Spoiler: the same nerves, the same laughing, the same magic
I know exactly how you feel before a brand shoot. Not because I’ve been told – because I’ve lived it.
I’ve stepped in front of someone else’s camera more times than I can count. I’ve felt that flutter of “do I look okay?” and “what do I do with my hands?” and “please don’t let me pull a weird face.” I’ve had to trust someone else to see me the way I try to see my clients – not just the surface, but the person underneath.
And it’s taught me something invaluable: the difference between a photographer who makes you feel comfortable and one who doesn’t is everything.
I know exactly how you feel before a brand shoot. Not because I’ve been told – because I’ve lived it.
I’ve stepped in front of someone else’s camera more times than I can count. I’ve felt that flutter of “do I look okay?” and “what do I do with my hands?” and “please don’t let me pull a weird face.” I’ve had to trust someone else to see me the way I try to see my clients – not just the surface, but the person underneath.
And it’s taught me something invaluable: the difference between a photographer who makes you feel comfortable and one who doesn’t is everything.
Most of my own photos have been taken by friends and fellow photographers — which definitely helps.
The Paris lamppost shot above? That was my photo bestie Kirsty Hamilton on one of our trips to Paris. I was swinging from a lamppost in a pink frilly skirt and turquoise gloves. That probably tells you everything you need to know about both of us.
My brand is all about colour and joy – so I’m laughing in a lot of these images. That’s partly the locations, partly the outfits, partly the fact that the people behind the camera know exactly how to bring that out in me.
But I’ve also been photographed by photographers I don’t know well. And that experience is just as valuable – because it reminds me what it feels like to be genuinely nervous in front of a stranger’s lens.
The Spain shot was taken by brand photographer Aga Mortlock during a business retreat. I didn’t know her. I was in a foreign country. And I had to trust her completely.
That’s exactly what my clients do when they book me. And I never take that lightly.
It’s one of the reasons I invest so much time working with you before your shoot the brand workbook, the planning call, the detailed shoot plan. By the time we actually meet, you already feel comfortable with me. The nerves are still there sometimes, but the trust is already built. And that’s when we get to have fun.
I’ve also spent time doing self portraits – which gives me even more appreciation for what goes into getting a shot that feels authentic rather than staged. It’s also given me the space to explore different sides of my personality, including the quieter, more thoughtful side that doesn’t always make it onto my social media.
The more vulnerable images in this gallery are some of my favourites. They remind me that brand photography isn’t just about looking polished – it’s about being real.
Being photographed isn’t just about headshots and lifestyle shots for me – it’s also about being captured in every context I work in. Including the ones that terrify me slightly.
Speaking in front of a room full of professional photographers? Genuinely nerve-wracking. Teaching at a retreat with Natalie? Wonderful but vulnerable. These images capture me doing things that push me outside my comfort zone – which is exactly what I ask of my clients every time they step in front of my camera.
Showing up authentically, even when it feels scary, is the whole point.
I’ve been photographed in Sussex, Chicago, Glasgow, Dubai, Spain and Paris – in all seasons, in all weathers, in some fairly spectacular outfits. Every single shoot has taught me something about what it means to be seen.
Which means when you trust me to be your photographer, I know exactly what that trust feels like – and I will never take it for granted. Making sure you enjoy the whole process, not just the end result, is one of the things I care most about.
Ready to see what we could create together? Let’s have a natter.
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