Curtis Hughes is a British social documentary portrait photographer and educator whose work primarily focuses on collaborating with people. He strives to portray aspects of individuals that he can personally relate to, allowing for self-reflection. Curtis always works with available natural light, finding the process both liberating and organic.

Through his work, Curtis always seeks emotion and honesty, and he is often drawn to moments of vulnerability, exploring the intricate relationships we have with ourselves and with his subjects. His portrait-centric approach explores themes such as love, identity, belonging, and the human experience, all while questioning and challenging societal conventions.

His work has been featured in the annual British Journal of Photography's Portrait of Britain and Portrait Humanity award, as well as the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize by the National Portrait Gallery, Head On Portrait Award, and PhotoVogue. Curtis now resides between the UK and Berlin where he continues to work on refining his craft and visual signature in portraiture.

press & features

2023: Der Greif Guest Room - Damarice Amao & Matthais Pfaller 
2023: Anywhere Blvd
2023: Der Spiegel - ‘Tinder is the answer to one of our biggest problems‘
2023: The Guardian - 'Cowboys, cops and coffee mornings: Portrait of Britain winners – in pictures'
2023: Aesthetica - 'Human Relationships'
2023: The Times - 'Portraits of Britain: capturing the nation’s many faces'
2023: Thentherewas us 2022
2022: Sound of Life - '10 Photographers to keep an eye on'
2022: PhotoVogue
2022: Wales Onlne - 'The student whose striking images of everyday life are on display across the UK'
2021: Cardiff Life Magazine - 'A Portrait of Britain Awards’ winner captivates us'
2021: Introspective Collective Zine, Volume 1, UK.
2021: Police Kicking Kids Zine, Volume 1, UK.

education

2019-2022: BA Documentary Photography, University of South Wales (First Class Honors), Wales.

book features

2023: Love Story by Hoxton Mini Press
2023: Portrait of Britain BJP x Hoxton Mini Press.
2023: Portrait of Humanity BJP x Hoxton Mini Press.
2022: Portrait of Britain BJP x Hoxton Mini Press.
2022: Portrait of Humanity BJP x Hoxton Mini Press.
2021: Portrait of Britain BJP x Hoxton Mini Press.

awards

2023: Shortlisted for Revela’t analog photography festival, Barcelona, Spain.
2023: Nominated for Leica Oscar Barnack Award, Germany.
2023: Open Walls Single Image Winner, British Journal of Photography, UK.
2023: Finalist for Kuala Lumpur Portrait Prize, Malaysia.
2023: Shortlisted for Felix Schoeller Photo Award, Germany.
2023: Shortlisted for Booooooom Photo Awards, Canada.
2023: Winner & Shortlisted, Portrait of Britain, British Journal of Photography, UK.
2023: Winner & Shortlisted, Portrait of Humanity, British Journal of Photography, UK.
2022: Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, Exhibitor, National Portrait Gallery, UK.
2022: Finalist for Head On Portrait Prize, Australia.
2022: Open Doors Photo Prize, Longlist, UK.
2022: Finalist for Film Photo Award, USA.
2022: BarTur Photo Awards, 2nd place, UK.
2022: Budapest International Photography Awards, Hungary.
2022: Then There Was Us, Annual Photobook, UK.
2022: Shortlisted for Royal Photographic Society 164 International Exhibition, UK.
2022: F-Stop Magazine, The Portrait Issue, USA.
2022: Selected Emerging Artist, Hamburg Portfolio Review, Germany.
2022: Pupil Sphere Graduate Showcase Artist of the year, UK.
2022: Finalist for EIZO Student Award, UK.
2022: Shortlisted for Portrait of Humanity, British Journal of Photography, UK.
2022: Recipient of Reginald Salisbury Award, UK.
2022: Winner, Portrait of Britain, British Journal of Photography, UK.
2021: Winner, Portrait of Britain, British Journal of Photography, UK.

group show exhibitions

2023: Kuala Lumpur Portrait Prize Exhibition, KL, Malaysia.
2023: Phest Photo Festival projection, Monopoli, Italy.
2023: Indian Photo Festival, Hyderabad, India.
2023: Belfast Exposed Festival, Belfast, NI
2023: Aperture Film Lab, Berlin, Germany.
2023: Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, Edinburgh, UK.
2023: Freiraum Für Fotografie, Berlin, Germany.
2023: Portrait of Britain by JCDecaux, UK.
2022: Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, London, UK.
2022: CULTVR, Cardiff, UK.
2022: Packed Lunch Exhibition, Cardiff, UK.
2022: Portrait of Britain by JCDecaux, UK.
2021: Portrait of Britain by JCDecaux, UK.
2021: Dominoes and Dice. Cardiff, UK.
2020: Lifting the Lid, Antigua, Guatemala.