The Duchess of Cambridge has launched a lockdown photography project that she hopes will help to capture “the spirit of the nation” during the coronavirus pandemic.
The project, titled “Hold Still” has been launched in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, of which the the duchess is a patron.
Catherine, whose amateur photography is frequently featured when Kensington Palace releases new photographs of the Cambridge family, expressed her wish that the images included in the project will reflect the “resilience, bravery and kindness” of the nation.
“We’ve all been struck by some of the incredible images we’ve seen which have given us an insight into the experiences and stories of people across the country,” the duchess said, as the UK embarks on its seventh consecutive week of lockdown.
“Some desperately sad images showing the human tragedy of this pandemic and other uplifting pictures showing people coming together to support those more vulnerable.”
The duchess said the Hold Still project “aims to capture a portrait of the nation, the spirit of the nation, what everyone is going through at this time”.
So how can you take part in the Hold Still lockdown photography project?
A page has been set up on the National Portrait Gallery website dedicated specifically to the Hold Still project.
On the page, the gallery explains that participants are asked to submit photographic portraits that fall into one of three categories:
- Helpers and Heroes
- Your New Normal
- Acts of Kindness
The deadline for submissions is Thursday June 2020.
The duchess will help to curate 100 shortlisted portraits that will be featured in a virtual exhibition for the National Portrait Gallery, while a selection of chosen photographs will also be displayed across the UK later in the year.
“The project is completely free and open to all ages and abilities,” the gallery stated.
“Images must involve people, and can be captured on phones or cameras.”
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A rose is delivered by drone to a woman on Mother’s Day in Jounieh, Lebanon
AFP/Getty
2/15
Women dance on their balcony as a radio station plays music for a flash mob to raise spirits in Rome
Reuters
3/15
A skeleton stands on a balcony in Frankfurt, Germany
AP
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The film Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna is projected on a building in Rome
AP
5/15
A woman uses a basket tied to a rope to pull a delivery of groceries up to her balcony in Naples, Italy
EPA
6/15
DJ Francesco Cellini plays for his neighbours from the rooftop terrace of his flat block in Rome
Reuters
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A woman gestures from her balcony in Barcelona
EPA
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Cellist Karina Nunez performs for her neighbours at the balcony of her flat in Panama City
Reuters
9/15
DJ Nash Petrovic live streams a set from his roof in Brooklyn
Reuters
10/15
People applaud medical workers from their balconies in Modiin, Israel
Reuters
11/15
A Brooklyn resident relaxes in a hammock hung on their balcony
Reuters
12/15
Residents toast during a “safe distance” aperitif time between neighbours in Anderlecht, Belgium
Reuters
13/15
Musician Adam Moser plays for neighbours from his balcony in Budapest, Hungary
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14/15
A man and his son on their balcony in Brooklyn
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A man sits alone on a roof terrace in Rome
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The gallery added that each picture “will be assessed on the emotion and experience it conveys rather than its photographic quality or technical expertise”.
Participants are also encouraged to share their photographs on social media using the hashtag “#HoldStill2020”.
