I’m Chris, your Photographer
I’m genuinely interested
I love really getting to know someone - not just superficially – but really how people approach the world and by understanding what makes them tick. From my background of teaching and researching philosophy I love exploring ideas, whether they be philosophical, political or others, and understanding how people have come to think them.
This sometimes means I don’t really do ‘light’. I never have done. I don’t have a favourite football team and I have never watched an episode of Strictly all the way through. However, I think my friends know me as someone who will put them at ease and with whom they can talk to about absolutely anything, without judgement.
Why should you be interested?
Because I care about what you think and why; your creative passions; and everything else that makes you tick. I will do everything I can to foster an environment in which you feel free to express your passions and interests, not just because you will enjoy doing so and it will look good on camera, but also because I enjoy doing so.
My strength lies in empathetic engagement, taking a genuine interest in your personal and professional life, including your philosophical and creative endeavours. At the same time, I am passionate about helping individuals bring out and articulate their strengths and passions - even those they didn’t know they had.
With a deep curiosity about your story, I approach each session with integrity, reliability, honesty, and consistency. My high emotional intelligence allows me to navigate sensitive conversations, providing reassurance and responding to your needs with grace and understanding.
Getting over photography nerves
If there’s one thing I hear from friends about their experiences getting headshots, it’s that they are nervous not knowing how to pose in front of the camera.
When the model is uncomfortable in the studio then even the fanciest set-up, the biggest camera and brightest lights won’t help get fantastic shots! This is where I realised that my teaching experience can be helpful in my photography.
I get it. You want stand-out images that match your creative vision, and you don’t want to stand awkwardly in front of the camera not knowing how to get them!
Everyone looks their best when they’re relaxed, happy and comfortable in their environment; so imagine going into a photoshoot knowing that you can just enjoy your time, confident that the results will be fantastic, regardless of your experience in front of a camera. That’s exactly the feeling I create in my studio for my clients.
“I had a photoshoot with Chris last week and I can’t recommend him highly enough. He was very professional and made me feel at ease right from the start. He knew how to get the best shots, also in the style that I liked and I am delighted with the results. He also taught me some really useful few tips about how to get the out of posing in photos that will stay with me!”
What Motivates Me?
I have ‘anauralia’ - I don’t have an internal voice in my head - so I need to interact with people in order to reflect. You know that voice that constantly nags you, reminding you as you’re going to sleep that you haven’t done all those things you needed to do today? I don’t have that - it’s all quiet up here.
There are pros and cons to this: I sleep pretty well and I probably can’t have an anxiety disorder, but my memory is medical-grade terrible. When we meet, ask me what techniques I’ve developed to remember peoples’ names because, without these techniques, I just couldn’t!
It also means I need to interact with people in order to really think of anything in detail, one of the reasons why I really enjoy working with clients one-to-one on their work. Interacting with people gives me a way of engaging with the world that I don’t otherwise have by myself, and I value this enormously.
This is also me!
It’s not all serious however. To try and get out of the studio during the summer I punt boats at Westgate Punts on the stunning River Stour, and I teach bachata and salsa in my spare time.
I love dancing in particular as it involves an interactive communication with a partner without words. Just like photography.
Who I work well with
Not all people work well together on all things. For example, please don’t book me for pet photography or for newborn photography - I am quite happy saying that I am not the person for you to get the results that you want!
However, photographic magic will happen if:
you want the have an enjoyable and comfortable shoot with a personable photographer with whom you will gel,
you want to create photos that articulate an meaningful, confident and capable expression of yourself,
you want to stand out from the competition,
you want a photos in an up-to-date contemporary style,
you want to enjoy the success that your hard work brings by being more visible to the outside world.
I’ve been riding motorbikes for a while now; this is a happy me half way through testing out an Aprilia RS660!
Sound good?
If I seem like the kind of photographer you would like to work with, I would love to hear from you. Please drop me a message with the sort of photos you would like to get and we can discuss working together.