Mark Steinmetz (b. 1961) is an American photographer renowned for his evocative black-and-white images that capture the quiet poetry of everyday life. He has spent decades documenting the subtle rhythms of American existence, particularly in the South, through a lens that emphasizes intimacy, atmosphere, and human connection.

Steinmetz studied photography at Yale University, where he earned his MFA in 1986. During the early 1980s, he spent a formative year working alongside legendary street photographer Garry Winogrand in Los Angeles, an experience that deeply influenced his observational and improvisational approach to image-making. Since the mid-1980s, he has consistently worked with medium-format black-and-white film, developing and printing his work in his own darkroom that underscores his commitment to craft and tradition.

His work often focuses on ordinary people in everyday settings: children at summer camps, travelers in airports, or passersby on city streets that capturing fleeting moments that reveal deeper emotional truths. Notable series include South East, Greater Atlanta, Summer Camp, and ATL, the latter of which was commissioned by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta as part of their Picturing the South series.

Steinmetz’s photographs have been exhibited at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among others.

In addition to his photographic practice, Steinmetz has taught at institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Sarah Lawrence College, and Emory University. He currently resides in Athens, Georgia with his wife photographer Irina Rozovsky and their daughter. Together, they run The Humid, a photography workshop space that fosters creative dialogue and mentorship.