This Is Us: Portraits of Contemporary Britain

There are some projects that begin with a clear plan, and others that emerge gradually through reflection. This Is Us: Portraits of Contemporary Britain belongs firmly in the latter.

For some time, I've wanted to create a substantial body of work that explores the rich tapestry of contemporary British life. Photography has always been my way of making sense of the world around me, and the more I thought about what I wanted this project to become, the more I realised it wasn't about documenting Britain. It was about exploring it.

Britain is a nation in constant conversation with itself. It carries the weight of its history while continually redefining its identity through the lives of the people who live here. Every day, often without noticing, we shape the places around us and, in turn, those places shape us. I find that relationship endlessly fascinating.

That is why this project will be built around environmental portraiture.

A portrait can tell us what someone looks like. An environmental portrait has the potential to tell us something deeper. The spaces people inhabit often reveal traces of their journey, their purpose and their connection to the world around them. They provide context, atmosphere and meaning in ways that cannot be recreated elsewhere. For me, the environment is never simply the setting for the photograph. It is part of the story being told.

The title, This Is Us, is intentionally inclusive. It reflects my belief that no single person can represent Britain. Instead, the project will become a carefully curated collection of portraits that, when seen together, offer one interpretation of who we are at this moment in time. Each photograph will stand on its own, but each will also become part of a wider conversation with every image that follows.

I have no desire to rush that process. Some portraits may come through careful research, others through chance encounters or conversations that lead somewhere unexpected. I expect the project to evolve naturally, allowing each new photograph to influence the direction of the next. That sense of discovery is one of the reasons I find documentary photography so rewarding.

Although individual photographs may be exhibited, published or entered into competitions, this project has been conceived as something much larger than any single image. My hope is that, over time, it will grow into a body of work that reflects not only the people I have photographed, but also something of the character, complexity and spirit of Britain itself.

As with any documentary project, the most rewarding stories are often found through conversation. If this project resonates with you, or if you know someone, an organisation or a community whose story you feel deserves to be explored, I'd be delighted to hear from you. Sometimes the most compelling photographs begin with a simple introduction.

I'm excited to see where This Is Us leads. Like Britain itself, I suspect the project will continue to evolve, revealing new stories, new perspectives and new ways of seeing the world around us.