The British Journal of Photography

15/11/2024

Next Thursday, Kirsty Mackay will be launching her latest book, The Magic Money Tree, published by Bluecoat Press, alongside the opening of her exhibition of the same name at Four Corners.

Working collaboratively with groups and individuals from across England, Kirsty explores the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and what poverty looks like in the world’s 6th richest economy. The event offers a chance to view this powerful body of work up close and get a signed copy of the new book.

Kirsty and the journalist Jem Bartholomew will also share insights about the project and the journey of creating the book. RSVP here: https://1854.photo/4hQAZDr

© Kirsty Mackay

14/11/2024

📢 Announcing the Portrait of Britain 2024 Shortlist!

We’re proud to reveal this year’s shortlisted images for the Portrait of Britain, British Journal of Photography’s annual competition celebrating the diversity and resilience of the UK. Now in its seventh year, this collection offers a powerful glimpse into the heart of Britain, capturing stories from communities across the nation.

From historic roots to pressing social issues, these 200 portraits showcase the strength of individuals in the face of challenges. On 6 January 2025, 100 winning portraits will be displayed nationwide across digital screens in high streets, shopping centres, and transport hubs, allowing us all to reflect on the journey towards a more inclusive society.

The full collection is featured in Portrait of Britain Vol. 7, produced in partnership with Bluecoat Press and sponsored by JCDecaux UK. Join us in celebrating the people who make Britain what it is today, read more: https://1854.photo/3CrGlVA

© Ossi Piispanen, Portrait of Britain Vol. 7 shortlist

13/11/2024

Change, resilience, and renewal are at the heart of Pia Guilmoth’s forthcoming book, Flowers Drink the River. Continuing her exploration of rural Maine’s overlooked beauty, Guilmoth brings a deeply personal layer to this work, reflecting her transformative journey of gender transition and self-acceptance. What began during a period of intense upheaval – when she was closeted, isolated, and struggling – evolved into an intimate portrait of healing, community, and personal rebirth.

Flowers Drink the River emerges as an elegy to what is lost and found through change. Moving back to Maine, beginning hormone therapy, and finding a chosen family reshaped her world and her art. Guilmoth captures the fragile, fleeting beauty of nightscapes, spider webs, and rural backroads – symbols of vulnerability and resilience that mirror her journey.

In a small, often conservative community, Guilmoth finds moments of sanctuary and euphoria in the darkness, embracing slow living, connection, and authenticity. This body of work reflects not just the landscapes around her but also the newfound sense of self-love and joy within.

Flowers Drink the River is a testament to the power of change and the beauty of finding oneself in unexpected places. Find out more at the link below.

In Flowers Drink the River, Pia Guilmoth reflects on transformation and resilience, capturing rural Maine's landscapes and her journey of self-discovery, transition, and renewal

13/11/2024

Celebrating realness, intimacy, and the idiosyncrasies of human form, BJP’s latest portrait issue spotlights rising star Jet Swan. Known for her evocative approach to portraiture and fashion, Swan’s work transcends conventional boundaries, capturing bodies in raw, unfiltered ways. From capturing friends in local boat clubs to staging intimate, fleeting moments with strangers in public spaces, Swan’s portraits reveal honest fragments of life.

At the heart of her work lies a fascination with individuality, as she subtly flips the lens inward to let bodies tell their own stories without artifice; “I want to see people as they are,” she tells Editor Diane Smyth. Whether through subtle imperfections in commercial campaigns for Kim Kardashian and Givenchy, or quietly visceral yet uncanny self-portraits, Swan’s images challenge norms around beauty and vulnerability, balancing the human with the unpolished.

Get 20% off your annual Membership! Become a Member now and receive our quarterly print issues, delivered straight to your door—including our upcoming Portrait issue.

As a Full Access Member, you’ll also unlock complimentary entries to all our prestigious awards, including Female in Focus x Nikon, now open for submissions. Plus, enjoy invitations to private viewings of our exhibitions and print issue launches—your chance to meet winning artists and network with fellow photography enthusiasts.

Subscribe now to receive this issue as part of your membership. Use code BJP20 at checkout to secure your 20% discount: https://1854.photo/4hWL3Lx

© Jet Swan

11/11/2024

Final month to enter Female in Focus x Nikon!

