Portrait of The 1975’s Matty Healy shortlisted at British Photography Awards

A portrait of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has been shortlisted for the 2026 British Photography Awards. Newcastle photographer Neil Ferry, 56, took the picture while Healy was rehearsing for his performance at the Sunday For Sammy charity show in the city this February (via BBC News). He took the image in just a couple of minutes, and described the piece as his “vision of a timeless portrait, using light, tone and texture to create an atmosphere that feels removed from contemporary publicity photography”. Ferry’s portrait is one of three photos he is shortlisted for at this year’s British Photography Awards. The winners are set to be announced on Sunday November 1. The photographer only started taking pictures at the age of 48, and subsequently enrolled on a BA at Newcastle College. “So I went in, [Healy] was really busy, lovely, lovely guy and he said, ‘Look, you know, I’m rehearsing, but I’ve got a couple of minutes before I go home,'” Ferry explained. “I literally only had a minute to do the photo.” He went on to say that the musician was “really tired” from his long rehearsals, “but that really made the photograph, in my opinion”. Ferry added: “And I loved the fact that he wa...