Dean Davies captures the sniggers, scowls and emotions of his teenage nieces

Wirral-based photographer Dean Davies tells us that his work occupies “a space between fashion and documentary photography – a distinctive culmination of lo-fi styling, candid compositions, and familiar urban architecture.” Among the projects in his portfolio you’ll find Sheffield goths slicked with black lipstick and teenagers skulking their way through the achingly long days of adolescence.

“Individual shoots are inspired by my own memories of childhood and adolescence,” Dean explains to It’s Nice That. “I grew up in a working-class town as the youngest in a family of four, so there are visual cues of my own story embedded within the photographs. In Sisters you’ll find a number of styling homages to the girls I grew up with: denim on denim, patches, initial necklaces, football tees and scrunchies.”

Over the last couple of years, the photographer’s nieces, 13-year-old Marni-Lee and Amelia, 11, have taken a pivotal role in Dean’s work. “I first photographed the girls for a completely different project three years ago, but something magical happened when they stepped in front of the camera, and I’ve been photographing them ever since,” Dean says. Working between the photographer’s hometown Birkenhead and in the seaside resort of New Brighton, the project has taken a new direction with the recent addition of a stylist. “We’ve recently started collaborating with friend and stylist, Charlotte James, who hit it off with the girls immediately,” Dean says. “She has elevated the photographs of the girls to a whole other level, and we’re excited to get to work on creating a new set of images.”

Still, Dean is careful to imbue Sisters with the real, ever-changeable emotions which characterise growing up: sniggers, scowls, and everything in between. “At its heart it’s a series of portraits documenting the trajectory of two young sisters. The girls seem and act much older than their years and I wanted to document the power and determination that they radiate.”

“I plan on photographing the girls until they are in their late teens, or until they get bored of me!”