We’ve asked the Female in Focus x Nikon judges to share some advice for photographers thinking of entering the award. Here’s what Marie Gomis-Trezise and Charlotte Jensen had to say:

“My advice would be to stay authentic and trust your creative instincts. Don’t feel pressured to fit into trends or produce work that you think judges are expecting.” - Marie Gomis-Trezise (), Founder & Curator, Galerie Gomis

“Try to be clear and concise with the questions you're asking and what you are trying to do. And being conscious of process is often also as important as the end result.” - Charlotte Jansen (), Photography Critic, The Guardian; Author; Curator

20 single images and two series will be selected as winners and featured in a group exhibition at 10.14 Gallery (London) and Glasgow’s Gallery of Photography. Thanks to Nikon, the two series winners will also receive a Z Series mirrorless camera and two NIKKOR Z lenses.

Digital Access and Full Access Members can enter up to 10 single images or one series.

Enter now: https://1854.photo/4f92zu8

Deadline: 10 December 2024, 23:59 UK time.

© Beth Knight, Female in Focus 2020 single image winner.

09/11/2024

Sakir Khader’s second book, Dying to Exist, is not an easy book, but it depicts a reality for many Palestinians and, therefore, is a necessity. The first image taken by Khader in it shows Amjad Al Fayed, who he photographed as a young child in 2019. The boy was killed in 2022. “I promised him that I would come back and make a film about [him], but I never fulfilled the promise,” Khader recollects. After Al Fayed’s death, Khader became curious about what would have been, had he had the chance to become a man, “What would have become of him, and what's the environment he would have grown up in?” This question leads the narrative of the book.

After winning The Silver Camera in 2023, Khader’s work was exhibited at the Museum Hilversum in spring 2024. It is the most prestigious prize for documentary photographers in the Netherlands. He went on to become Magnum’s first Palestinian nominee this year. And was invited to participate in Breda Photo Festival in autumn 2024, with an exhibition titled I Have No More Earth to Lose, curated by Mohamed Somji.

And Khader is adamant to push back against his critics; “For me, being a Palestinian, being a brown man, being a Muslim, they don't need a reason [to censor me],” he says. “But why should I be scared?” And though he seems settled on his signature monochrome style, he tells BJP he’s always experimenting with polaroids and disposable cameras, "trying different things so I can keep looking differently at my own people and the region.”

In this feature, Khader tells BJP why he photographs the dead and the emotional toll of the process, he bites back at accusations of ‘terrorism’ in his work, and he discusses his debut solo show at Foam in February, Yawm al-Firak, exploring the role of the grieving mother in Palestine.

Find out more in Khader’s long-read at the link below.

The photographer’s meteoric success is a testament to the stark reality of life on the ground in Jenin refugee camp. In this feature, Khader explains why he photographs the dead, bites back at accusations of ‘terrorism’ of his work, and discusses his upcoming debut monograph and debut solo sho...

08/11/2024

Darren Lee Clarke’s journey took him to Tanjung Sepat, a coastal village in the Kuala Langat district of Selangor, Malaysia. Traditionally, the village has relied on the sea for its livelihood—its name reflects this, with “Tanjung” meaning cape and “Sepat” referring to an indigenous fish. However, relentless pollution from the Malacca Strait and local pig farms has severely impacted the local economy.

Founded by the Chao Zhou people of China, Tanjung Sepat remains a predominantly Chinese village. Darren discovered this community while conducting field studies on the preservation of the indigenous traditions of the Mah Meri people, who live nearby. During his visit, he was warmly welcomed by Mr Chew Hua Liang and Mr Asli Shushu (Uncle Asli) at a harbourside restaurant, where they bonded over whisky, beer, fishballs, and plenty of laughter. As their conversations progressed, Chew’s English-speaking son, Ben, joined them to help with translations, bringing even more understanding to the gathering.

Darren Lee Clarke is one of the 200 shortlisted photographers featured in the Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6 photo book, which celebrates the shared human experiences that transcend borders and hardships.

Now available on on Bluecoat Press' website: https://1854.photo/40lxH4V

© Darren Lee Clarke, Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6 shortlist

07/11/2024

COMING SOON | The Portrait Issue

Though photography has changed and evolved over the years, one format has remained evergreen – the portrait. In BJP’s annual Portrait Issue, we delve into various projects exploring portrait projects, the latest exhibitions and festivals, new book releases, a peek into a photographer’s studio, and much more.

We hear from some of the winners of the Portrait of Humanity award Vol. 6 including Seif Kousmate, Andrés Mario de Varona, and Camille Gharbi.

In our Features pages, our writers sit down with Jet Swan, Amak Mahmoudian, Daniel Mebarek, and Akram Zaatari for in-depth interviews on what portraiture means to them and the legacies of studio portraiture.

