Portraits From The North
Portraits from the North
28 Years of Photographing People in Their Own World
Portraits from the North is a collection of photographs selected from the past 28 years of my career, documenting the people, personalities and cultural identity of Northern England.
Every image has been created using a Hasselblad film camera, reflecting my commitment to traditional photographic techniques and the timeless quality of film photography.
From the very beginning, my intention was to photograph people within their own environment — in the places where they live, work and create. Rather than bringing my subjects into the controlled surroundings of a studio, I wanted to enter their world and capture something more personal and authentic.
For me, a portrait should reveal more than the person standing in front of the camera. The surroundings, the atmosphere and the relationship between the subject and their environment all contribute to the story. These elements help create photographs that offer a deeper insight into the character and identity of each individual.
Over nearly three decades, this approach has allowed me to build a distinctive photographic archive celebrating the people who have helped shape the North of England's cultural landscape.
Portraits from the North is not simply a collection of faces; it is a visual record of people, places and stories, captured on film and preserved through photography.
Paul Wolfgang Webster
