Explore intimate images of cultures and communities that continue to thrive across the globe
1/14 A Moment Shared by Udayan Sankar Pal
Chennai, India
Udayan Sankar Pal
2/14 Ebola Survivor Celina Kamanda by Simon Davis
Despite losing her entire family to Ebola, Celina is quietly resolute. I met her five days before Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free. Thanks to the charity Wharf Kids she is back in school. ‘I would like to be a doctor,’ she says. ‘When I was in the treatment centre I saw people suffering. Now I want to look after others.’
Simon Davis
3/14 Beau by Brock Elbank, London
‘On 15 April 2016 my life changed forever.
I slept at a friend’s, expecting to go to work in the morning, but I woke up from a coma three months later. I’d received third degree burns to 65 percent of my body and fourth degree burns to my left hand. I’ve been told I wrapped my friend in blankets and helped her out the third storey window and I went back into the fire to get my friend’s roommate. I’ve been told I’m a hero, but I wrestle with that idea because I don’t remember anything of the accident.’ – Beau
Brock Elbank
4/14 A Zebra in Myanmar by Bruce Collier
While travelling in Myanmar I came across this entrepreneurial local who had painted his horse to resemble a zebra. He was charging visitors for rides and this was his way of making his service stand out
Bruce Collier
5/14 Mother and Daughter by Lena Bushart
Berlin, Germany
Lena Bushart
6/14 After the Medicine by Daniel Fernández
I was invited to a private ayahuasca or ‘yagé’ ceremony conducted by the well-known indigenous Taita Eustorgio Payaguaje from Putumayo, the Amazon region of Colombia. After the ceremony I spoke with Eustorgio about humility. I remember his words clearly: ‘I am not a master. I am an imperfect human being like all of us.’
Daniel Fernández
7/14 My Grandmother On Her Bed by Lidewij Mulder, Haren, The Netherlands
My 82-year-old grandmother feels more like a friend to me. She is very youthful and mischievous and has taught me how to be an independent woman. My grandmother has been fighting for equality since she was a kid
Lidewij Mulder
8/14 Closer to Heaven by Mauro De Bettio, Tigray, Ethiopia
Keshi Assefa Hagos is a priest at Abuna Yemata
Guh church, arguably the most inaccessible place of worship on earth. The monolithic church, perched high atop a vertical rock with steep drops on all sides, is only accessible by foot
Mauro De Bettio
9/14 Manny and Courtney by Maria Sturm, m Fayetteville, North Carolina, US
Manny is a young Native American man who identifies as a member of the Lumbee Tribe. Courtney doesn’t identify as Native American but is a strong supporter of Manny’s dancing and drumming. She accompanies him to as many events as she can
Maria Sturm
10/14 Easy Lies the Head by Sankar Sridhar, Anandpur Sahib, India
A member of the martial Nihang sect at the Hola Mohalla festival where people show off their strength and display their prowess through horse riding, swords- manship and forms of self-defence. This elder gave me permission to photograph him while he tied his turban comprising 900 metres of cloth. He told me his turban would weigh 16 kilograms once complete
Sankar Sridhar
11/14 Dancing Halmonis by An Rong Xu
These women belong to a senior dance troupe
that performs for the Korean American community in Queens, New York City. In their 60s, 70s and 80s these Halmonis (‘grandmothers’) dance, jive and are having the time of their lives
An Rong Xu
12/14 Greta Thunberg on Stage by Eric Demers
Eric Demers
13/14 Shaving Grandpa by Julie Grace Immink, California, US
My son helps me to shave my dad who was diagnosed with dementia when my son was born. He helps with many daily tasks. Overwhelmed by having to care for the needs of my father and a bouncing toddler, I turned to photography as an outlet. The pictures I made explore the trials of ageing, mental health and how community shapes our identity
Julie Grace Immink
14/14 Portrait of Humanity Vol 2
Portrait of Humanity is the annual award organised by 1854 Media, and the accompanying book is published by Hoxton Mini Press, 320pp, 151mm x 199mm, £22.95, hardback
1/14 A Moment Shared by Udayan Sankar Pal
Chennai, India
Udayan Sankar Pal
2/14 Ebola Survivor Celina Kamanda by Simon Davis
Despite losing her entire family to Ebola, Celina is quietly resolute. I met her five days before Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free. Thanks to the charity Wharf Kids she is back in school. ‘I would like to be a doctor,’ she says. ‘When I was in the treatment centre I saw people suffering. Now I want to look after others.’
