Duchess of Cambridge Announces Photo Project and Exhibition to Document Life in Lockdown Britain

Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, who is a patron of the Royal Photographic Society, has announced a new project for photographers to take part, which will culminate in a digital exhibition. 

A keen photographer herself, Middleton has launched "Hold Still," a nationwide photography project in the United Kingdom aimed at capturing a piece of social history through "the spirit, the mood, the hopes, the fears and the feelings of the nation as we continue to deal with coronavirus outbreak." This initiative is launched in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London, United Kingdom. We have already seen many photographers document the empty streets and what family life is in lockdown, so this project could become a national effort to piece together a visual documentation of how it felt and how every-day life was altered across different parts of the country. 

The project is focusing on three main themes, "Helpers and Heroes," "Your New Normal," and "Acts of Kindness." For photographers submitting their work, they will also be asked to provide a brief description the story behind the images and the emotions captured. One thing to note, the images will not be judged on the photographer's technical ability to execute the work but instead will be focused on the story depicted and emotions told through the imagery. Also, images must involve people. 

Although the main initiative is to exhibit the 100 shortlisted images in a digital exhibition in August 2020, a selection of work is also to be shown across the country later in the year. The submissions are open to photographers of all levels and ages, and there is no submission fee. You can send in images taken with a smartphone or a camera. The closing date for work submitted is 18 June 2020 and you can submit your entries on National Portrait Gallery website. 

Lead image by tsaiproject used under Creative Commons.