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Orlando Gili

@orlandogili

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Portrait and documentary photographer. London based, rep @lisapritchardagency.

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I was commissioned to shoot Weird London Pubs, which was published this week, just in time for Christmas stockings... and even Halloween.

There were many, many pub highlights and lots of great discoveries along the way, including: Dusty, the resident pig at the Conquering Hero (don’t drop any peanuts on the floor); the hidden bohemian museum and wonderland of the Nags Head near Mayfair; and local favourite, father-and-son operation Tapping the Admiral near Hampstead Heath, which hosts top street BBQs.

Words by Josh Barrie @joshbythesea and publisher @hoxtonminipress. by @orlandogili

Arsenal – Champions Again 2025–26

A historic fortnight in North London, captured in print.

Lower Block Edition Arsenal – Champions Again 2025–26 featuring more than 50 colour photographs by lifelong fan and photographer Orlando Gili, documenting the moments that accompanied Arsenal's first league title in 22 years.

Beginning on the night Manchester City's defeat at Bournemouth confirmed Arsenal as champions of England, the book follows the celebrations that unfolded across North London and beyond. From the crowds gathering outside the Emirates Stadium, to the final day of the Premier League season at Selhurst Park, supporters experiencing the Champions League final in pubs and bars across the capital, and the long-awaited title parade through the streets of North London, the photographs trace every high and low of an unforgettable period.

More than a record of football matches, this is a portrait of a community. Across streets, barber shops, pubs and public spaces, the images capture a part of London coming together after more than two decades of waiting. For many supporters, Arsenal's last title belonged to memory; for a younger generation, it was something they had never experienced before. The release of that anticipation, hope and emotion is visible throughout.

Printed in full colour and featuring over 50 photographs, Arsenal – Champions Again 2025–26 documents a remarkable chapter in the club's history and the collective celebration that transformed North London into one of the capital's biggest street parties.

A visual record of the fortnight Arsenal became champions again.

**PRE ORDER**EXPECTED DISPATCH JUNE 2026** by @orlandogili

Michael Palin for the new @idlermagazine! What a thing to meet one of your heroes, and they are just as nice and interesting as you’d hoped. This was shot in his home near Hampstead, time was limited but not a second was wasted. Fascinating listening to the interview by Tom Hodgkinson as I packed up (slowly). I was amazed to discover Michael has had professional doubts at various stages of his career, and how he’s kept himself busy after the recent loss of his wife who he’d been married to for 57 years. “michaelpalin #montypython #nationaltreasure #kodakportra400 #fujigfx by @orlandogili

Experimenting with Kodak Tri-X Super 8mm at Notting Hill Carnvial. by @orlandogili

Fun shooting this Britain’s new Dad’s Army story or @theeconomist. In the light of the UK government wanting its citizens to prepare for crises, the spotlight has been put on the already existing Joint Civil Aid Corps.

I spent a day with them in the north London HQ, situated in a disused hospital facing demolition. The conference took place in a lecture room on the ground floor. There was no-else in the building, which housed a food bank, and floors scattered with broken bikes from a cycle repair charity. It was straight out of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. The head of operations was the beret wearing ex-military Mr Harmsworth, the varied volunteers included couple of security professionals, and one one retired professional clown. by @orlandogili

Notting Hill Carnival hookups part 2, continuing the idea from last year. The quiet intimacy, after the chaos of Europe's largest street festival wound down. I wonder how many of these number exchanges have lead to relationships! by @orlandogili

A @guardian commission I worked on recently about the fastest growing Country music festival in the UK. I wrote an unused introduction which I have posted below. Great fun catching county legend Emmylou Harris, who finishing her set with a Dolly Parton collaboration.

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Inspired by the national outpouring after the death of country music legend Dolly Parton, I felt compelled to delve into the UK's fastest-growing country music festival. It takes place on the estate of a Grade II-listed, 18th-century English country house, somewhere between Northampton, Leicester and Coventry — approximately 4,000 miles due east of Nashville. Festival-goers came kitted out in star-spangled dungarees, Stetsons, cowboy boots and hats, and plenty of plaid. The outfits were heavily accessorised, often as tributes to Dolly Parton: blue butterfly hair clips were spotted, along with Dolly-inspired pins and earrings.

It was a very English take on a country music festival: intermittent rain gave way to a brief thunderstorm in the late afternoon. Festival-goers took shelter under oak trees, patiently waiting for the music to resume. The grand old oaks probably weren't expecting to look down on a crowd kitted out in full country regalia. Eventually, organisers urged everyone into their tents as lightning closed in. The dungaree-clad crowd stayed good-spirited throughout, and the amps were back on shortly after. Looking on at the Front Porch Stage as a blast of warm evening sun broke through, for a few seconds it felt like you'd been transported across the Atlantic to a summer fair in the Deep South.

The August bank holiday celebration of "Country, Americana and Roots" is a sign of a genre that's quietly become one of the fastest-growing in the UK. Country music's share of the UK singles market more than doubled in two years, rising from 1.6% in 2022 to a century-high 3.3% in 2024. According to the BBC, digital streams for the genre have surged by 80–154% compared with prior baseline years, with totals now exceeding 1 billion streams per quarter. by @orlandogili

Sculptor Douglas White, shot last month for a personal project documenting the artisans of Old Kent Road. Arriving at Haymerle Road Studios, you can’t miss the teams of construction workers in high viz, buzzing in and out of the 15 storey development opposite. The artist is captured here working on his Black Palm series, made from reclaimed tyre rubber and steel. The materials were sourced from burst truck tyres White collected along the highways of Belize during a residency in a Central American rainforest.

This ongoing series celebrates London’s remaining artisans and craftspeople clustered around Old Kent Road that give the area its industrial backbone. It is known for being the first and cheapest area on the Monopoly board, but it’s currently in the process of rapid redevelopment. The individuals photographed all make their living through skill, precision, and the art of working with their hands. In an age increasingly defined by screens and automation, these portraits stands as a reminder that London still makes things, and that the people who make them matter. by @orlandogili

A set of England fans images from 2018 campaign, the last time the Three Lions made it through to a semi-final. The last 3 images were from the Hyde Park screening. Originally shot for Vice magazine. by @orlandogili

Fresh off the printers - now shipping >>> Arsenal - Champions Again 2025-26, the latest Lower Block Edition shot by lifelong Gooner Orlando Gili.

Over 70 photos. Full colour. From the Emirates celebrations the night the title was won, to Selhurst Park and then back to the bars and pubs of north London for the Champions League final. And of course, that title parade.

All the atmosphere, the pride, people and the togetherness, shot beautifully by Orlando.

Get your copy now.

#arsenal #arsenalfc #afc #gunners #gooners @arsenal x @orlandogili by @orlandogili

Maja the metal polisher from Poland, is one of the many talented people who work on custom made metalworks for theatre, artists and design projects at Flux Metal. The second portrait features Will Jack, who works in the adjacent warehouse. He’s a metalworker and blacksmith who creates steel and bronze sculptures, candle chandeliers, and furniture. The workshop is an incredible place, hidden behind a tall steel gate, a few streets away from Old Kent Road. Inside there's a courtyard separating the warehouse and smaller studios, it looks like a cross between a film studio lot and Mad Max. Hard to believe this is zone 2 central London.   

This ongoing series celebrates London’s remaining artisans and craftspeople clustered around Old Kent Road that give the area its industrial backbone. It is known for being the first and cheapest area on the Monopoly board, but it's currently in the process of rapid redevelopment. The individuals photographed all make their living through skill, precision, and the art of working with their hands. In an age increasingly defined by screens and automation, these portraits stands as a reminder that London still makes things, and that the people who make them matter. by @orlandogili

A set of dancing images from a personal project celebrating the Italian community in Farringdon at Casa Italiana. This is what a healthy community looks like, and it was an honour being a guest there. After lunch and before the raffle, there's always dancing. The music ranges from 50s and 60s American Italian's such as Louis Prima, and very catchy Italian folk tunes. by @orlandogili