Matt MacPake’s raw portraits show a hidden side of Notting Hill Carnival

London-based photographer Matthew MacPake has produced a series of portraits that pull away from the crowds to focus on the people who make carnival happen

Each year Notting Hill Carnival takes over West London for the largest celebration of Afro-Carribean culture in the UK’s capital. The city’s streets come alive as sound systems blast out beats and the smell of street food permeates the air. Of course, the atmosphere wouldn’t be possible without the people who put in the hard work to make carnival a reality. Photographer Matthew MacPake spent his 2016 carnival piecing together a tableaux of portraits of food vendors, police officers, litter pickers and, of course, performers working in the build up to the big day’s festivities.

Check out MacPake’s photograph’s from Notting Hill Carnival below and head over to his website to see more of his work.