8 unmissable London photography exhibitions - Summer 2025

As a photographer, you view life through your own personal lens. Perfecting your work and discovering your style as you explore life through your camera is crucial to reaching your full potential and becoming the professional photographer you want to be. However, taking the time to explore the work of others will allow you to see different perspectives and styles that you might wish to employ or emulate yourself. But where do you go to explore said work? 

Attending a photography exhibition in London is an excellent way to broaden your horizons, discover new work and see how others utilise composition, concepts and lighting. There are plenty of photography exhibitions in London to explore this spring. In this guide, we’ll take a look at 8 unmissable photography exhibitions in London that are happening now or right around the corner: 

1. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025
2. World Press Photo Exhibition 2025
3. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 
4. Peter Mitchell: Nothing Lasts Forever
5. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025
6. Being: A Photographic Journey on Selfhood
7. Photowalk Exhibition
8. The Power and the Glory

If you’re ready to explore new themes, lives, and experiences, let’s take a closer look at the stunning photography exhibitions in London listed above. 

1. Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025

• Dates: Now until 15 June 2025
• Price: £10 (£7 concession). Advance: £8.50 (£6 concession). Members go free.
• Location: The Photographer's Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW
• Learn More: You can learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/deutsche-borse-photography-foundation-prize-2025

This influential annual prize was established by The Photographers’ Gallery in 1996, identifying and rewarding artists and their projects considered to have made the most significant contribution to photography over the previous year.

The exhibition features photographs from all shortlisted artists: Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune, Tarrah Krajnak and Lindokuhle Sobekwa. Their work shows the power of photography to explore, investigate and interrogate our world. The winner of the £30,000 prize this year is Lindokuhle Sobekwa, for the book I carry Her photo with Me, published by MACK in 2024.

2. World Press Photo Exhibition 2025

• Dates: 23 May - 25 August 2025
• Price: Adult Standard: £16.50 / Adult Off Peak: £13.50 / Child 12 – 16: £6 / Child under 12: Free / Concession: £11.
• Location: MPB Gallery, Here East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E15 2GW
• Learn More: You can learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at https://theexhibitionists.co.uk

The 68th World Press Photo Exhibition makes its return to London this year at the brand new MPB Gallery in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The annual photojournalism exhibition tours over 60 cities and highlights the year's most impactful visual stories and narrative storytelling.

The contest received nearly 60,000 entries by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries across the globe. The winner of this year's competition was Mahmoud Ajjour, Aged Nine by photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times. The photograph depicts a child who lost both his arms in an Israeli attack on Gaza city, after he turned back to urge others onward.

3. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 

• Dates: Now until 29 June 2025

• Price: Adult off-peak tickets from £15.50 / Peak tickets from £18
• Location: East Pavilion Gallery, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD
• Learn More: You can find more information and purchase your tickets at https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year.html

The infamous Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 competition returns for its sixtieth year to showcase the world’s best wildlife photography from across the world.

The winner of this year's People's Choice Award was No Access by Ian Wood, which depicts "an ambling Eurasian badger appear[ing] to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in St Leonards-on-Sea, England, UK".

4. Peter Mitchell: Nothing Lasts Forever

• Dates: 7 Mar - 15 Jun 2025
• Price:  £10 / £7 concession. Advance: £8.50 / £6 concession. Free for members. Admission is free on Fridays after 5pm.
• Location: The Photographer's Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW
• Learn More: You can learn more about this exhibit and book tickets at https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/peter-mitchell-nothing-lasts-forever

Regarded as "one of the most important early colour photographers of the 1970s and 80s", Peter Mitchell is a British photographer whose work predominantly revolves around his connection to Leeds, capturing its people, architecture, and the city's evolution over more than four decades.

This retrospective exhibition delves into proud shopkeepers, quiet backstreets, and enigmatic scarecrows, reflecting Mitchell'a unique and sometimes unconventional view of the city's transformation. The exhibition will feature rarely seen works from Mitchell's personal collection, along with personal memorabilia and found objects.

5. Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2025

• Dates: Now until 11 August 2025 
• Price: Free to attend.
• Location: National Maritine Museum, Romney Rd, London SE10 9NF
• Learn More: You can learn more about the exhibition and plan your visit at https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/astronomy-photographer-year/exhibition

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual competition where photographers across the globe compete for the prestigious title. Shortlisted candidates go on display at the National Maritime Museum in London.

All the wonders of the cosmos come alive in this beautiful exhibition of astronomical photography. From immense planets to shimmering nebulae, there's nothing quite like looking into the vast splendour of space to put the human experience into perspective.

Now in its 16th year, entries are judged within eight main categories for different astronomical subjects, each with a £1,500 prize for the winner and £500 for the runner-up. There will also be special awards for 'Best Newcomer' and 'Image Innovation', as well as a £1,500 prize for the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year (open to entrants under 16).

6. Being: A Photographic Journey on Selfhood

• Dates: 7 - 22 June 2025
• Price: Free to attend
• Location: Versus Arts, 114A Lower Clapton Road, London, E5 0QR
• Learn More: You can learn more about the exhibit and book your tickets at https://versusarts.com/pages/exhibition-selfhood

Curated by Dr. Nilay Islek, the exhibition brings together 7 contemporary photographers who approach the theme of selfhood with their unique languages, inviting the audience on both a visual and intellectual journey.

“Being” delves into the relationship individuals have with themselves, the multi-layered structure of identity, and internal transformations. The participating artists, through their works rooted in their personal contexts, present powerful and intimate narratives on the search for selfhood in contemporary society. The works in the exhibition range from direct portraits to abstractions, from digital interventions to classic frames, creating a multifaceted space for the interpretation of selfhood.

7. Photowalk Exhibition

• Dates: 15 June 2025
• Price: £10
• Location: Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3JQ
• Learn More: You can learn more about the event at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/photowalk-exhibition-tickets-1375055480959?aff=erelexpmlt

This one-day exhibition at Notting Hill Arts Club will feature photography from a range of international photographers, artists and hobbyists. The event celebrates analogue and experimental image-making in all its forms, from traditional darkroom prints to avant-garde mixed media. Whether you're a seasoned pro or simply passionate about photography, there’s something for everyone.

Visitors are encouraged to bring along a handful of printed photographs to exchange at the print swap, or a roll of undeveloped black and white film to be processed during the Zone Imaging film developing workshop. The exhibition will also be host to a world-class DJ set and a live photo booth, adding to the vibrant, creative atmosphere throughout the day.

8. The Power and the Glory

• Dates: 28 March - 31 August 2025
• Price: Free to attend
• Location: Newport Street Gallery, 1 Newport Street, London, SE11 6AJ
• Learn More: You can learn more about the event at https://www.newportstreetgallery.com/exhibition/current/

Curated by Connor Hirst, The Power and the Glory brings together a collection of scholars’ rocks displayed in conversation with archival photographs from the atomic age.

The exhibition features striking imagery from pivotal events in the history of nuclear science and warfare, including the 1945 Trinity test, U.S. nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll (1946–1958), and French tests from the 1960s. Also included are harrowing photographs capturing the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Wrapping up

No matter what type of photographer you want to become, visiting photography exhibitions is an outstanding way to discover new styles, learn how to improve your own art, and find inspiration. And with new collections and photography competitions popping up every month, there's no shortage of exciting works to discover.

Weekdays are generally quieter for most exhibitions, but you can book timeslots in advance online for all of them to guarantee admission. Why not make a day of it with a friend and visit a few in succession, stopping by at some local independent pubs to discuss your thoughts on each exhibition. All in the name of research, of course.

But what do you do when you’re ready to put your skills to the test? Who do you turn to for photoshoot locations? Tutti makes it easy for artists to find the right spaces for their work by connecting them directly with space owners to streamline the search and rental process. If you’ve been looking up, “photography studio London” to no avail, start here with Tutti!