With the news season at our feet, take the opportunity to give your photography a fresh start. How is your photography going? Could your passion for beautiful imagery do with a spark of inspiration?

Check out our pick of the best photography and illustration exhibitions to catch this month – sure to get your snapping away with new fervour.

A Century of Photography, 1840-1940

Where: National Portrait Gallery, London

When: Until 29 October 2017

This installation at the National Portrait Gallery celebrates its extraordinary photographs collection spanning a century from 1840 to 1940. The display features works by internationally-renowned artists such as Frederick Evans and Edward Weston, as well as images from the archives of Madame Yevonde and Cecil Beaton.

Nineteenth century treasures such as works by Julia Margaret Cameron and Lewis Carroll are displayed, as well as a recently acquired album of photographs from Swedish photographer Oscar Rejlander – a first.

Into the Woods: Trees in Illustration

Where: V&A Museum, London

When: Until 23 January 2018

Stepping into the world of illustration, the V&A exhibition discovers the wonderful landscapes in the most loved children’s books. A celebration of trees, woods and vistas, it includes watercolours by Beatrix Potter and Arthur Rackham, as well as drawings from E.H. Shepherd for A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories and his verses in Now We Are Six.

You can also see wood engravings from Eric Ravilious for an edition of Gilbert White’s The Natural History of Selborne. And, for the first time, Rolf Brandt’s pictures for Stephen McFarlane’s Story of a Tree.

Rhythm, Direction and Weight

Where: Atlas Gallery, London

When: Until 13 November 2017

Said by Atlas Gallery to be ‘one of the most exciting contemporary photographers working today’, Finnish artist Niko Luoma will be on display for the first time in the UK in his exhibition entitled ‘Rhythm, Direction and Weight’. The exhibition will showcase large-scale works from his ‘Adaptions’ series in which Luoma creates striking abstract versions of well-known works of art. Examples include:

• Night Fishing at Antibes and Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso
• Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
• Vase of Flowers by Joannes Fyt

He creates these works through repeated exposure of a negative to light.

Food For Being Looked At

Where: The Photographer’s Gallery, London

When: Until 8 October 2017

This exhibition considers the history of food and its image culture. It shines a light on today’s obsession with food photography, from preparation to the final dish, ‘shared and consumed widely across print and digital media’.

The project at The Photographer’s Gallery selects several culinary themes, and the third floor has a selection of food and other props for you to photograph yourself.

Out of these four options, there’s sure to be something that piques your interest – let us know on Twitter or Facebook what you thought about the exhibitions.

As well as for your own enjoyment, exhibitions can also inspire the little ones into picking up a camera and capturing what they see. Read our post on getting children interested in photography for tips.