HOT HOT HOT MAGAZINE // /  by sophie green

Hot Hot Hot magazine publish a series of portraits taken at a red hair festival called 'Red Love' - an event dedicated to redheads, giving individuals of the rare hair color honorable recognition for which they often face unfair ridicule. Made in collaboration with stylist, Adam Winder.

02_002_SG002303-R1-04-5.JPG

MODERN WEEKLY // /  by sophie green

Cowboy Country is a documentation of the subculture of western riders in the UK for Modern Weekly Magazine. A world away from the Great Plains of Texas and Wyoming is a whole community of British cowboys and cowgirls, cantering across the countryside in Devon, Kent and beyond. British western riders are – like their American counterparts – stetson and spur-sporting horse enthusiasts opting for a livelier alternative to conventional, demure English riding and are watched by raucous crowds at competition arenas around the country. Riders love to dress up and win marks for good presentation at competitions. There are staples in western fashion - fringed chaps, bright sequined shirts, high-waisted jeans, chunky jewel encrusted belts - but from season to season the desirable colours, patterns and styles morph. The sport is not only much more gender inclusive, drawing in lots of young women, but it also allows the horses to show off spectacular tricks and carries with it a deep-rooted sense of togetherness and community. Cowboy Country was created in collaboration with stylist Adam Winder and journalist Ellie Harrison. Out now.

FINAL.jpg

TAYLOR WESSING PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT PRIZE 2018 // /  by sophie green

Super excited to announce my portrait of 'Joshua' from my up and coming book titled 'Congregation', has been selected as part of this years Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018 exhibition held at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The show opens October.

'Joshua' - A portrait of 9 year old Joshua, who sits in the chair after service ends. Joshua spontaneously styled the pink comb in his hair, perhaps asserting his individuality. The randomness of the positioned comb is an interesting contrast to the formality of his garments and provides an injection of colour into the predominantly white surroundings.

17_SG (2).jpg

TOM ODELL ALBUM ARTWORK // /  by sophie green

I photographed Tom Odell's album artwork, commissioned for Sony.

REVUE MAGAZINE // /  by sophie green

New work out now - 'An Iron Hand In A Velvet Glove' - a documentation of the arm wrestling sport and its competitors, shot in the UK and Romania with stylist Stuart Williamson for Revue Magazine. See here on my website; http://www.sophiegreenphotography.com/revue/

SG991964-R1-04-5.JPG

Cover of David Green for Bloomberg Businessweek // /  by sophie green

New European Cover for Bloomberg Businessweek: Britain's white-collar cops are getting too good at their job. In the era of Brexit, not everyone wants the Serious Fraud Office to chase rich wrongdoers out of the country. Article by Franz Wild.

Screen Shot 2018-03-07 at 18.03.24.jpg

GOOGLE CAMPAIGN // /  by sophie green

I was commissioned to create a campaign for the Google Pixel 2 phone. Focusing on a variety of everyday concepts, the campaign captures the ordinary in a new light – with a new found beauty and was shot entirely on the Google Pixel 2 phone. The 'saltshaker' concept presented here is one part of the global campaign.

BBC CAMPAIGN // /  by sophie green

I was commissioned by BBC Three to shoot their latest campaign. BBC Three celebrates life, with no filter, the campaign captures a mix of individuals who have featured in stories, documentaries and comedies across the channel.

CONGREGATION WORKSHOP // /  by sophie green

My most recent project – collaborating with the church congregation for the last year and a half – has been particularly special. Alongside the shoots, I have been doing some photography workshops, which generally culminate in a variety of unrelated activities including dance offs, climbing tractors or doing gymnastics on the street. Here are some behind the scenes snaps...

BLACK DIAMOND // /  by sophie green

Sharing a little story I shot of 'Ayu' in Tokyo last year who is a member of the Ganguro 'Black Diamond' subculture. Ganguro is an alternative fashion trend among young Japanese women that started in the mid 1990s by rebellious youth who contradicted the traditional Japanese concept of beauty; pale skin, dark hair and neutral makeup tones. Ganguro instead tanned their skin, bleached their hair and used colourful makeup in striking ways. The Ganguro trend reached its peak by the end of a decade, it then became almost obsolete by early 2000 when a ‘Bihaku’ craze emerged among young women who wanted to imitate the look of their favourite popular singers. However there are still over 100 Ganguro’s survivors who call themselves the ‘Black Diamonds’ who are swimming against the conventional fashion current in Japan today, keen to revive the Ganguro subculture.

Ayu – “While gal culture takes a variety of forms, I'm affiliated with the Ganguro genre, an original Japanese culture which isn’t just about style and beauty but a way of life. Whilst some Gyaru’s came and went with the fashion wave a while ago, Gyaru’s still exist and continue against the fashion trends and have strong policies and mind-sets. I knew about the Ganguro since the beginning, I wrote to their blogs, those Ganguro’s I met were my entry-point to the culture, it's liberating to connect with like-minded people and we all became fast friends. I've been part of this community for fourteen years. Some people have really taken to the Ganguro aesthetic, they'll see us on the street and rush over in amazement. The whole package is key but the most important is having dark skin, there is the showy makeup, hairdos, and nails. If you don't show skin, you're not a gal, Japanese people like tanned skin, it’s unusual. Our style wouldn’t be able to continue if we cared about how others thought of us all the time. ‘You only live once’ - there is quite a bit of this kind of mind-set in Gyaru’s – this idea that you only have one life, so you have to ‘seize the moment’ and enjoy it to the full without worrying about how you look to others. I just want to stay true to myself. However we're a minority and we are misunderstood by society. We are used to people hurling abuse and even garbage at us. I guess you could say we all have great skill for just not caring about those kinds of things. It's as though we're treated as sub-human, even though we have hearts, some people really think we're strange. People judge by appearances and those who want to spend time with the real me don't care about that. My boyfriend is a normal guy, so there have been problems. He doesn't mind introducing me to his seniors, but some people might think he's an odd-ball but he's dating me for the person I am inside. Thanks to the internet, there are girls all over the world who admire Gyaru fashion. I would be thrilled if someone told me that meeting me has changed the way they appreciate our culture.”