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 in education, and he quickly fell in love with the region.
Doyle has remained committed to photographing the Delta, with a particular focus on sharing stories of overlooked subcultures. He was a 2018 Mississippi Visual Artist Fellow through the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for his ongoing project about African American cowboys and cowgirls, "Delta Hill Riders."
He won the 16th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest in 2019, the 2019 Southern Prize from the South Arts organization, the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award, the 2019 ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, and the 2019 Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography from the New Orleans Photo Alliance.
Doyle has had solo exhibitions in New York City, London, Atlanta and Mississippi. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Guardian, CNN and many more outlets.
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 in education, and he quickly fell in love with the region.
Doyle has remained committed to photographing the Delta, with a particular focus on sharing stories of overlooked subcultures. He was a 2018 Mississippi Visual Artist Fellow through the Mississippi Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for his ongoing project about African American cowboys and cowgirls, "Delta Hill Riders."
He won the 16th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest in 2019, the 2019 Southern Prize from the South Arts organization, the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award, the 2019 ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography, and the 2019 Michael P. Smith Award for Documentary Photography from the New Orleans Photo Alliance.
Doyle has had solo exhibitions in New York City, London, Atlanta and Mississippi. His work has been published in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Guardian, CNN and many more outlets.
CV
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PUBLICATIONS & CLIENTS
AWARDS
2020 – PH Museum Photography Grant, shortlist
2020 – All About Photo Awards, finalist
2020 – Head On Photo Festival, Australia, finalist
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, finalist
2020 – LensCulture Exposure Awards, finalist, jurors' pick
2019 – Zeiss Photography Award, Grand Prize Winner
2019 – Southern Prize (grand prize) South Arts for “Delta Hill Riders”
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
EXHIBITIONS
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
2018 – Meitar Festival, "Delta Hill Riders," Tel Aviv, Isreal
2018 – “Delta Hill Riders,” Tikhonova + Winter Gallery, Harlem, NY
2018 – Slow Exposures, Zebulon, Georgia
2017 – “Delta Immigration,” Bologna Performing Arts Center, Cleveland, MS
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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
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
2018 – Mississippi State Arts Conference, Mississippi Arts Commission, State Capitol, Jackson, MS
2018 – Bolivar County Historical Society, Delta State University
EDUCATION
Undergrad — St. Michael's College, (Colchester, VT), journalism
Semester Abroad — University of Auckland, (Auckland, New Zealand)
Graduate — Delta State University, (Cleveland, MS), education
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PUBLICATIONS & CLIENTS
- New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic Traveler (China), Newsweek, The Atlantic, NPR, CNN, ESPN, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN The Undefeated, Washington Post, Smithsonian, Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, Bloomberg, Getty Images, 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, National Parks Magazine, Photo District News, Feature Shoot, Aint-Bad, 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.
AWARDS
2020 – PH Museum Photography Grant, shortlist
2020 – All About Photo Awards, finalist
2020 – Head On Photo Festival, Australia, finalist
2020 – Hellerau Photography Award, finalist
2020 – LensCulture Exposure Awards, finalist, jurors' pick
2019 – Zeiss Photography Award, Grand Prize Winner
2019 – Southern Prize (grand prize) South Arts for “Delta Hill Riders”
- 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 for "Delta Hill Riders"
- 2019 – GUP Publication Award, 2019 Critical Mass for "Delta Hill Riders"
2019 – American Photography Open, Shortlist - 2019 – Critical Mass Top 50, Photolucida
2019 – Ones To Watch, Atlanta Celebrates Photography
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 for “Delta Hill Riders”
- 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, "Delta Hill Riders," 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, “Delta Hill Riders,” Washington Post
- 2018 – Mississippi Arts Commission, 2018 Visual Artist Fellowship grant
- 2018 – Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, finalist, “Delta Hill Riders,” Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2018 – Malta International Photo Award, second place, storytelling, “Delta Hill Riders,” 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" photo essay in 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
EXHIBITIONS
- Solo:
- 2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," The Print Space, London, England
- 2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Hudgens Center for Arts and Learning, Duluth, GA
2019 – "Delta Hill Riders," Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland, MS
2018 – "Delta Hill Riders," Half King Photo Series, New York, NY - Group:
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,"Delta Hill Riders" projection, Perpignan, France
2019 – Photoville, "Delta Hill Riders," Brooklyn, NY
2019 – Prix de la Photographie, "State of the World," Paris, France
- 2019 – HeadOn Photography Festival, "Delta Hill Riders," 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, "Delta Hill Riders," 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC
2019 – Bridge Gallery, "Delta Hill Riders," Cambridge, MA
2019 – South Arts Exhibition, "Delta Hill Riders," Columbus State University, Bo Bartlett Center, Columbus, GA
2019 – Meridian Museum of Art, “Delta Hill Riders,” Meridian, MS
2019 – Artfields, “Delta Hill Riders,” 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, "Delta Hill Riders," Berlin, Germany
2018 – Meitar Festival, "Delta Hill Riders," Tel Aviv, Isreal
2018 – “Delta Hill Riders,” 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
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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 – 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
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
EDUCATION
Undergrad — St. Michael's College, (Colchester, VT), journalism
Semester Abroad — University of Auckland, (Auckland, New Zealand)
Graduate — Delta State University, (Cleveland, MS), education