Fellowship for “Delta Hill Riders”
2019 – Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation, artist grant
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
2019 – MS Institute of Arts and Letters, photography category
2019 – New York Times Portfolio Review, New York City
2019 – Emerging Photographer, Fall 2019, PDN and Rangefinder Magazine
2019 – PDN's 30, nominee, Photo District News
2019 – International Photography Awards, Honorable Mention
2019 – Life Framer, "Urban Stories," Finalist
2019 – International Photography Grant, documentary finalist
2019 – Ones to Watch 2019, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
2019 – Photo Chronicles, portrait series, Finalist
2019 – Slow Exposures, Honorable Mention, Zebulon, GA
2018 – Photojournalist of the Year, 2018 Eye Em Photo Contest, Berlin, Germany
2018 – Finalist – Photographer of the Year, Eye Em Photo Contest, Berlin, Germany
2018 – National Press Photographer’s Association, first place, best online gallery, Washington Post
2018 – Mississippi Arts Commission, 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship grant
2018 – Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, finalist, Tel Aviv, Israel
2018 – Malta International Photo Award, second place, storytelling, Malta
2018 – Artist in Residence, Slow Exposures, Zebulon, GA
2018 – Creative Hub Competition, finalist, London, England
2018 – Slow Exposures, Honorable Mention, Zebulon, GA
2016 – Gold Medal, International Regional Magazine Assoc., “A Wild Shrimp Chase" for Mississippi Magazine
2013 – Mississippi Press Association, Second Place breaking news photo, Third place daily news photo
2012 – Mississippi Press Association, First Place breaking news photo, Third place daily news photo
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EXHIBITIONS
Solo:
2020 – "Delta Hill Riders," Arts Council of Lake Oswego, OR
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Hudgens Center for Arts and Learning, Duluth, GA
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," The Print Space, London, England
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland, MS
2018 – "Delta Hill Riders," Half King Photo Series, New York, NY
Group:
2020 – Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA
2020 – Photoville FENCE, multiple cities
2020 – Essential Images, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, CO
2020 – Verzasca FOTO, Sonogno, Switzerland
2020 – PHOTO IS:RAEL, Tel Aviv, Israel
2020 – Arts Council of Lake Oswego, OR
2020 – Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, Dresden, Germany
2020 – LensCulture New York 2020, Caelum Gallery, New York, NY
2020 – National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Western Folklife Center, Elko, NV
2019 – Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, England
2019 – Somerset House, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards, London, England
2019 – Visa pour L'image, projection, Perpignan, France
2019 – Photoville, "Delta Hill Riders," Brooklyn, NY
2019 – OBSCURA Festival of Photography, George Town, Malaysia
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
2019 – HeadOn Photography Festival, Sydney, Australia
2019 – Center Forward, Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, CO
2019 – Malta Postal Museum, "Delta Hill Riders," Valletta, Malta
2019 – Ones to Watch 2019, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Atlanta, GA
2019 – South Arts, 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC
2019 – Bridge Gallery, Cambridge, MA
2019 – South Arts Exhibition, Columbus State University, Bo Bartlett Center, Columbus, GA
2019 – Meridian Museum of Art, “ Meridian, MS
2019 – Artfields, Lake City, SC
2019 – Life Framer, Edition V, Bermondsey Project Space, London, England
2019 – "Mississippi Invitational," Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
2018 – 2018 Eye Em Awards, Berlin, Germany
2018 – Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
2018 – Meitar Festival, Tel Aviv, Isreal
2018 – Tikhonova + Winter Gallery, Harlem, NY
2018 – Slow Exposures, Zebulon, Georgia
2017 – “Delta Immigration,” Bologna Performing Arts Center, Cleveland, MS
2017 – Edna Manley College of Visual and Preforming Arts, "Delta Immigration,” Kingston, Jamaica
2014 – National Arts Club, Mississippi Rising, New York, NY
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WORKSHOPS
2019-2021 – Anderson Ranch, Advanced Mentor Studies, Jim Estrin and Ed Kashi, Snowmass Village, CO
2019 – co-teacher, RAW Photo Tours, documentary photography workshop, Mississippi Delta
2018 – Slow Exposures Artist in Residency, Zebulon, GA
2015 – Barefoot Workshops, one-week intensive documentary workshop led by world-renowned photojournalist Ron Haviv.
2014 – Leadership Bolivar County, six-month group leadership seminar for young community leaders
—
ARTIST LECTURE VENUES
2020 – The Raw Society, Long-form Storytelling, Zoom teleconference
2020 – National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Western Folklife Center, Elko, NV
2019 – Zeiss Full Exposure Podcast, artist episode feature
2019 – Social Documentary Network, Powerhouse Books Arena, Brooklyn, NY
2019 – Real Photo Show Podcast, School of Visual Arts, New York City
2019 – OBSCURA Festival of Photography, George Town, Malaysia
2019 – Documentary Matters, Digital Silver Imaging and Social Documentary Network, Cambridge, MA
2019 – University of South Carolina, School of Journalism and Mass Communications
2019 – Constant Wander Podcast, "Forgotten Mississippi Flood"
2019 – Mississippi State Arts Conference, Mississippi Arts Commission, State Capitol, Jackson, MS
2019 – Mississippi Arts Hour, "Mississippi Invitational," Mississippi Public Broadcasting
2019 – Delta State University, Quality Enhancement Program
2018 – Mississippi State Arts Conference, Mississippi Arts Commission, State Capitol, Jackson, MS
2018 – Bolivar County Historical Society, Delta State University
2016 – Mississippi Arts Hour, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and Mississippi Arts Commission
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EDUCATION
Undergrad — St. Michael's College, (Colchester, VT), journalism
Semester Abroad — University of Auckland, (Auckland, New Zealand)
Graduate — Delta State University, (Cleveland, MS), education