Charlie Clift's honest photographs that capture the glitz, glamour and emotions of the BAFTAs

His unique shots of the most talented people in the film industry certainly feature the usual glitz and glamour but with a little more heart and soul than you'd usually see from the more "polished" photographs of the night.

"I wanted to connect with the people who were there and capture images that feel real and in the moment," Charlie tells Creative Boom. "BAFTA kindly commissioned me for the evening, and gave me an access-all-areas pass for the venues, but I didn’t have a set place to photograph nor any control over the lighting – so I just had to think on my feet and use what was around me. I think if my images were too 'polished' they wouldn't feel real."

Aside from photographing the nominees and award winners, what else did he want to capture? "I love creating intimate and interesting portraits, so that was what I focused on for the evening. It’s a super busy evening, so I only got a few seconds with each person I photographed, maybe a minute at most – therefore it’s important to make a connection with them as quickly as possible in any way I can.

"If possible I like to approach the people I am photographing and talk to them and get them to interact with me, this helps to make the images more personal and unique. Even though many of the people I photographed are super famous they are still people, they still get nervous, happy, and excited, particularly when they have just won a BAFTA. You can still connect with them just like every other person. I hope the images I’ve created show those connections."

Of course, we had to ask Charlie if he had any favourite characters from this year's BAFTAs? "Rami Malek just could not believe what had happened when he won his award for Best Actor. He came off stage and had to take a few moments to himself to take it all in. He then spent the rest of the night in a state of pure happiness, he was so much fun to be around.

"Olivia Colman as well, she was just so damn happy and delighted. And the team from Free Solo just kept saying 'we’ve won a BAFTA, we’ve won a BAFTA, we’ve won a BAFTA' like it wasn't real. It’s really infectious being around people who are that happy."

Was there anything else that caught Charlie's eye? "BAFTA decorates the tables at the dinner party with centrepieces inspired by each of the Best Film nominees. They look so cool – like towers covered in objects referencing the films.

"For 'The Favourite', they had covered the towers with flowers and model rabbits because Olivia Colman’s character has 17 pet rabbits in the film (we used one of the models to get that photo of her with the bunny). At the end of the evening, not a single table had any bunnies left on it, it seems people had taken them all home as souvenirs."

Charlie adds: "Although the event is overflowing with glitz and glamour, it’s also a really emotional evening – when someone wins a BAFTA often they are overcome with emotion. Capturing those raw and open moments are amazing."

You can see more of Charlie Clift's work at www.charliecliftphotography.com. Or follow Charlie on Instagram. Thank you, Charlie, for allowing us to learn more about this experience.