Category: Studio Reflections

Google used to be a gateway to the web. Today, it’s an answer engine designed to keep you on the page. When I searched for “headshots” yesterday, I didn’t find photographers; I found a wall of AI generators. It felt like a doorman refusing me entry to browse the catalogue.

In this post, I share why I tested AI to write this very article, why the result sounded like a “polished mask,” and my strict rules for using AI as a tool without letting it become the creator. I explain why I use it to explore ideas and organise admin, but why it is always fact-checked and keeps no memory of me. For me, privacy and truth are non-negotiable.

It started with Humans of New York and a decade of “sticktoittiveness.” Now, supported by the RADF, I’m transforming the Ipswich Community Gallery into a live studio for 200 locals. Discover how this community project bridges the gap between fine art and professional portraiture, and why your face matters in the story of our city.

For two years, The Common Thread project taught me that the fastest way to calm nerves is to take control of the pose. But I often wanted to listen longer than the clock allowed. Discover how that tension evolved into my new ‘one session per day’ studio model in Basin Pocket – where there’s no rush, no scripts, and space for you to be truly seen. (Plus: important boundaries on why this is portraiture, not therapy.

Your team’s portraits are more than just marketing imagery; they are biometric data and core brand assets. Discover why storing these files on US-based cloud platforms creates risk, and how moving to a Swiss-hosted, sovereign infrastructure ensures your organisation retains true ownership, stability, and privacy.

For years, I trusted the big tech giants with my business and my clients’ photos. But convenience came at a cost to privacy. In this post, I’m pulling back the curtain on my month-long journey ditching Google, Cloudspot, and Chrome for a sovereign, Swiss-hosted tech stack. From moving client galleries to kDrive to swapping Google Analytics for Matomo, here’s exactly how I reclaimed my digital independence—without losing an ounce of functionality.

Portrait sessions can be quiet, vulnerable spaces. This reflection explores why I don’t share behind-the-scenes images and why the studio remains a place of privacy, presence, and trust.

Linkedin Instagram An Ode to Hollywood Lighting This work lives firmly in the realm of ideals. Hollywood lighting and the retouching that traditionally accompanies it has always been about ideals. […]

Linkedin Instagram The Emotional Theory of Print Size I’ve yet to come across anything more valuable than these words from Dr Les Walkling when it comes to choosing a print […]

Linkedin Instagram The Print “The greatest gift of photography is returning this new object to the world as a new possibility. A new hope or a completion of a cycle. […]