Jessica van der Weert has been shooting the Live Pride Wide Open campaign for around eight hours when she poises at the edge of a sofa for our interview.
After a day that’s taken her from the controlled conditions of her friendly Brighton studio to balancing on a tree stump in a local park, she remains remarkably energised – almost buzzing from the shoot.
Her fame for portrait photography has seen her lens capture many of the leading figures across British and international music and contemporary culture. But the stars of today’s shoot are the real faces of the Live Pride Wide Open campaign.
By very generously giving her time for free, she’s enabled us to capitalise on the opportunity of digital advertising space around the UK to spread our message: Hate closes, love opens – Live Pride Wide Open.
We want to show stories of friendship from the LGBTQIA+ community to counteract hatred and polarization.
But the average outdoor advertising poster gets only two seconds of attention from a passing member of the public. So the pressure to tell that story in an arresting way is huge.
And hidden in the story of how Jess achieves that is a lesson in the true nature of what it means to be “open”, what it means to really try to see someone and their life.
Tris: You’ve been incredibly generous with your time and space and expertise. What was it about this campaign that made you want to help?
Jess: The last couple of years it feels like the world’s becoming hateful. People are just angry and they’re lashing out in a really vicious, nasty way. I hate it. I think it’s appalling. It makes me angry. So I wanted to be involved. Because you feel a bit helpless. How do you say anything back?
I’m a strong liberal. I don’t believe you can be too woke. You should be caring. You should be nice to your fellow man. I was brought up like that. This campaign gives you a chance to say something strong and and just the chance to talk to people about being a good person.
Tris: People are being forced apart. And the people who are trying to force us apart want us to believe once you’re in the bubble, that’s where you belong. But art, creativity and photography can help you see the world in a different way, right?
Jess: The more creative you are, the more you express yourself or feel free to express yourself. So my people are these people. These are the groups being attacked. I’m also half Armenian. I have Burmese in me. I’m from North London.
I feel the hatred happening to any kind of other group right now is worse than it’s been in my lifetime. It’s layers upon layers upon layers of divides indoctrinating people, which is shocking. The campaign in that respect is just a beautiful thing.
Feeling the love and warmth
Tris: You’re best known for your portraiture. What do you love about that?
Jess: I love photographing people. I love it because there’s a moment when you have to see who that person is and build some form of relationship with them.
It’s easy in a way because I love to chat to people and the opportunity to get to know somebody new is great. The shots come when they feel relaxed with you and they know you’re on their side.
Tris: So it’s about being open. If you can get them to open up, you’re gonna see them in the picture you take?
Jess: When people come to sit for you, not many people really like having their picture taken. There’s a huge amount of trust that they put in you. They’re very vulnerable.
So the whole team, from when they arrive, are making people feel comfortable, making sure that they just understand this is a safe zone so they can feel relaxed. That’s where the magic happens in portraiture.
Tris: As we planned the campaign with Café agency, we talked a lot about how you show a friendship, as opposed to a romantic relationship. How do you depict that in a single static image?
Jess: It’s so tricky. I found there has been a really fine line between it looking like just a cheesy or a loving shot to something that is really genuine and caring and thoughtful.
It’s actually quite a powerful moment where you feel warmth and that love. That’s what we’ve been trying to get for the entire day and I feel like we’ve got it.
Tris: It’s funny, because friendship is so commonplace. We’ve all got friends. We’ve all got friends’ stories. But capturing that is a challenge. I saw some graffiti the other day that said “Love is rare and everywhere”.
Jess: It is just that. Love is rare and it is everywhere. And we all have these friendships, don’t we?
But how often do you really ever hug your friend like that? It could be out clubbing or at a gig and there’s a moment where you just look at your friends and you absolutely love each other and I think that’s what we’ve been trying to capture.
Tris: Thank you for doing the shoot and helping us tackle some of the hate.
Jess: It’s shit what’s happening. I feel like they’re picking on the most vulnerable groups. People are already marginalised massively. I cannot understand why. It’s mean, it’s cruel, it’s evil and it’s happening en masse. And that’s what’s shocking. So what you’re doing is brilliant.
Live Pride Wide Open
You can see the Live Pride Wide Open campaign throughout June 2026 on JCDecaux outdoor screens around the UK and at Outernet in Tottenham Court Road, London. Read the stories behind the images on our Pride Wide Open page. And if you can, please make a donation so we can keep tackling hatred and promoting a world where all LGBTQIA+ people can thrive.