BJP’s team highlight stand-out books and shows, including an exhibition of children’s photography at Chennai Photo Biennale, and photo books on a found Kurdish archive and Chinese funeral rites.

And in Intelligence, we hear from the founders of the Kamoinge black photographers’ collective and KENE Studio in Bamako and Rome, plus insights into the Photo Ethics Centre.

Subscribe today to secure this issue as part of your package: https://1854.photo/4fzVpPn

06/11/2024

Kash Hamam is a practice deeply embedded in Levantine culture. With over 200 pigeon keepers across Beirut, it’s a game and a lifestyle that has been passed down through generations. This pigeon war requires not only a keen understanding of pigeons’ homing instincts but also a deft hand at strategy.

Billy Barraclough documented the birds and their keepers in Lebanon from 2016 onwards, during his time working with NGOs in the country, supporting Palestinian and Syrian refugees. He’s now donated his image to fundraise for displaced Lebanese through Eyeuna Initiative: “Lebanon is a country that gave me so much and made me feel so eternally welcome, comfortable, excited and happy,” Barraclough says.

“It’s a beautiful place that is currently under extreme pressure and the number of displaced people in such a small nation is horrifying. I hope this image and the other images in the fundraiser can begin to contribute towards supporting displaced people across the country at this moment.”

Find the link to buy a print and support displaced Lebanese families, and read more about Barraclough’s project, at the link below.

This is a 429 error. Try accessing this page directly or wait a few minutes and try again. Everyone has their limits, and we're getting too many requests right now.

05/11/2024

This year, the Female in Focus x Nikon award invites you to explore the theme Renewal—capturing moments of rejuvenation, personal growth, environmental restoration, and societal change.

Why enter?

The judging panel will select 20 single images and two series to be showcased in a group exhibition at 10.14 Gallery in London and Gallery of Photography in Glasgow. Winners of the series category will also receive a Nikon Z Series mirrorless camera and two NIKKOR Z lenses of their choice.

Winning images will be shared with our extensive national and international press list, with past features including Vogue Italia, The Guardian, The Times, and more.

Don’t miss out! Nikon is offering one complimentary image submission. For those wanting to submit more, a Digital or Full Access Membership lets you enter up to 10 single images or one series. Enter now: https://1854.photo/3YCvFek

📸: Jodie Bateman, Female in Focus 2021 series winner

04/11/2024

In Avion Pearce's In the Hours Between Dawn, the queer and trans community of colour in New York City is portrayed with a complex, magical intimacy. Against staged backdrops and red light, Pearce captures subjects like Ellington, in a hauntingly beautiful blend of shadow and flesh, echoing the legendary Harlem jazz scene. Inspired by Audre Lorde's A Litany for Survival, Pearce's series wrestles with the tension between visibility and the desire for self-preservation, crafting images that challenge the viewer’s perception of truth in queer histories.

Pearce, born in Flatbush and shaped by Brooklyn’s rhythms, weaves in personal history and social critique, connecting objects and bodies to a shared past. From a pulsing red light – a nod to Toni Morrison’s Beloved – to relics of a love story set in 1930s Louisiana, every image holds a delicate weight of survival, loss, and resilience. Through "day-for-night" techniques and dark, dreamlike settings, Pearce creates sanctuary-like portraits of queer life in an ever-challenging city, portraying not only survival but the thriving magic within.

Read more about Pearce’s work in their BJP feature at the link below.

The photographer is at play with the boundaries that confine both their lens-based practice and the socio-political context of their subjects, finds Mathilde Manicardi

01/11/2024

Juan Brenner’s latest book, Genesis, highlights complexities associated with cultural hybridisation in the Guatemalan Highlands. Guatemala and wider Latin America have seen waves of slavery, colonisation and migration, and from those moments in history arise cultures and ethnicities which meet and mingle, creating altogether new cultures over time.

Although life has been made challenging in the Guatemalan highlands, Brenner also encountered “many beautiful and hopeful moments.” The process of Genesis made Brenner aware of the ‘Mestizo’ lens of his work – a term meaning a person of mixed European and Indigenous non-European ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. The term can also refer to people who are culturally European, even though their ancestors are Indigenous.

“I recognise my place in this narrative and understand that I will never fully belong. However, I felt compelled to embark on this archival experiment,” Brenner says. The book is split into five chapters, each exploring a different approach to the local communities at the heart of the region, and including a conversation between Brenner and .

