Portrait of britain.

Portrait of Britain is an annual photography exhibition showcasing the best portraits taken by people throughout the country. The winning photographs, selected from the British Journal of Photography’s open-call competition, are displayed on digital billboard screens nationwide – in train stations, airports, shopping centres and on high streets – and are seen by over 10 million people.

 Jenny

Jenny is a library manager from Christchurch, Dorset. I was walking my dog on a freezing winter's day when I saw her striding out of the sea. She looked terrific set against the stormy skies and kindly let me take some shots. Jenny has always loved swimming outdoors but took up 'all year round' swimming in 2014 after her dad passed away. She'd spent many years caring for him, and after his death, found that she had more time to pursue her love of swimming. At first, she was nervous about swimming in the sea in the middle of the winter, so she joined a club called 'Beyond the Blue.' A group that regularly meets to swim all year round and welcomes new members no matter their ability. Jenny told me that it's a lot easier to enter freezing water when supported by the laughter of like-minded people. Since then, her swimming has gone from strength to strength. She's joined the 'Polar Bears Club' and recently got the coveted 'Spartans Badge.' To qualify, you have to swim 20 Sundays at Boscombe Pier between Oct and April inclusive. Jenny loves the 'pure joy' of swimming in the sea and, despite not feeling very positive about her body, enjoys 'feeling the power of her body' as she moves through the waves. Jenny has made lots of new friends through her passion for swimming, a couple of which aren't human. She's been joined on 2 occasions by seals who swam along with her, which she told me was ‘amazing, humbling, and a little bit scary’. She managed to photograph one. Jenny was an inspiring person to meet and I'm really looking forward to taking more shots of her and the other members of her club on their winter swims. I won't be bringing my Speedos though, no way.

Julie and Brenda are a mother and daughter from Barrow in Furness, a shipbuilding town in the northwest of England.

Now that lockdown has ended, the pair have said they intend to have some fun and try different things. Julie, a registered childminder, is no stranger to new experiences. She's travelled all over and recently learned to swim after 51 years. Brenda, a retired factory worker, was in quarantine last year and had to cancel her holiday to Benidorm. Because of this, the pair decided to treat themselves to a trip to London.

They certainly managed to squeeze a lot in. They went to the Ivy - 'food and service excellent but no atmosphere and no dress code.' They were in posh frocks, fascinators (a type of hat - I had to Google it), and party shoes. In contrast, everyone else was just dressed really boringly. (The pair had sensibly changed back into flat shoes to walk around London when I took the shot).

They had afternoon tea at Harrods - 'Fabulous.' It was ridiculously expensive, but Julie told the waiter it was her mam's birthday, so they got some free cake and a card. (her birthday is in November).

They saw the comedian Bill Bailey at the Royal Albert Hall - 'Hilarious.'

They saw a play at the Noel Coward Theatre but missed the Jack the Ripper tour because they got stuck in traffic.

The couple loved being in London. They loved the busyness, the pomp, the architecture, and the choices of places to eat. They said the people were not much different from the folk they met anywhere else—except for 'odd-bod strangers' who came up to them and asked to take their photo.

Next, the pair are heading off to Torquay in Devon to follow in the footsteps of their favourite writer, Agatha Christie.

Jack

june

I saw June walking through Covent Garden.

I loved how her blue scarf complimented the sky, so I asked if I could take her picture. She told me she had lived in Soho for the last 35 years and had worked in publishing before she retired. She was born in Clapham but spent many years living in France, which explained her slight accent. When I asked June her age, she said, 'That's a secret’.

GAY

Gay remembers Queen Elizabeth's Coronation and worked in the offices of the Mayfair couturier who dressed the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. Gay turned 100 on the day that the Queen died, but she still got her birthday card.

Rajindar

Part of an ongoing series, Before We Were Proud, featuring older members of the LGBTQ community.

David and Peter have been together for over 30 years. “We may have met in a sleazy leather bar, but we have so much in common. We both love gardening, classical music, and theatre. We’re so compatible.” “Neither of us was looking for love. The relationship just developed beautifully. And we’re very happy together.” 

When 100-year-old Ralph turned 19, the call came from the UK for help with the war effort. According to Ralph, in Jamaica, there was God Almighty, and next there was Winston Churchill, so Ralph and his friends immediately signed up to fight for King and Country.  He and the other recruits were put on a ship bound for England. En route, they stopped at a military base in Virginia, USA, where segregation was still enforced. Black American soldiers were housed separately from white troops, with conditions in the Black barracks significantly worse. However, Ralph and his Jamaican comrades were classified as "temporarily white" and stayed in the white barracks. No one explained why, though Ralph suspects it was simply to avoid bureaucratic hassle. The white quarters were comfortable, the food was plentiful, and there were regular dances. Ralph never once saw a Black American soldier during their stay. When the ship reached the UK, Ralph was sent for 13 weeks of basic training at a Butlin's holiday camp, which the military had taken over.  Ralph said that the training was comprehensive and turned him from "A harmless little country boy to a soldier prepared to kill for his comrades." Ralph said that all the English people he met treated him well. They saw the Jamaicans as coming to help with the war effort and were always very welcoming.