People in Wigan and Leigh are being invited to step in front of the camera for a free professional portrait as part of a new community photography project about local identity.
The pop-up studios will run on Saturday 20 June, from 11am to 3pm, at the Open Eye Hub at Leigh Town Hall, and on Saturday 11 July, from 11am to 3pm, at Makinson Arcade, Wigan. Entry is free, and residents can drop in at any time during the sessions.
The project is open to the general public, including people who want to take part alone, with friends or with family. Those who join in will have their image created by professional photographer Christopher Nunn and will receive the image to take away on the day.
Free portrait sessions in Leigh and Wigan
The temporary studios are part of a wider project led by Open Eye Hub and Wigan Council to create a borough-wide exhibition celebrating local people, stories and character.
The idea is simple: residents are invited to move beyond the usual quick selfie and work with a professional photographer to create a portrait that captures them in a different way. The source material says Christopher Nunn and his team will be at both locations, offering the sessions free of charge.
The two confirmed pop-up dates are:
| Date and time | Location |
|---|---|
| Saturday 20 June, 11am to 3pm | Open Eye Hub at Leigh Town Hall |
| Saturday 11 July, 11am to 3pm | Makinson Arcade, Wigan |
The sessions are drop-in, so no booking requirement is stated in the source information.
How residents’ images will be used
The portraits are being created for a larger exhibition planned for this autumn. A selection of the images will appear across the borough in public spaces, shop windows, digital screens and online.
Earlier sessions have already taken place at Wigan Roller Rink and Wigan Youth Zone, building what organisers describe as a cross-section of local life. The upcoming dates in Leigh and Wigan will add more faces and stories to that collection.
Chris Ready, Wigan Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for communities and neighbourhoods, said the project would put residents’ stories at the centre of the display and help people see their neighbours “in a new light”.
Christopher Nunn said he is interested in how photography can be used collaboratively, both to allow people to share their stories and to record a particular time and place.
For readers who follow community culture projects across the North West and Midlands, this sits alongside other free local exhibition activity, including another free community exhibition built around local identity and public memory.
Creative activities alongside the shoot
The pop-up studios will not only focus on the portrait itself. The source information says there will also be creative activities linked to photography and writing.
Open Eye Hub is described as a socially engaged photography programme that supports local people to tell their own stories through the lens. It is delivered in partnership by Open Eye Gallery, Wigan Council and Wigan and Leigh College.
The programme also supports community participation, artist commissions and a Fellowship scheme for emerging local photographers entering the cultural sector.
For residents, the practical offer is direct: a free professional shoot, a chance to work creatively with Christopher Nunn, and the possibility that their portrait could become part of the borough-wide exhibition later in the year.
What to know before going
The Leigh session takes place at the Open Eye Hub at Leigh Town Hall on Saturday 20 June, from 11am to 3pm.
The Wigan session takes place at Makinson Arcade on Saturday 11 July, from 11am to 3pm.
Both pop-up studios are free to attend. The source says people can drop in any time during the sessions, either solo or with friends or family, and participants will get their image to take away on the day.
Source: Wigan Council
Source check Source trail
This preview is based on the published event details for the Open Eye Hub photography pop-ups in Leigh and Wigan.
- Confirmed the two listed dates: 20 June 2026 and 11 July 2026.
- Checked both locations named in the source: Leigh Town Hall and Makinson Arcade, Wigan.
- Verified that the sessions are described as free and drop-in.
- Kept booking, transport and accessibility details out where the source did not provide the...
- Source
- Wigan Council
- Scope
- Wigan and Leigh
- Updated
- 2026-06-19 09:36
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