Sir Ian McKellen in a duvet and Grayson Perry holding a baby shortlisted for ...

Portraits of actor Sir Ian McKellen and artist Grayson Perry have been shortlisted in an international photography prize.

The British Journal of Photography and 1854 competition OpenWalls Arles is aimed at creating opportunities for emerging and established artists.

This year's theme is Home and Away and urged participants to capture a sense of 'belonging, escapism and identity'.

Photographer Frederic Aranda captured Sir Ian, who played wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings series, wrapped in a large grey duvet while standing on a balcony overlooking the Thames.

Richard Ansett captured cross-dresser Grayson Perry in his classic style looking into the distance while holding a baby and dressed in a pink and yellow laced frock.

Images were taken at locations around the world, including Dublin, London, Krakow, Berlin and Seoul, and three finalists, Gregory Michenaud, Louise Hagger and Urszula Tarasiewicz, were chosen from the top fifty images. 

This portrait of Sir Ian McKellen, taken by photographer Frederic Aranda, has been shortlisted for the British Journal of Photograpy and 1854 competition OpenWalls Arles. The shot shows the Lord of the Rings actor wrapped up in a large grey duvet on a balcony overlooking the Thames. Mr Aranda has previously photographed the likes of Prince Philip, Margaret Thatcher and Rosamund Pike

This portrait of Sir Ian McKellen, taken by photographer Frederic Aranda, has been shortlisted for the British Journal of Photograpy and 1854 competition OpenWalls Arles. The shot shows the Lord of the Rings actor wrapped up in a large grey duvet on a balcony overlooking the Thames. Mr Aranda has previously photographed the likes of Prince Philip, Margaret Thatcher and Rosamund Pike

Another of the shortlisted shots, taken by Richard Ansett, shows artist Grayson Perry holding a baby while framed by pink sheer curtains and bunches of flowers. The competition is aimed at creating opportunities for emerging and established artists. This picture is thought to have been taken at Grayson's London home

Another of the shortlisted shots, taken by Richard Ansett, shows artist Grayson Perry holding a baby while framed by pink sheer curtains and bunches of flowers. The competition is aimed at creating opportunities for emerging and established artists. This picture is thought to have been taken at Grayson's London home

This year's theme is Home and Away and urged participants to capture a sense of 'belonging, escapism and identity'. Pictured: a woman breastfeeding, taken by Sanni Saarinen, a Finnish photographer. It is part of a series on 'Longing for roots', of which she said: 'I started to photograph my own toposphilia [strong sense of place] in 2015 when I returned to Finland, to my home country, after living more than a decade abroad. Soon after my daughter was born and as my spouse is Spanish, we still live part of the year in Spain. I started to think a lot about identity and roots, home and belonging'

An elderly woman with rollers in her hair gazes at herself in a hand-held mirror in the bathroom at her home in Berlin, Germany, by Nina Roder. The colours of her dress, turquoise and beige, are the same as the wall and floor tiles. It forms part of a series called 'Mutters Schuhe' and shows three women of varying ages wearing the same outfit in the same room

This year's theme is Home and Away and urged participants to capture a sense of 'belonging, escapism and identity'. Left: a woman breastfeeding, taken by Sanni Saarinen, a Finnish photographer. It is part of a series on 'Longing for roots', of which she said: 'I started to photograph my own toposphilia [strong sense of place] in 2015 when I returned to Finland, to my home country, after living more than a decade abroad. Soon after my daughter was born and as my spouse is Spanish, we still live part of the year in Spain. I started to think a lot about identity and roots, home and belonging.' Right: an elderly woman with rollers in her hair gazes at herself in a hand-held mirror in the bathroom at her home in Berlin, Germany, by Nina Roder. The colours of her dress, turquoise and beige, are the same as the wall and floor tiles. It forms part of a series called 'Mutters

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