The multiculturalism and diversity of modern Britain has been highlighted in an annual photography competition, as the shortlist for the “Portrait of Britain” contest has been announced.
The competition was launched by the British Journal of Photography in 2016 following the Brexit vote in an effort to celebrate the nation and bring its inhabitants closer together.
This year, 13,000 submissions were made for a panel of experts to judge.
The 200 shortlisted photographs are going to be displayed in a book, published by Hoxton Mini Press and available to purchase on 6 September.
“These images, in all their diversity, reflect something of the richness of this nation and remind us what there is to be celebrated,” says Martin Usborne, co-founder of Hoxton Mini Press and Portrait of Britain judge.
“We hope the book is a powerful snapshot of a moment in our shared history that stands the test of time.”
One of the photographs included in the shortlist was taken by Gavin Li of a man called Richard who’s well-known within the LGBT community in London.
“Richard represents one of the many different walks of life you can find in the capital,” Li says.
“I wanted to celebrate his individuality, so I invited him over to the studio and photographed him in his characterful outfits.”
In the photograph, Richard can be seen wearing a wrestling singlet with a Union Jack design, juxtaposed against a pastel-coloured background.
Stephen Iliffe took a poignant photo in Derbyshire depicting a pair of brothers who had arrived in the UK from Northern Iraq as asylum seekers.
The brothers, six-year-old Lawand who’s deaf and his brother, Rawa, played games with Mr Iliffe during the photoshoot and interacted with him using sign language.
The shortlist also features a couple of well-known faces, most notably athletes Nicola Adams and Dame Kelly Holmes.
Greg Woodward, who photographed Adams in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, explained that he had to do so under time-constraining conditions.
“It took me three attempts to get my shot at photographing Nicola as fitting me into her extremely busy pre-Olympic schedule was far from simple,” Mr Woodward said.
All 200 of the shortlisted images are going to appear in the Portrait of Britain book.
The exhibition itself will be taking place in September on JCDecaux screens across the country, and will feature 100 of the shortlisted photographs.
The winners of the competition will be announced at the end of August.