Genesis is available for presale at Guest Editions. Find out more about the project at the link below.

The artist's latest book, Genesis, explores the generations-old traditions of his native homeland, and a youth finding their feet amidst waves of globalisation

31/10/2024

Female in Focus x Nikon is open for submissions!

The award will see the judging panel select 20 winning single images and two series to be featured in a group exhibition at 10.14 Gallery in London and Glasgow’s Gallery of Photography.

Thanks to Nikon, the winners of the two series will also receive a Z Series mirrorless camera and two NIKKOR Z lenses of their choice. These lenses are expertly designed for Nikon's Z Series, offering exceptional optical performance and versatility. Many lenses feature a constant maximum aperture for consistent performance in varying lighting conditions, and the weather-sealed designs ensure durability for outdoor use, making them reliable companions in any setting.

Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work and gain recognition. You can submit one image for free, courtesy of Nikon.

If you'd like to enter more, consider becoming a Digital or Full Access Member, which allows you to submit up to 10 single images or one series.

Enter now: https://1854.photo/3YJ8f85

📸: Jasmine Da Silva, Female in Focus 2022 single image winner.

30/10/2024

While photographing this scene, Niamh Barry observed how the group naturally began to interact. Though most were strangers, a sense of a small queer family quickly formed as they laughed, shared stories, and made plans to meet again. As the evening unfolded, they started to realise how they were all connected, largely through mutual queer friends in Dublin.

This moment underscored how tightly knit the queer community is in Ireland. Despite being a small part of the global population, it creates a web of interwoven connections, like telephone wires linking everyone. Some ties offer support and compassion, while others may not. While not every connection will be a close friend, the right one could lead to a new family member or even a lover, perhaps only six degrees away.

Niamh Barry is one of the 200 shortlisted photographers featured in the Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6 photo book, get your copy: https://1854.photo/3UrqH2H

If you purchase a copy of Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6, you can get 50% off Portrait of Britain Vol. 6 by using the code PORTRAIT50 at checkout.

© Niamh Barry, Portrait of Humanity Vol. 6 shortlist

28/10/2024

To wrap up Black History Month this October, BJP had a wander around Somerset House Studio’s latest exhibition, Making a rukus! which launched alongside 1-54 African Art Fair.

Curated by artist, filmmaker and co-founder of rukus! Federation, Topher Campbell, the show explores Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans creativity, activism, community and pride through over 200 objects including archive materials, contemporary artworks and brand-new commissions, celebrating the work of Black LGBTQIA+ pioneers and artists since the 1970s.

Among ephemera from the 1970s to the present sch as newspapers, magazines, flyers, film, publications, posters, postcards, correspondence, ephemera, artwork, pornography, and plays, audio excerpts from Ifekoya’s radio plays conjure real and fictitious queer Black London clubs.

“A lot of the representations revolved around trauma and the deficit paradigm,” contributing photographer Campbell tells BJP, “that we were somehow less-than. But we had a totally different vision for how we wanted to live our lives: more playful, disruptive, and unruly”. While violence and loss are part of both the archive and the exhibition – which contain memorials to those no longer living, as a result of the AIDS crisis, for example – narratives of absence and scarcity are not necessarily the structural story for the show.

Read more about the ruckus! archive and the new exhibition at the link below.

Curator Topher Campbell and artist Evan Ifekoya tell Edwin Coomasaru how they, along with others, transformed the pioneering rukus! archive into an important show at Somerset House

26/10/2024

“I had the somewhat naive idea that we, as consumers, have the right to know how our food is produced,” says photographer Kadir van Lohuizen. His latest exhibition Food for Thought is now on display at the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, extended until 2025. Through images and data, Van Lohuizen dives into how food production has become a global operation, often transported by sea, shaping economies and environments alike.

The series began with his own curiosity, spurred by a growing disconnect between us and our food. “I grew up with seasonal vegetables. I was much more conscious of where the food on my plate came from.” he reflects. His work takes us through farms in the US, Kenya, China, and beyond, uncovering the massive scale of production, the human stories behind it, and the challenges farmers face today.

From drones capturing American mega-farms to Kenyan fields growing vegetables destined for European supermarkets – not local tables – his lens exposes the reality behind what’s on our plates. “The realities of our food production are not on a par with what marketing departments in the industry make us believe that it looks like,” he says.

The exhibition is a wake-up call, but also an invitation to consider the journey our food takes, and what it really costs.

Food for Thought is on view at Het Scheepvaartmuseum until January 2025. Find out more about the in-depth project at the link below.

round