Laura Morton is a freelance documentary photographer based in San Francisco, California. Much of her personal work focuses on how cultural trends influence the human experience as well as issues of economics.
Born in Maryland, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a degree in Political Science and Journalism. She moved to San Francisco in 2006 and has been based there ever since.
Since 2014, she has been documenting the economic boom in the Silicon Valley technology industry and the culture that has sprung up around it with her on-going project “Wild West Tech,” which was initially financed with support from the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund grant.
Other projects exploring the intersection of economic issues and culture include “The Social Stage” on San Francisco’s high society lifestyle, “University Avenue,” which was awarded the 2018 Canon Female Photojournalist Award, and an on-going project on San Francisco’s principal tourist destination, Fisherman’s Wharf, which was funded with the National Geographic Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists.
From that work, Laura has developed a keen interest in documenting the cultures and customs of her own country, especially rural America, using her family’s home in Pennsylvania as a base. She has driven herself across the United States seven times and has been to every state but Alaska – a corner of America she hopes to visit soon.
Laura has worked with publications such as National Geographic Magazine, German GEO, Marie Claire, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, 6 Mois, Newsweek Japan and many others.
She is available for assignments in the San Francisco Bay Area and around country and the world. She can be reached by phone at 919-360-0491 and email at laurakmorton@gmail.com
AWARDS/HONORS
2021, Best of Photojournalism, Feature Story Honorable Mention
2020, National Geographic Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists
2018, Canon Female Photojournalist Award
2016, Freelens Award, Honorable Mention
2016, Center Project Launch, Juror’s Choice Award
2014, Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund Grant
2013, Magenta Foundation, Flash Forward, Winner
2013, Hearst 8 X 10 Photography Biennial, Winner
2012, PDN Photo Annual, Photojournalism/Documentary/Sports Category, Winner
2012, Look3 Festival of the Photograph, Scholarship Masterclass with Bruce Gilden
2007, Eddie Adams Workshop XX, Los Angeles Times Award
EXHIBITIONS/SCREENINGS
2019, Exhibition “Silicon Valley Grows Up,” Photoville, Brooklyn, New York
2019, Exhibition “University Avenue,” Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan, France
2018, Exhibition “The Social Stage,” Umbria World Fest, Foligno, Italy
2017, Exhibition “Wild West Tech,” FotoFestival Naarden, Naarden, Netherlands
2016, Exhibition “Wild West Tech,” LUMIX Festival for Young Photojournalism, Hannover, Germany
2016, Exhibition “Wild West Tech,” Catchlight “Status Update” at SOMArts, San Francisco, California
2016, Screening, “Wild West Tech,” Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan, France
2016, Screening, “Wild West Tech,” Look3 Festival of the Photograph, Charlottesville, Virginia
2013, Exhibition “The Social Stage,” The Half King Documentary Photography Series, New York, New York
2013, Exhibition “The Social Stage,” Magenta Flash Forward, Toronto, Canada and Boston, Massachusetts
2013, Exhibition “The Social Stage,” Hearst 8 x 10 Photography Biennial, New York, New York