Paul Pope is a documentary photographer and Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Through visual storytelling and psychological insight, he explores the ways people connect with others and the natural world. He is particularly interested in the quieter details of everyday life and places that often go unnoticed or are forgotten.
He frequently works with 35mm film, which suits a slower way of looking. His projects range from urban landscapes and industrial sites to seaside towns and local communities.
Paul’s interest in photography began in primary school, when he built a pinhole camera from black cardboard and a milk-bottle top. Alongside photography, he developed a fascination with human behaviour. For more than twenty years, he has researched how the brain enables us to think and act creatively.
His research into cognition and action also informs his photography, shaping how he approaches his subjects and encouraging him to look closely at the world around him.
Before focusing on self-initiated projects, Paul worked for many years as a documentary photographer, completing more than 500 commissions. His work has received international recognition and appeared in publications and exhibitions.
Today, he brings photography and psychology together, exploring how making photographs can encourage reflection, emotional understanding and human connection.
For Paul, photography is a way of paying attention to the world, while psychology offers a way to understand it.
Selected Publications
Royal Photographic Society
Analog.Cafe
Wedding Photojournalist Association
Rock My Wedding
Your West Midlands Wedding Magazine
Perfect Wedding Magazine
Wedding Ideas Magazine
Selected Commissions
Palace of Westminster
House of Lords
Twentieth Century Society
University of Birmingham
Rowton Castle
Royal Medical Benevolent Fund
Centre for Human Brain Health