Christian Emanuel is a black, portrait photographer from Birmingham, UK. With roots in filmmaking, he originally picked up a stills camera in 2018 to sharpen his visual eye and further learn about lighting and composition to improve his directing skills but then later fell in love with the craft. His work is primarily rooted in conceptual portraiture with his most recent works exploring modern blackness against a backdrop of film imagery.
Christian utilises film cameras and finds enjoyment within the analogue process, taking advantage of its need for concentration to work with intention. in late 2021 he developed his first photo collection and Images from the series have been displayed as part of the 'Humanity' exhibition in Sotheby's London, 'The Bath Open Art Prize' at 44AD Artspace and the 'West Midlands Open' at The New Art Gallery Walsall.
In April 2023 Christian took part in a 3 month residency programme that was funded by Apple and the Southbank Centre. The residency culminated in a month long summer exhibition of photo works and moving image and was titled 'Reframe: The Residency Exhibition' as part of Southbank Centre's Planet Summer.
