BBC Four’s Great British Photography Challenge 2021 came to a conclusion tonight with joint winners crowned.
Portrait and fashion icon Rankin has been mentoring budding photographers through the four-part series.
Tonight (14 June) saw the final as not one, but two winners were named.
Jackson Moyles, 21, from Dunfermline, and Tyrone Williams, 28, from Northampton, were crowned joint winners and are the first photographers to claim the title in this new series.
Over the past four weeks, portrait icon and Dazed & Confused magazine co-founder Rankin – whose subjects have included the Queen, David Bowie, Madonna and Kate Moss – has been guiding a new generation of creatives, as six passionate amateur photographers from across the UK embarked on the challenge of a lifetime.
In the final he praised all six contestants and said he was so proud to have worked with them all.
Rankin said: “Picking a winner for the show was really hard. It prompted some heated debate between me and the other judges. Tyrone and Jackson are completely different photographers, with two very different styles and career paths.
“Tyrone is an art photographer, with a really clear voice. His work grabbed my attention from the very beginning. Jackson’s work, on the other hand, grew as he found himself over the competition. So in that way, they were both stand-out photographers who showed their talent during the competition.
“There was no way we could split them – they were both clear winners in their own right. Now we’re excited to invite everyone to have a look at their talent first-hand as they reveal brand new works in their winners exhibition launching at 10pm on Monday 14 June.”
Meet the winners
Jackson Moyles, 21, from Dunfermline – a self-taught landscape photographer whose work reflects his love of freedom and nature – is currently a student and also works part-time in a care home.
Tyrone Williams, 28, from Northampton, has been practising photography for over ten years alongside working as a Graphic Designer, his images focus on urban environments and spotlighting the mundane to show an everyday beauty.
Jackson said: “It came as a bit of a surprise considering my ups and downs in the series, but it really felt like an affirmation that Rankin and the team understood what I was striving to achieve. The journey was class: an exceptional time for a relatively new photographer like me. The biggest thing I took away was the importance of communicating – when I communicated poorly, my final work suffered. Once I understood this element was vital, I produced some of my best work. I was lucky to have worked with some incredibly talented photographers from all genres and I’m truly thankful.”
Tyrone added:: “I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to work with and meet such passionate photographers and creatives. Winning the series has been such a great feeling and an amazing validation for my photography portfolio but I feel all of us have achieved so much in the series. To all execute the challenges as we did and to all exhibit our work in the final, helping each other with every step, you can call us all winners.”
With no weekly eliminations, the series allowed all six hopefuls to develop their signature style and build a diverse portfolio as they tackled various assignments around the county – from smartphone camera briefs to themed photography challenges led by celebrity guests and expert creatives.
You can watch the full series online via BBC iPlayer here.
