Finn Wolfhard relaxes into top photography prize

Get up-close and personal with the 'Stranger Things' star as a part of a mesmerising portfolio of award-winning portraits

Hero image in post
photo: Celeste Sloman / The Washington Post
Hero image in post
photo: Celeste Sloman / The Washington Post

Get up-close and personal with the 'Stranger Things' star as a part of a mesmerising portfolio of award-winning portraits

By Lucy O'Brien27 Oct 2022
2 mins read time
2 mins read time

Sick of grainy selfies? Well, it's time to get a load of the latest edition of a yearly prize and exhibition showcasing the best of the best in portrait photography. The annual Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize brings together professional and amateur photographers from across the globe, and this year’s selection does not disappoint.

Among the images in the 2022 longlist, you'll see a face familiar to any Netflix fan. As you may have guessed from this article's title, it's none other than part-time actor, part-time indie-punk singer Finn Wolfhard. Best known for his role in Stranger Things' as angsty teen Mike Wheeler, the actor was lensed by American photographer Celeste Sloman in an arresting coming-of-age portrait. Originally commissioned for an interview in The Washington Post, this striking image is now set to be hung up on a gallery wall - where it belongs!

This photograph is one of the 51 portraits from 36 artists currently on display as part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022 exhibition, which is a pretty major deal. However, the winner of the competition was French photographer Clémentine Schneidermann, whose pandemic-era images of Welsh neighbours hanging laundry and sitting aimlessly in their gardens (their identities always artfully hidden from the camera) offer a romanticised version of lockdown life. The judges praised the way Schneidermann subverted traditional portraiture conventions by creating intimacy with her subjects despite never depicting their faces. Talk about talented!

Hosted by the National Portrait Gallery, you can see Schneidermann's work on display in the supporting exhibition alongside the work of runner-ups Haneem Christian and Alexander Komenda and the other artists on the long list.

Here, you'll be able to witness a stunning mix of identities and experiences from a range of emerging and established photographers. If you want to know what's next in culture, you'd better head on down but to get a preview you can check out our selection of faves below.

The artworks are on display at Cromwell Place, London, while the Portrait Gallery’s HQ in St Martin’s Place is currently undergoing renovation. Open to the public now until 28 December 2022, you can book your slot here.

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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022 (winner). Clementine Schneidermann. Camelot Court #2
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022 (2nd prize). Haneem Christian. Mother and Daughter
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022 (3rd prize). Alexander Komenda. Zahid's Son
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Celeste Sloman. Portrait of Finn Wolfhard
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Carmen Ballve. Ashley
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Suleika Mueller. Shaheen and Bari
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Sarah Mei Herman. Zhoahui & Davey
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Rosie Barnes. Margaret Pelling
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Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2022. Tony Sebastian Ukpo. Island Devil