London is the place for me! The capital’s best image makers – in pictures

Alys Tomlinson – Samuel, Lost Summer

To mark the 10th edition of Photo London, London Lives brings together over 30 of the capital’s most celebrated and innovative image-makers. Alys Tomlinson works mostly in black and white, exploring themes of faith, ritual and identity. The Lost Summer portraits were taken in summer 2020. With school proms cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she photographed teenagers dressed in outfits they would have worn to the prom, shot in their gardens, backyards and local parks. London Lives is showing at Photo London from 15 – 18 May

Miles Aldridge – The Red Lion #3, 2012

Aldridge rose to prominence in the mid-90s with his arresting, highly stylised photographs containing references to film noir, art history and pop culture. An acclaimed colourist, he renders elaborate mise-en-scènes in a palette of vibrant acidic hues. These eroticised images probe society’s idealised notions of domestic bliss, where sinister undercurrents swirl beneath a flawless surface. Aldridge remains one of the few photographers still shooting predominately on film

Rut Blees Luxemburg - London Dust, 2014

Rut Blees Luxemburg’s projects include Silver Forest (2016), an architectural installation on the western facade of Westminster city hall, and London Dust (2011–13), a series of photographs and a film that trace the rapid architectural transformation of the City of London in relation to the development of CGI photographic representation. She also created the iconic cover for the Streets’ debut album Original Pirate Material

Hannah Starkey – Untitled, October 1998

Hannah Starkey is a contemporary British photographer best known for her images of women in staged settings. Particularly the city environment of London where she is based

Photograph: Courtesy Maureen Paley, London

Jamie Hawkesworth – The British Isles

Jamie Hawkesworth is known for his poetic portrayals of the architecture and people of Britain. Preferring the slower, more tactile approach of analogue photography, Hawkesworth shoots exclusively on film and meticulously develops his own prints. He surveys the nation’s residents with nuance and empathy, bringing a unique sense of mystery to his images – qualities which extend across his documentary and commercial fashion work

Mitra Tabrizian – Another Country 7, 2010

Over the past 30 years, British-Iranian photographer and filmmaker Mitra Tabrizian has explored themes of alienation and the chasms between third and first worlds, taking cues from the writings of Baudrillard and Lyotard

Nick Turpin – On the Night Bus #29

Renowned street photographer Turpin’s series On the Night Bus was published to much acclaim in 2017. Shot in the winter months from a raised platform in central London, Turpin captures bus passengers unawares during their evening commute. The portraits are at once beautiful and dark and raise questions about voyeurism and public and private space. Despite being shot from a long way off with a telephoto lens through thick windows that obscure or blur the subjects, the images reveal an intimate glimpse into the life of the city traveller

Chrystel Lebas – Plant Portraits or Weeds & Aliens Studies

Chrystel Lebas is a London-based visual artist interested in encouraging a wider understanding of the complex encounter between humankind and nature. Through photography, the moving image and sound she explores and reveals histories concealed in landscapes

Julia Fullerton-Batten – Bathing by Tower Bridge

Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine-art photographer renowned for her highly cinematic visual story-telling. Her large-scale projects are based around specific themes, each image embellishing her subject matter in a series of thought-provoking narrative ‘stories’ using staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting techniques. Unusual locations, highly creative settings and street-cast models accented with cinematic lighting are hallmarks of her work

David Bailey – East End

Originally from Newham, David Bailey is best known for his arresting yet spare portraits and fashion images, which have conveyed a radical sense of youth and sexuality, often typifying the look of the times. But Bailey has also taken many photos of London’s East End over his lifetime, documenting the changing physical and social landscape of east London. Although celebrated for the emotion and rigour of his compositions as a portrait photographer, Bailey has also proved his mastery in imbuing society and street with a visceral sense of time and place

Mary McCartney – Embrace, London 2013

Mary McCartney is a world renowned photographer, film-maker and sustainable food pioneer. Her work pays homage to the artistry of portraiture. Her connection with the sitter is intimate, personal and engaging, the viewer becomes both participant and an observer of these private moments. McCartney’s work has been featured globally, and much of it is held in major private and public permanent collections

Photograph: Courtesy of Château La Coste

Idris Khan – Tower Bridge, London, 2012

Idris Khan draws on diverse cultural sources including literature, history, art, music and religion. While his mindset is more painterly than photographic, he often employs the tools of photomechanical reproduction to create his work, photographing or scanning from secondary source material. He then builds up the layers of scans digitally, which allows him to meticulously control minute variances in contrast, brightness and opacity. The resultant images are often large-scale C-prints with surfaces that have a remarkable optical intensity

Photograph: Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro