Sam Falconer — London, UK

“Faces are everything to humans, both in the way we convey emotions and interact with each other. I think that this makes portraits unavoidably engaging and it’s one of the first things that a lot of us draw as kids. I think an illustrated portrait can add real beauty to an area in which a stock image may not, and of course characterisation can add comment to a piece that may not be as viable with straight photography.”

Sam Falconer’s surreal portraits often resemble what Identi-Kit photos would look like if the police were allowed to have a bit of fun. They are digitally constructed by collaging real-world textures and objects. He’s inspired by science fiction with a healthy dose of nonsense thrown in — most notable in his figures’ brightly coloured, cartoon-like noses. Based in the UK, he works for a raft of newspapers and magazines, as well as companies such as Nokia and British Airways.