Annabel Elston's photographs reveal a shadowy truth, where private moments appear in public places. In Elston's work, individuals drift in the street, seemingly unaware of their surroundings or her presence, neither looking into the lens nor averting their eyes. The expressions stamped on faces appear transcendental, but the emotions are concrete. Working in this manner, the photographer sees the world constructed not with walls, pavement or buildings but with an architecture of emotions. Elston gives us proximity beyond mere observation and we become immersed in the subject's thoughts and decisions. The strangers are seductive and their anonymity enviable. For the past fifteen years, Annabel Elston has lived and worked in London and Cornwall. Inspired by her environment, her photographs are diverse, including still lives, portraits, interiors and reportage. Her editorial work includes The World of Interiors, House and Garden, Observer Magazine and Japanese Vogue. She has received advertising commissions from Hermes, Habitat, Volvo and Guinness, and has contributed to a number of publications such as Pure Fuel, Fuel 3000, Surface Contemporary Photography, and Tord Boontje.
In 2007, the British Council commissioned her to photograph forty British nationals living in Turkey, resulting in her first exhibition with venues in London and Turkey.