Simon Davis
3/14 Beau by Brock Elbank, London
‘On 15 April 2016 my life changed forever.
I slept at a friend’s, expecting to go to work in the morning, but I woke up from a coma three months later. I’d received third degree burns to 65 percent of my body and fourth degree burns to my left hand. I’ve been told I wrapped my friend in blankets and helped her out the third storey window and I went back into the fire to get my friend’s roommate. I’ve been told I’m a hero, but I wrestle with that idea because I don’t remember anything of the accident.’ – Beau
Brock Elbank
4/14 A Zebra in Myanmar by Bruce Collier
While travelling in Myanmar I came across this entrepreneurial local who had painted his horse to resemble a zebra. He was charging visitors for rides and this was his way of making his service stand out
Bruce Collier
5/14 Mother and Daughter by Lena Bushart
Berlin, Germany
Lena Bushart
6/14 After the Medicine by Daniel Fernández
I was invited to a private ayahuasca or ‘yagé’ ceremony conducted by the well-known indigenous Taita Eustorgio Payaguaje from Putumayo, the Amazon region of Colombia. After the ceremony I spoke with Eustorgio about humility. I remember his words clearly: ‘I am not a master. I am an imperfect human being like all of us.’
Daniel Fernández
7/14 My Grandmother On Her Bed by Lidewij Mulder, Haren, The Netherlands
My 82-year-old grandmother feels more like a friend to me. She is very youthful and mischievous and has taught me how to be an independent woman. My grandmother has been fighting for equality since she was a kid
Lidewij Mulder
8/14 Closer to Heaven by Mauro De Bettio, Tigray, Ethiopia
Keshi Assefa Hagos is a priest at Abuna Yemata
Guh church, arguably the most inaccessible place of worship on earth. The monolithic church, perched high atop a vertical rock with steep drops on all sides, is only accessible by foot
Mauro De Bettio
9/14 Manny and Courtney by Maria Sturm, m Fayetteville, North Carolina, US
Manny is a young Native American man who identifies as a member of the Lumbee Tribe. Courtney doesn’t identify as Native American but is a strong supporter of Manny’s dancing and drumming. She accompanies him to as many events as she can
Maria Sturm
10/14 Easy Lies the Head by Sankar Sridhar, Anandpur Sahib, India
A member of the martial Nihang sect at the Hola Mohalla festival where people show off their strength and display their prowess through horse riding, swords- manship and forms of self-defence. This elder gave me permission to photograph him while he tied his turban comprising 900 metres of cloth. He told me his turban would weigh 16 kilograms once complete
Sankar Sridhar
11/14 Dancing Halmonis by An Rong Xu
These women belong to a senior dance troupe
that performs for the Korean American community in Queens, New York City. In their 60s, 70s and 80s these Halmonis (‘grandmothers’) dance, jive and are having the time of their lives
An Rong Xu
12/14 Greta Thunberg on Stage by Eric Demers
Eric Demers
13/14 Shaving Grandpa by Julie Grace Immink, California, US
My son helps me to shave my dad who was diagnosed with dementia when my son was born. He helps with many daily tasks. Overwhelmed by having to care for the needs of my father and a bouncing toddler, I turned to photography as an outlet. The pictures I made explore the trials of ageing, mental health and how community shapes our identity
Julie Grace Immink
14/14 Portrait of Humanity Vol 2
Portrait of Humanity is the annual award organised by 1854 Media, and the accompanying book is published by Hoxton Mini Press, 320pp, 151mm x 199mm, £22.95, hardback
Published during one of the most significant times of our lives, Portrait of Humanity Vol 2 is a 300-page volume of 200 intimate portraits and stories.
These arresting faces and touching anecdotes remind us of our common struggles, our deep bonds and, perhaps most importantly in light of the Covid-19 crisis, the restorative power of community.
The book supports a global touring exhibition and images will be exhibited on Clear Channel digital screens internationally.
Portrait of Humanity is the annual award organised by 1854 Media, and the accompanying book is published by Hoxton Mini Press
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