Michael Stanborough, Men's Shed (PEOPLE 2026)

I started going to a local Men's Shed to learn how to make picture frames. I did that and along the way I discovered that the faces of the men told incredible stories, records of lived experience rather than curated or performative identity. So much online imagery is aspirational and promotes wellness, success, youth, certainty. Toxic positivity? These photos present another way of seeing life: blemished, ordinary and vulnerable. Taking them was a real privilege.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.