James Glossop

James Glossop was among the first on the scene when riots broke out following the murder of three girls at a summer dance club in Southport. His shot of two grim-faced policemen, holding riot shields, helping an injured colleague past a flaming vehicle, was a defining image of the shocking events.

In contrast is the unsettling shot of a young woman being forced into the foetal position as the air is sucked out from between two large plastic sheets where she is posing. It was part of a performance artwork in Newcastle, where willing victims were effectively vacuum-packed. The woman seems suspended in mid-air, the photograph lent extra depth by Glossop’s flash highlighting wrinkles in the plastic.

A foreign commission yielded a striking photograph of soldiers from the Spanish Foreign Legion bearing aloft a life-size effigy of Christ on the Cross in the Easter procession in Malaga. The effigy is the same ochre colour as the wall in the background, and the angle of the shot means Christ almost appears to be looking at the photographer.

Glossop’s “outstanding” work shows “versatility, style and deftness of touch,” said the judges, praising his combination of gritty reportage realism and cinematic lighting.