Edward Jones, a former BA Photography student at SODA, has had a portrait featured in this year’s Portrait of Britain, the annual Portrait of Britain award, presented by the British Journal of Photography, celebrating outstanding contemporary portraiture across the UK.
The selected image features drag artist, author and singer-songwriter Yvy (@bollyvvitch ), whom Edward first met while studying at university, after stepping in to photograph one of her drag shows in Deansgate. He has since documented her cabaret work and collaborated with her on promotional imagery for her debut album.
“I let the surroundings inform the photos,” Edward explains. “This particular image was taken without the use of all the lighting kit I had brought along, leaning into the natural lighting of our venue.”
His wider photographic practice focuses on the relationship between environment and people, often politically driven and inspired by classic documentary photography.
“Portrait of Britain highlights such a diverse mix of people from different backgrounds,” he says. “It’s encouraging to be featured alongside photographers at all stages of their careers.”
After Manchester Met he went straight into Documentary Photography which he recently graduated from. He also continued the work he started during his studies as a freelance photographer and photographic assistant.
Congratulations to Edward on this fantastic achievement.
#PortraitOfBritain #Photography
A walk up to Bleaklow late last year to visit the American RB-29A that crashed in 1948 after leaving RAF Scampton. A photo reconnaissance plane, it earned the nickname ‘Over Exposed’ after photographing nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll.
‘Over Exposed’ or the ‘Bleaklow Bomber’ joins 7 other crashed military aircraft on the surrounding Moorland. The crash killed all 13 crew/passengers, later military police recovered the $7,400 it was transporting.
Using the 6x17 roll film back on the 4x5 camera and some expired film. Only the second trip out with this combo, still getting to grips with it, evidenced by a double exposure and some misaligned camera movements.
Edit as of 12/01/26: really happy to be considered one of this years Portrait of Britain winners with this photo appearing on billboards across the UK until 08/02
Really pleased to be finally able to share that my portrait of drag artist, author and singer songwriter Yvy (@bollyvvitch ) has been shortlisted for this year’s @bjp1854 Portrait of Britain award.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Yvy for quite a few years now, shooting her queer POC cabaret: @apoccabaret . This image was taken as part of some promotional material for her debut album that showcases her creative expression as a practicing witch and lived experiences as a South Asian trans woman.
Proud to say the image will be published in the Portrait of Britain Vol. 8 book, published by @bluecoatpress and sponsored by @wepresent . #portraitofbritain
The conclusion to my 2 year MA Documentary Photography studies: me and my cohort held our group show Resonance(s) last week at @fourcornerse2 . My project ‘This Restless Machine’, looks at HS2 through the lens of photography, heritage and a new Industrial Revolution.
Consisting of 4x5” large format tin plates, reclaimed railway sleepers, 200x270mm book, duratrans prints in light boxes and PVC mesh construction banners.
There’s still more I’d like to explore through this project not touched on here and plenty of time to do it before HS2 is finished.
Thanks to all the friends and family who have supported me, came to visit or shared along the way.
Ed here once again for my second takeover post.
Once constructed, HS2 trains will be the fastest in the world, making the journey between London and Birmingham take only 49 minutes. However, to achieve this most of HS2’s track will run through cuttings and tunnels, separating the users from the environment. Consequently the countryside will only be visible through the window for 9 minutes.
HS2 has already taken steps to obscure the environment from people and for a public company, operates extremely secretively. While working on public footpaths I’ve been accosted by hi-vis wearing security, described as ‘goons’ to me by a prominent Stop HS2 campaigner.
This second series focuses on the printed construction hoardings that encircle HS2 sites. Each use a different combination of illustration, computer generated images, stock photography or cheap paint to obscure the development of a fourth industrial revolution project from view until it is suddenly completed. Each hoarding image is paired with a satellite image, revealing the reality of what is out of sight.
These images and more, alongside those of my colleagues: @alanbulley , @herrzerr@emir.han.demirel , @jj.helliker and @madihamaliik will be showing at @fourcornerse2 , Bethnal Green, from 11-13th September.
Hello everyone, it’s Ed here today!
For the past 2 years of the MA I’ve been closely following the development of High Speed 2 (HS2)The first intercity railway north of London in over 100 years. The UK has the oldest and most sprawling railway network, much dates back to the first passenger services of the 1830s. When completed in the 2030s, HS2 will only visit London and Birmingham, a fraction of the cities it was originally supposed to connect.
H.G. Wells described the steam trains as the defining symbol of the nineteenth century, a period where humans became inseparable from technology. Early trains became described as projectiles, a metaphor for the severing of continuity between the passenger and landscape. Travel by rail restructured relationships between time, space and nature, shrinking physical space and for the first time standardising national time zones.
In this first series, I produced large format images of HS2 construction sites on tin plates. A similar process to that used by photographers like Eadweard Muybridge and Carleton Watkins to document America’s burgeoning transcontinental railroad. The promise of speed and technology made by HS2 is contrasted by long exposure times and a limited dynamic range; often resulting in a a good exposure for either the dark green pastoral landscape or the light shades of overturned earth and concrete structures.
In less than a month me and my colleagues from the @madocphotusw course will be opening our degree show at @fourcornerse2 in Bethnal Green, London. Exhibiting projects we’ve each spent the best part of 2 years working on.
Come have a look and join us from 11-13th September. In particular on the evening of the 11th where we’ll be hosting our PV, if you’re reading this you’re invited!
More about the show and the work to come as we all work to finalise our books and hanging preparations.
@alanbulley@herrzerr@emir.han.demirel@jj.helliker@madihamaliik
