Britain is on the point of enormous change. Following the historic events of the EU Referendum, our sense of national identity is up for grabs. As a nation, we’re trying to understand who we are, as a country, as part of the world.
As we enter such uncharted territory, British Journal of Photography’s nationwide exhibition, Portrait of Britain seems now more relevant than ever, visualising, through the faces of the people who live and work here, who we are, and where we are going.
Portrait of Britain will reflect on the unique heritage and diversity of our country through portraits of its people.
We want to see the people of our country through your eyes. Whether you’re shooting family, friends, yourself or simply those you find interesting, we welcome pictures from every corner of Britain, from casual snapshots and selfies to conceptual projects, documentary and street photography.
“What’s distinctive about Britain is its diversity. We don’t have a monoculture; it encompasses folk traditions, multitude foreign and regional identities, pop and high-brow,” says British Journal of Photography’s editor Simon Bainbridge. “Britain is a country which is in constant flux and makes a virtue of it.”
Portrait of Britain gives professional and non-professional photographers an equal opportunity to present their work to the broadest possible audience.
British Journal of Photography will select up to 100 winning portraits for a large-scale public exhibition to be shown on JCDecaux’s digital billboard screens across the country throughout September, from airports and railways stations to high streets and shopping malls, seen by millions of people.
“We want diversity in terms of who is being photographed, but we also want to see different ways of photographing,” says Bainbridge. “The great thing about public art is that it’s out of the rarified spaces of the white cube gallery,” says Bainbridge.
“If you genuinely want your work to be seen by the wider public, this is a unique opportunity to get your work out to an extraordinary amount of people.”
Portraits must have been taken after 1st January 2010, and depict subjects living in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) when the photograph was taken. Portraits can be shot using any camera model, film or digital, and may be portrait, landscape or square in format.
Both working photographers and non-professionals are welcome to apply. Deadline for entries: Midnight (BST) Saturday 2 July 2016. For more information, and to enter, visit: portraitofbritain.uk
