Roger Erickson (photographer)

Roger Erickson (born December 7, 1964, in Washington, D.C.) is an American filmmaker and photographer. He is the first African American to photograph a cover of Vogue magazine featuring Paulina Rubio on the March 2003 cover of Vogue En Español (Vogue in Spanish) and Lily Aldridge on the August 2003 cover of Vogue México y Latinoamérica.

History
Roger Erickson was raised in Oakland, California, where he began his tutelage in fine art photography while studying psychology at San Francisco State University.

Career
In November 1990, his first assignment, commissioned for Select Magazine, were photographs of Motörhead, Neil Young and Crazy Horse (written by David Cavanagh, November 1990). In 1991, he relocated to London, where he began his career photographing musicians. In 2003 he became the first African American to photograph a cover of Vogue magazine featuring Paulina Rubio on the March 2003 cover of Vogue En Español (Vogue in Spanish) and Lily Aldridge on the August cover of Vogue México y Latinoamérica. In 2017, Roger Erickson photographed his third portfolio issue of Out100 for Out Magazine. His images have been published in Vogue México y Latinoamérica, Harper's Bazaar (UK), ELLE (France), GQ (US), Entertainment Weekly, Out Magazine, Q Magazine, ESPN Magazine, The Source Magazine, Ebony Magazine, and The Advocate.

Over the course of his career, Roger Erickson has photographed many celebrities, musicians and athletes. Among them are Mark Wahlberg, Chris Evans, Eminem, Taraji P. Henson, Juliette Lewis, Jared Leto, Regina King, Billy Bob Thornton, Samuel Jackson, Gillian Anderson, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Neil Young, Wanda Sykes, Keke Palmer Usher, Chaka Khan, Ozzy Osbourne, Shaun White, Chris Paul, Zang Ziyi, 50 Cent, Ray Liotta, Ian McShane, Edward Albee, Ja Rule, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Greg Louganis, Billie Jean King, Sugar Ray Leonard, Georges St. Pierre, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, J Dilla, Lil' Kim, Joan Jett, Ice Cube, Lena Waithe, Eve (rapper), Outkast and LL Cool J.

Exhibitions
In 2014, Meg Shiffler, Gallery Director of the San Francisco Arts Commission and Galleries, acquired Roger Erickson's photographic series entitled "Outspoken: Portraits of LGBTQ Luminaries" for a four-month solo exhibition in the restored Beaux-Arts architecture San Francisco City Hall Building from June 9 to October 16, 2015. The exhibition coincided with the U.S. Supreme Court decision on the legalization of same sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges).

“Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality” (contributor), Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, Virginia., June 22, 2019– March 29, 2020

Books

 * Hip Hop Immortals (contributor) : (2002) Sock Bandit Publishing
 * Hip Hop Immortals-The Remix (contributor): (2003) Sock Bandit Publishing
 * More Body and Soul (contributor): (2005) Rizzoli International Publications
 * Indochine (contributor): (2009) Rizzoli International Publications
 *  Hip Hop: A Cultural Odyssey (contributor): (2011) Aria Multimedia Entertainment
 * GOWEST! (profile and Interview): (2011) Daab Publishing
 * Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label (contributor): (2011) Rizzoli International Publications
 * Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap