London-based photographer Steph Wilson unveils her latest project, Gilded Lilies, a deeply personal series of sensual portraits that explore intimacy, materiality and the emotional significance of adornment. Created during London’s April 2025 heatwave, the series features a group of artists, designers, and creatives from Wilson’s circle, each wearing meaningful jewellery.
Published in a first edition of 750 hand-crafted copies, the photo book coincides with an exhibition at Have A Butchers gallery (October 24th – November 11th, 2025), before travelling to PULP Studio in Paris for an evening launch during Paris Photo on November 15th.
Exploring the art of sensual portrait photography
In Gilded Lilies, Wilson turns her lens on friends and collaborators, including Harley Weir, Elsa Rouy, Charles Jeffrey, Michaela Stark, Michael James Fox and George Rouy. She captures them in raw analogue portraits that blur the boundaries between vulnerability and beauty. Each image was printed by hand and left unretouched, emphasising Wilson’s commitment to authenticity and tactility in an age oversaturated with artifice.
Jewellery as memory, photography as ritual
The photographs balance softness and intensity, their power residing in trust and presence. Wilson’s camera captures not only the glint of metal against skin but the emotional resonance that these objects carry. For her, jewellery becomes a vessel of memory — an entry point into the sitter’s emotional landscape.
Some portraits, particularly the nude studies, will remain exclusively within the printed book, a deliberate choice to preserve their intimacy. This decision reflects Wilson’s belief in slowness and care — qualities that define both her practice and the quiet, magnetic world of Gilded Lilies.
Where to experience ‘Gilded Lilies‘
The exhibition runs from October 24th to November 11th at Have A Butchers gallery, London, where visitors can purchase the photobook and a special edition accompanied by a print of Michaela Stark. Afterward, the project continues its journey to Paris, where it will be celebrated during Paris Photo 2025.
Through Gilded Lilies, Steph Wilson redefines sensual portrait photography — reminding us that art, like jewellery, gleams brightest when imbued with human meaning.
