Most photography businesses are built around one person with a camera. Ours isn’t — and that’s the point.
Paul’s photography sits at the heart of what we do, but everything around it — the first conversation where we work out what kind of portraits would mean the most to you, the sitting itself, the viewing, the framing, the album craftsmanship — runs on a small dedicated team. We’ve spent years refining each of those moments because we believe a portrait isn’t a single image; it’s the whole experience of having one made.
The team
Paul is the photographer. He’s both a Fellow and an Honorary Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers and the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers — three of the highest credentials in UK photography — and was the MPA’s UK Portrait Photographer of the Year in 2020/21.
Sarah is Paul’s wife and co-director. She runs the business and is the reason a booking with us feels organised from the first phone call right through to the last frame delivered.
Michelle looks after our clients — she’ll be your main point of contact through every step of the process, from your first enquiry to collecting your finished frames.
Between them, Sarah and Michelle manage the diary, create the slideshows you’ll see at your viewing, design the frames, and make sure every order leaves the studio on time and in pristine condition.
It’s that combination — Paul’s photography, Sarah and Michelle’s care — that’s earned us ambassadorships with Graphistudio, Elinchrom, and Pixellu. Graphistudio in particular: they make the finest hand-bound albums and wall-art in the world, and they chose us because of the calibre of the images we create for our clients. The frames on your wall and the album on your coffee table will be the best the industry produces.
What we believe about portraits
A good portrait shouldn’t just look like you. It should feel like you — the way you stand when you’re not posing, the way your daughter laughs when she’s forgotten there’s a camera in the room, the look your father gives you when he thinks you’re not watching.
Capturing those things takes time, attention, and a space where people feel allowed to be themselves. That’s what we’ve built at our Buckinghamshire studio, and it’s why our portraits tend to end up framed on walls in family homes rather than buried in a hard drive.
What it’s like to work with us
Every commission starts with a conversation, not a price list. We’ll talk through what would mean the most to you, who you’d want included, where we’d photograph — in our studio, in your home, somewhere that matters to your family. The sitting itself is unhurried. Afterwards you come back to view the images with us at proper size, and we help you choose which belong on your walls.
Recognition
These credentials matter to us mainly because they mean independent panels of senior photographers have looked at the work and found it stands up. We list them here because they may also be reassuring to anyone deciding whether to trust us with something as personal as a portrait of their family.
Professional fellowships
The highest level of recognition awarded in UK photography, each earned by peer review of submitted work.
- Honorary Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers (HonFBIPP)
- Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers (FBIPP)
- Fellow of the Master Photographers Association (FMPA)
- Fellow of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (FSWPP)
Recent awards
- 2024 — Best Solo Portrait, International PMI-Gear Global Portrait Competition
- 2020/21 — MPA UK Portrait Photographer of the Year
- 2020/21 — MPA UK Classical Portrait Photographer of the Year
- Multiple MPA Photographer of the Year titles across the Central Region, 2018–2020
Brand partnerships
- Brand Ambassador for Graphistudio Albums, Elinchrom Lighting, and Pixellu Smart Albums
- Master Photographer to Crystal Cruises
- Partner Photographer to Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and The Crazy Bear Group
Professional leadership
- Chair of Judging, UKPPA International Print Awards
- Chair of Qualifications & Awards, British Institute of Professional Photographers
- International Judge for The Societies of Photographers and the Federation of European Photography
Ready to talk?
If you’re thinking about a portrait sitting for your family, we’d love to hear what you have in mind.
If you’re a photographer rather than a portrait client, Paul also writes for the photography press, hosts the Mastering Portrait Photography podcast, and runs business coaching for working photographers. That side of what we do lives at Mastering Portrait Photography.