“I am interested in reflections and the way they provide a distorted view of reality. The weather recently provided an opportunity to photograph reflections of the advertisements on the Piccadilly Circus pavement. As with reflections, everything is an illusion: the paving stones aren’t painted red, nor the water coloured – after the rain stops the pavement will dry and the image will disappear.”
Photograph: Anthony Davies
“This is my daughter Julia, silhouetted by strong sunlight, skipping in the walled exercise yard of the former debtor’s prison at the Castle Museum in York.”
Photograph: Tony Cole
“This photograph was my final piece for my GCSE photography exam. I wanted to show the vulnerability of life.”
Photograph: Daisy Lockitt
“The idea behind my photos is that the viewer can get immersed in the colour. My images are used in my musical performances … the photographs are used as visual scores.”
Photograph: Jessica Bunyard
“The sleeper on the rocks is just an ordinary guy taking a break from work. He’s still wearing his socks and jeans, so he won’t be staying long. He seems to dream the three men in a boat into existence, in a watery sky above him. This was shot at the end of October in Italy; there’s a crystalline, unreal quality to the light and a sense of time being suspended.”
Photograph: Piers Rawson
“For me photography can be a little mysterious. It’s good to encourage the viewer to feel an emotion, connection or simply be intrigued by an image.”
Photograph: Clair Robins
“I’m currently studying Photography at Nottingham Trent University. This image is a photogram and was produced in the dark room. I submerged a piece of black-and-white photographic paper in the bottom of my fish tank while the fish were feeding on bloodworm. I then flashed a flash gun, leaving their silhouettes on the paper. This experiment made me connect with the very basics of photography: light and light-sensitive materials. I have always thought dark-room processing is very magical.”
Photograph: Kayne Clarke
“The idea behind this image was to create a striking portrait that shows a person as a canvas, only showing the shape and contours of the person’s face.”
Photograph: Ben Breading
“For this image, I decided to deal with two extremes: very bright light and very dark shadows and the transition between the two. Shooting in manual meant that I had to quickly adjust the camera settings to achieve the desired effect.”
Photograph: Marc Fairhurst
“This shot was taken at Eddystone House on the Pepys Estate in Deptford, south-east London. I was the photographer for the Albany Summer Playscheme just after the 1981 Brixton riots. We had just finished our two days on site, helping the local kids in their production: The Funky Riot, a musical on roller skates. As we were packing the van, I noticed this girl trying to go downstairs on her skates. I never got to find out who she was, or get her a print. I wish I could.”
Photograph: Rob Kenyon
“This was taken in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, where they have a woolly mammoth in the stairwell. I found the juxtaposition of iron and fur interesting in this amazing building.”
Photograph: Richard Lambert
“This was taken from the raised walkway on Royal York Crescent in Bristol. The sun was low and the light was bright and I spotted the shadows on the ground as I was walking below. So I climbed up to the top, took a few moments to frame the shot, then waited for someone to walk into the empty space. I stood in the same spot for about 20 minutes to get the image I wanted.”
Photograph: Simon Holliday
“I captured this candid shot on my Canon AE-1 in 1980 outside the old library in Peterborough. I was so close I could overhear their conversation, but they were so engrossed they didn’t even notice me.”
Photograph: Chris Porsz
“The photo was taken in March while I was visiting the beach with my family. In the photo a child jumps from a metal sculpture (which is unseen to the right), while another child jumps in front of the lens. It was crucial to keep the children separated to give clarity and balance to the image. I positioned the children in front of direct light to achieve a silhouette affect. This lends the image a strong, graphic feel. Hopefully the image portrays a feeling of the freedom and innocence of childhood."
Photograph: Jo Wallace
“This is a selection of different cameras laid over some optic fibres ... the sparkler emphasises my representation of the magic of photography.”
Photograph: Pete Hughes
“This image is about loss/emptiness. Photographically I used a slower shutter speed to give the empty swing some blur, yet also stopping it midway through its swing. This was achieved through a low ISO and high f number. I used a 10-second timer so I could start the camera, then push the swing myself before retreating away from the camera’s view."
Photograph: Julian de Courcy
