These photos capture the diversity and eccentricity of British life

“Britishness isn’t a singular identity,” says Sophie Green, who has spent the past decade photographing the rituals at the heart of British society. “It’s a patchwork of voices, traditions, and cultures, continuously reimagined by those who live it.” Over the years, Green has captured women getting their hair done in the salons in Peckham, the sense of community and closeness that’s fostered in those spaces, as well as their quiet resistance in an area of rapid gentrification. She’s been privy to the pride of the Traveller community, who cling onto centuries-old traditions like horse trading and cockerel fights, and seen the joy of performers at Irish dance competitions and British cowboy shows. And she’s attended high-octane banger races, where cars built with care are destroyed in competition, and witnessed how modified cars at streetcar festivals are used as symbols of masculinity and self-expression.

In Southwark’s Aladura Spiritualist African churches, Green photographed congregants wearing white garments to symbolise spiritual purity and connection, singing hymns, sharing meals, and maintaining strong ties to their primarily Yoruba Nigerian heritage. In one portrait, a woman called Hannah holds her cousin in her arms at the annual Harvest Festival – an intergenerational gathering full of food and music, where the churches overflow onto the streets. The formal white dresses against the backdrop of urban south London “captures the beautiful intersection where tradition and contemporary life meet”, Green says.

Her new book, Tangerine Dreams, holds space for their stories. “It’s about showing the resilience and richness of community life in contemporary Britain – not as a nostalgic ideal, but as a living, evolving reality. I hope it encourages reflection on what binds us, especially when so much attention is given to what divides us.” She recognises that as an outsider, it was important to approach each situation with humility and respect, and never assume understanding but rather commit to listening, observing and showing up over time. As a result, the process was always collaborative, she says, giving her subjects a sense of agency and self-expression on their own terms. “Each community I documented allowed me to witness aspects of life that are sometimes invisible to the wider public, and being invited into these spaces felt like a privilege.”

British humour, with its dry wit, subtle absurdity, and love of the understated, often finds its way into my work. I’m especially drawn to those quiet, humorous moments

Her images, taken on a 35mm and medium format film camera, are bright, colourful and full of a stylised intensity. At the moment, she’s looking to abstract painters: Rachel Jones and Jadé Fadojutimi, whose pieces, like hers, are full of layers and movement. “I find painting so inspiring because it challenges me to think about how much colour can be packed into a single frame.” But it’s also the eccentric and idiosyncratic details in a scene that give it character, unpredictability and warmth, she says.

“British humour, with its dry wit, subtle absurdity, and love of the understated, often finds its way into my work. I’m especially drawn to those quiet, humorous moments that say something deeper about people and places – where charm, contradiction, and resilience come through in a glance, gesture or detail. For me, humour isn’t just about entertainment; it’s a way of seeing, a form of emotional connection, and a tool for telling stories that feel raw, human, and unfiltered.” 

A perfect example is her playful image of a baby lying in a frilly, old-fashioned pram that’s juxtaposed with a banger car that’s crumpled like a tin can, or another picture, taken at Ascot, of a woman’s colourful hat with a replica of a racecourse with toy horses on the rim. There’s a woman in pink leopard print who has “Girl Racer” tattooed on her stomach at the Modified Nationals in Lincolnshire; and a man using a trainer to keep his top weighted down on his face while he lies in the sun on the beach with his daughter resting her head on his chest. Others are softer: a portrait of a young Traveller boy proudly presenting his prized cockerel at a Traveller Horse Fair; or an image of Elise with Sienna, her Yorkshire terrier, looking very alike at the Bath Canine Society Dog Show.

“The stories of community and connection I’ve encountered reveal a Britain rich with untold narratives – histories that may not always make the headlines but are deeply woven into the country’s cultural fabric. There is often a tension between pride and perseverance, heritage and adaptation,” she says. “Yet, what stands out most is the resilience of these communities and their ongoing efforts to define their place within the national story. What makes Britain so fascinating to document is its constant reinvention. There’s a depth to everyday life here that speaks to history, struggle, joy, and creativity. This complexity is what makes Britain such a dynamic place for storytelling, and why it continues to inspire my work.”

The cliched image of an England that’s rainy, grey and devoid of colour, is not one that resonates with Sophie. “It’s kaleidoscopic, full of character and complexity. That’s the England I want to celebrate and preserve.” By photographing the quieter, often overlooked ways that people gather; sharing collective experiences and rituals that shape a sense of belonging; she chooses to turn away from narratives in the mainstream that often focus on fracture. “I wanted to shift the lens toward connection — how people create meaning, community, and identity through shared acts, however ordinary or deeply personal they might be.”