Once a slag

Once a slag
October 27, 2026 7:30 pm
Philippa James

Following her talk for OPS last year, we’re pleased to welcome photographer Philippa James back to talk about her project, Once a Slag.

Philippa is a British photographer whose work explores women, girlhood and identity. Her work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, and she has received recognition including the LensCulture Emerging Talent Award and the Portraits of Humanity Award. Her work has also been published widely, including in The Guardian.

Once a Slag explores girlhood through photographs of Philippa’s teenage daughter and her friends. The project considers the influence of social media, sexuality and misogyny, and the ways young women navigate identity and expectations.

Philippa will talk about how the project developed, from its beginnings through to exhibition and publication, as well as the creative and ethical challenges of working with such a personal and sensitive subject.

What will members take away?

    • An insight into developing a personal project over time.
    • Practical ideas around portraiture, editing and building a body of work.
    • A look at the process of taking a project from an initial idea through to exhibition and publication.
Documentary, Portrait