Alys Tomlinson

These images were taken between June and August 2020. With school proms canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I photographed 44 local teenagers dressed in outfits they would have worn to prom. Instead of being in the usual settings of school halls or hotel function rooms, I captured them in their domestic outdoor spaces, gardens and streets where they live.

These young people are all aged between 15-19 years old. Many of them had their final exams canceled and had nothing to mark this significant step in growing up and leaving school. The portraits were all taken locally in north London. They represent a loss and longing, but also celebrate each teenager as an individual, navigating this strange and challenging time… (més)