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This year’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition features 54 incredible portraits by 25 photographers, whittled down from 5,392 submissions. But who are the talented photographers behind the lens?

We caught up with two of the Portrait Prize’s exhibitors to find out more about them, their work and their top photography tips and tricks.

The second blog in this series is with Scottish photographer Polly Braden, who has two portraits on display in the exhibition from her series Holding the Baby. Over to you Polly…

Hi, I’m Polly Braden!
I’m a photographer who usually works on long term self-initiated projects. I love the start of projects, when an idea comes to me from reading something or talking to people, or a past body of work that leads onto the next.

The two photographs of mine featured in the exhibition are of Jana with her children Izaan and Yanna, and Barbeline on a train to work after she had dropped her son, Elijah at school. The photographs are part of a touring exhibition called Holding the Baby. ­­

Jana with Izaan, 5, and Yanna, 2. London 2020 and Barbeline, from the series Holding the Baby by Polly Braden © Polly Braden

How did you meet Jana and Barbeline?

I met Jana through the Light Pro Project in Islington. Jana had just moved into a refuge in Islington, living in one room with her two children and she was using the computers at Light Pro Project to apply to University. I met Barbeline through an organisation in Hackney.

Your series is titled Holding the Baby and highlights the challenges, strength and resilience of single parents. Could you tell us a little more about what initially inspired you to start this series and what drew you to these two sitters and moments to capture in particular?

In 2019 Philip Alston, a United Nations poverty expert, came to the UK to look at the effects of austerity. His conclusion was that austerity has had the largest impact on single parent families. I found this shocking and it led me to ask why and how could this happen. Having become a single parent myself, I started to look at some of the prejudices that would lead to policies that impact the parent who has stayed. With help from charities, law firms, community hubs, arts and women’s organisations, we got in touch with single parents asking them to be part of this project. Over the last two years I worked with Fran, Jahanara, Charmaine, Aaron, Barbeline, Caroline, Gemma, Carike and their children to represent each of their stories. These photographs have been made in collaboration to capture their optimism, creativity, ambition and resilience, transcending the often difficult situations they face.

Jana fled an arranged marriage two years ago. ‘I took my daughter’s car seat, milk bottle and some of their clothes and just called a taxi at one in the morning.’ After living in a women’s refuge, and on the third floor of a building with no lift, she’s now settled in a flat with a balcony. She started at Imperial College, London, in September. For the first six months Jana chose not to show her face, then one day she changed her mind and now her photo has been displayed in museums and libraries, in newspapers and on a billboard at Old Street roundabout!

Barbeline grew up in care and had Elijah when she was 18. She was with his dad for two years. ‘Elijah’s dad wasn’t happy that I didn’t have to rely on him. I’m always able to get on by myself.’
She set up a business producing designs for clothes, cushions and wallpaper in 2012. Barbeline however still has issues with her living situation, 'I don't share a bed with Elijah any more. I moved into the sitting room. Even if you have a teenager the council won't give you a bigger flat. A lot of single mothers live like this. It builds sadness.'

What do you hope someone will take away from your portraits after seeing them?

My hope is that people will come away feeling more empathy for single parent families. If they go into the exhibition with any preconceived ideas about single parents, I hope that they come away asking why do we have a two child limit on universal credit payments; why do we have a system that doesn’t ensure the absent parent pays child maintenance support (CMS has just under £400 million non-payment built up since the end of 2020); why are 91% of single parent families headed by women? (statistics from 2014) And mainly that they see the strength, wisdom, resilience and drive these women have to lead full and adventurous lives with their children.

A visitor admiring Polly's portraits on display at the Portrait Prize exhibition at Cromwell Place. Photo © David Parry

What does it mean to you for these portraits to have been selected for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize?

I’m incredibly happy and grateful to have these two portraits in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and for both Jana and Barbeline to be hung amongst all the other great women at the National Portrait Gallery (although I know it isn’t quite at the National Portrait Gallery!).

Finally, what's a piece of advice you wish you had received or that you'd like to give to someone just starting out in photography?

Keep pursuing the projects you care about. Knock on doors and ask questions.

Although the Portrait Prize exhibition is now closed, you can still enjoy the works on our website.