Misan Harriman (b. 15 December 1977, Calabar, Nigeria) is a Nigerian‑British photographer, filmmaker, entrepreneur, cultural commentator, and activist. Born into a prominent Nigerian family—his father, Chief Hope Harriman, was a noted politician and businessman—he was educated in England at Stubbington House School and Bradfield College before working in recruitment and finance in the City of London.
In 2016, Harriman founded What We Seee (later Culture3), a digital media agency spotlighting underrepresented creative voices. He began taking photographs in 2017.
His breakout came in summer 2020, when his powerful black‑and‑white photographs of London’s Black Lives Matter protests were widely shared and earned acclaim for their clarity and dignity. That same year, he became the first Black man to shoot a cover for British Vogue—the September 2020 issue featuring Adwoa Aboah, Marcus Rashford, and 18 activists—at the invitation of Edward Enninful.
Since then, Harriman has photographed major figures—Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (including their children), Rihanna, Tom Cruise, Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Giorgio Armani, and more—gracing publications such as Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, People, and The Telegraph. The Evening Standard dubbed him “the most talked‑about photographer of our times”.
In July 2021, he was appointed Chair of Trustees at London’s Southbank Centre, becoming the first BLM‑photographer in that role.
Harriman made his directorial debut with The After (2023), a Netflix UK short film starring David Oyelowo. Co‑written with John Julius Schwabach, it premiered at HollyShorts Festival (winning Best Live Action Short) and was nominated for the 2024 Academy Award for Best Live‑Action Short. Harriman has said the film—rooted in grief amid the pandemic and BLM era—is about healing and “wear[ing] our vulnerability with pride”
An outspoken advocate for diversity, mental health (especially dyslexia and neurodiversity), and social equity, Harriman continues to influence culture through art with purpose.