Luke Gilford is a writer, director and photographer from Evergreen, Colorado and currently based in Los Angeles and New York City. Gilford's photography and films have been exhibited around the world; including MoMA in New York and FOAM in Amsterdam. Over the past decade, Gilford's work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, showcasing his distinct visual language characterized by a strong sense of intimacy with his subjects.

In 2020, Gilford published his first photography monograph, National Anthem, with Damiani Books. The book comprises 100 photographs taken over four years of documenting America's queer rodeo subculture. The work was met with critical acclaim, traveling to museums and galleries internationally. Vanity Fair praised National Anthem as being “rich with Gilford's tenderness for his subjects while imploring us to rethink the hegemony of the American cowboy."

Following the success of the book, Gilford wrote and directed a feature film adaptation of National Anthem, premiering at Toronto International Film Festival and South by Southwest in 2023. Roger Ebert hailed the film as "a blend of awe and grace... It's Gilford's work with performers and characters that announces a major talent." With 162,000 followers on Instagram, Luke has a clear impact on culture.