Architectural
- Julius Shulman (October 10, 1910–July 15, 2009)
Commercial
- Ernest Mitchell Pratt (1876–1945)
- Adelbert Bartlett (1887–1966)
- Willard D. Morgan (May 30, 1900–September 18, 1967)
- Robert C. Cleveland (April 4, 1918–December 12, 1991)
- "Dick" Whittington
- Otto Rothschild (1930–1981)
Documentary
- William Reagh (1911–1992)
- Max Yavno (1911–1985)
- Dennis Hopper (1936–2010)
- Gusmano Cesaretti (July 24, 1944–)
- Oscar Castillo (1945–)
- Joseph Rodríguez (1951–)
- Lauren Greenfield (1966–)
Fashion
- Herbert "Herb" Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952–December 26, 2002)
Fine Art
- Barbara Brooks Morgan (July 8, 1900–August 17, 1992)
- Barbara Kasten (1936–)
- Ed Ruscha (December 16, 1937–)
- Leland Rice (April 9, 1940–)
- Judy Dater (1941–)
- Ron Cooper (July 24, 1943–)
- Patrick Nagatani (1945–2017)
- Larry Sultan (July 13, 1946–December 13, 2009)
- Anthony Hernandez (July 7, 1947–)
- Jerry Burchfield (1947–2009)
- Jay Mark Johnson (1955–)
- Alex Praeger (1979–)
- Robert Cumming
- Freyda Miller
- Jeff Burton
Glamour
- Peter Gowland (April 3, 1916–March 17, 2010)
Hollywood
- Edwin Bower Hesser (1893–1962)
- Clarence Sinclair Bull (1896–1979)
- George Hurrell (1904–1992)
- Nick Smirnoff (1944–)
Landscape
- Joseph Maurice "Joe" Deal (August 12, 1947–June 18, 2010)
- Robert Adams (May 8, 1937–)
Photojournalism
- Ernest E. Reshovsky (1921–1975)
- Walter E. Bennett (August 16, 1921–April 29, 1995)
Pictorialists
- William Mortensen (January 27, 1897–August 12, 1965) Opened the William Mortensen School of Photography in Laguna Beach.
- Louis Fleckenstein (1866–1943). Founded the Camera Pictorialists of Los Angeles in 1914.
Portrait
Professors
Photographers (generally fine art and commercial) who have taught at various institutions of higher learning in Southern California.
UCLA
- Catherine Opie (1961–) Professor of photography since 2001.
- James Welling (1951–) Emeritus professor of photography. Taught in the art department from 1995-2016.
- Robert Fichter (1939–) Began teaching in 1968 or '69.
- Robert Heinecken (1931–2006) Founded the photography program in 1963. Among his students were the following artists who also became professors: Jo Ann Callis, Eileen Cowin, Darryl Curran, Uta Barth, John Divola, and Patrick Nagatani.
- Todd Walker (1917–1998) Taught at UCLA Extension, Art Center, and Cal State Northridge.
Art Center College of Design
- Paul Jasmin (1935–) Long-time photography professor at Art Center.
- George Hoyningen-Huene (1900–1968) Began teaching at Art Center in 1945.
- Will Connell (1898–1961) Taught here from 1931 to 1961.
Brooks Institute
- Ernst H. Brooks Sr. Co-founded the Brooks Institute.
- Ernst H. Brooks Jr. Succeeded his father in 1970.
California Institute of the Arts
- Jo Ann Callis (1940–) A former student of Robert Heinecken, Callis began teaching here in 1975.
- Sharon Lockhart (1964–) A professor at the University of Southern California’s Roski School of Fine Arts until 2015, Lockhart now teaches at CalArts.
UC Riverside
- John Divola (1949–) Has been a professor in the Department of Art since 1988.
- Uta Barth (1958–) Currently professor emeritus, Barth taught from 1990 to 2008.
Pomona College
- Sheila Pinkel (1941–) Curated the exhibition Multicultural Focus. Began teaching at Pomona in 1986.
Cal State LA
- Jack Butler (April 16, 1947–) Has taught in the Department of Art since 1988.
CSU Fullerton
- Eileen Cowin (1947–) Was a professor here for many years until her retirement in 2008.
- Darryl J. Curran (1935–) Another former student of Robert Heinecken, Curran became a professor of art in 1967.
Punk Rock
- Ann Summa
- Gary Leonard (1951–)
Street Photography
- Deanna Templeton (1969–)
- Douglas McCulloh (1959–)
- Bruce Davidson (September 5, 1933–)
Urban Landscape
- John Humble (1944–)
- Robert Landau
- Lloyd Ziff (1947–)
- Bruce Davidson (September 5, 1933–)