Inside Alasdair McLellan’s new book, designed by M/M (Paris)

When Alasdair McLellan published his first book Ultimate Clothing Company in 2014, his talent for documenting British youth was already well known. Now, he has revisited earlier work for his second book. Ceremony comes ten years after McLellan started photographing the ceremonial soldiers of the British Army for a feature in Arena Homme Plus, and is made up of unpublished photographs from the 2006 series.

Designed by M/M (Paris), Ceremony spotlights different regiments of the British army and includes the the Household Cavalry, Coldstream Guards and the King’s Troop Horse Royal Horse Artillery. The book offers a rare glimpse into the decorated traditions of the British army, but also show soldiers off duty, in their barracks, grooming their horses or prepping their uniforms.

Shot on film, the portraits bear all the trademarks of McLellan’s style, from his use of natural light to the sensitivity with which he approaches his portraits to the personality he unfailingly captures.

Ceremony launched on Saturday at The Broken Arm in Paris, and will launch in London with a signing at IDEA Books at Dover Street Market on 6 February. Proceeds from the book will go towards supporting ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the national charity of the British Army.