One million faces

   The above photo is from PORTRAIT SALON, a collection of portraits that have been entered for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at London's Portrait Gallery, the ones that didn't quite make it, or as they describe it a ' form of Salon des Refusés - an exhibition of works rejected from a juried art show - which has a long tradition as a fringe way of showcasing artists’ work that may otherwise go unseen.' A collection was highlighted in the Sunday Independent, and a larger sample was projected in venues in London, Brighton, Cardiff and Leeds last November. They can still be viewed at portraitsalon.tumblr.com. Since 99 per cent of entries don't make it to the Portrait Gallery, many by professional photographers, it's obvious there's going to be a lot to interest and impress among these, an amazing record of people in the 21st century.

Of course the other excellent way to view modern portraiture is to take a look at the many 'Humans of' Sites on Facebook, though the best is still the original Humans of New York by Brandon, who even covered a recent trip to Iran on the site, a very interesting project http://bit.ly/UGUtMx  .
But now he's back in New York, and he has an eclectic mix though his favourites seem to be lovers of all generations, children, and the most colourful residents. What's so impressive about Brandon is his ability to relate to his subjects in a very sympathetic but simple way, with his posts made more intriguing by short explanations or stories.