The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
April 2015 back issue
by Mr Elbank
In March 2015, Somerset House, London, presented a series of portraits by photographer Mr Elbank in which all of the
subjects sport a beard.
The pogonophiles come from all corners of the globe and from all walks of life; they include the famous facial hairs of
actor John Hurt and models Ricki Hall and Billy Huxley, but also other interesting characters such as tattooist Miles
Better and British woman Harnaam Kaur, who has been growing a beard since the age of 16 after being diagnosed
with polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition which causes excess hair growth.
While living and working in Sydney, Mr Elbank shot a mens’ concept editorial for Kiwi magazine Black on beards – one
of the first to recognise the beard’s rise in popularity. This resulted in a fascination with facial hair for Mr Elbank and he
started seeking subjects for a personal photography project on beards.
Through a friend, he met Jimmy Niggles who told him about his charity initiative following the death of his close friend
from skin cancer. Jimmy’s idea was to grow a beard as a conversation starter to spread the word about the
preventable disease and share his friend’s story. To support Niggles’ cause, Mr Elbank started up #Project60 whereby
he would photograph 60 people with beards to raise awareness of Niggles’ Beard Season and reach an international
audience by seeding them on social networking sites. He received over 1,200 applications from people wanting to
participate and those selected travelled to Mr Elbank’s rural Warwickshire home to sit for their portrait at their own
expense. The #Project60 images have been widely shared on social media and have encouraged viewers to go for
skin checks which can prove lifesaving.
Jimmy Niggles.
John Hurt.
Billy Huxley.
Miles Better.
Brandon Baker.
Ricki Hall.
Harnaam Kaur.
Stefan Bostrum.
Frank Moon.
Edwin Venn.
