This Photography Series Celebrates A Diverse, Modern Great Britain
Portrait of Britain is a nationwide photography exhibition that creatively depicts the true face of Great Britain. We?re excited about this because it is one of the fastest growing ethnic melting pots in the world, with more than 60 nationalities represented.
The exhibition is hosted by the British Journal of Photography, and out of an estimated 4,000 entries, select portraits that capture the Britain?s diversity are featured.
The portraits are meant to ‘meet you’ as you go about your day. If you are ever in-country, check out the displays at railway stations, shopping centers, bus stops and outdoor street screens from September 1 ? 31st 2016. Check out the gallery for more portraits.
[Author commentary]?Jamie McGregor Smith: ?A portrait I took of my partner shortly after we finished renovating our flat together. It took a while to get the light right, but eventually I realised I could open the front door, allowing the soft light to spill in from the left. Although this option was not Anna?s favourite, I enjoyed the slightly awkward stiffness that gives the character poise and authority.?
[Author commentary]?Tereza ?erve?ov?: ?I first saw Izzy on a friend?s photograph and I was instantly intrigued by this girl with dark curly hair and freckles on her pale skin. I managed to get in touch with her and a few months later I was knocking on the door of her house with the camera in my bag. As we were starting the session, we talked about her school and the fact that she sings in a choir and that one of her dreams has always been to become an opera singer. She then went on to show me the correct breathing technique and that?s when I saw it. There was something so unusual and graceful about the hand gesture, something that fascinated me. Izzy seemed to be playing an invisible instrument, which is exactly what singing voice is.?
[Author commentary] Brock Elbank: ?I?ve been working on my latest series ?Freckles? since April 2015, inviting freckled subjects from all over the globe to apply for the series being shot in London (160 portraits in total). Saffy is a local girl from London, with her amazing hair and eyes as well as her freckles, we shot in Autumn last year and I remember she got the giggles, as do many of the subjects. This image stuck out for me as it summed up the session we?d shot, it just has a warm/positive feel to it which is how I want to work from the series to portray.?
[Author commentary] Jack Johnstone: ?We saw Christine walking down the high street in Whitstable a few months back. She immediately jumped out to me and when she came past when we were down on the beach, so I sheepishly got my friend Alix to approach her for a photograph. Whilst she seemed unsure about why we wanted her portrait, she couldn?t have been sweeter. She was such a nice lady.?
[Author commentary]?Arpita Shah: ?This portrait of the Martinez family is from the series ?Portrait of Home?, which is a collection of photographs of families based in Scotland that have cultural roots in other Commonwealth countries. The project explores contemporary Scotland?s links to the Commonwealth, visually representing how migration between these countries has shaped?its?national and cultural identity.”
[Author commentary]?William Arkle Marsden: ?This image is from a project in collaboration with the charity The Power of Polo. I spent a few days at the Berkshire Polo Club photographing portraits of teenagers learning to play polo. This is an image of Ronnie, who has found the experience of being around horses and spending time at the club a break from his usual life in London. This portrait is part of an ongoing project exploring different aspects of youth movement and culture.?