New Directions…

…without starting from scratch.

The start of a new year often invites reflection. Not reinvention for the sake of it, not a sudden pivot or a grand announcement, but a quieter moment to ask whether the work you’re doing still feels aligned with who you are and what you care about.

Over the past year or so, I’ve found myself doing exactly that.

I don’t have any grand plans for a significant shift. Brand Story Studio isn’t changing overnight, and I’m not stepping away from the work I’ve already built. What follows feels more like refinement than reinvention, and it applies just as much to the work I already do with small businesses, creatives and founders, work that I really enjoy and intend to continue.

Joining the dots

Before photography became my full-time work, I spent a good long while in social work. That experience shaped how I listen, how I notice what’s not being said, and how seriously I take trust, care and ethics when working with people.

Photography originally entered my life as something grounding. It was a way to slow down, pay attention, and process the emotional weight of that work. For a long time, my background in social work and my photography sat side by side rather than fully together.

But they don’t need to be separate.

The same skills that mattered in social work, empathy, patience, respect for people’s stories, have always been there in my photography.

Whoever is on the other side of my lens, what matters most to me is helping them feel at ease and seen, without forcing anything that isn’t true to them.

What isn’t changing

What isn’t changing is my love of working with small businesses, founders and teams who want thoughtful, natural imagery that reflects who they really are.

I’m not moving away from commercial or brand photography, and I’m certainly not disappearing into something vague or overly conceptual.

Storytelling has always been at the heart of my work. Clean, honest images. A relaxed way of working. Photographs that feel human, not over-produced. All of that remains.

What’s becoming clearer

What is changing is the kind of work I want to say yes to more often. I’m increasingly drawn to working with charities, social enterprises and values-driven teams. To work with people and organisations doing meaningful work, often quietly, who need imagery that helps them tell their story clearly, honestly and with care.

That doesn’t mean pretending this is an easy or obvious market. It isn’t. Budgets can be tight, and the work requires flexibility, trust and realism on both sides. But when it works, it feels deeply aligned.

I’ve seen how powerful photography can be when it’s used thoughtfully to build understanding, support communication, and reflect people back to themselves with dignity. I want to keep developing work that sits in that space.

A grounded direction, not a major pivot

This isn’t a dramatic shift or a clean break from what I’ve done before. It’s about bringing different parts of my experience into better alignment.

Alongside my ongoing commercial and brand work, I’m aiming to dedicate more time to projects focused on social impact, longer-term relationships and considered visual storytelling. Over time, that will show up through case studies, collaborations and specific offers on the site.

I’m realistic about the pace this kind of work grows at though. This is a direction I’m committing to steadily, not something I expect to pivot to overnight.

Looking ahead

At its core, this is about clarity, about being more intentional about how I work, who I work with, and the kinds of stories I help tell.

How that pans out, time will tell. For now, I’m following what feels right and seeing where it leads.

If you’re an organisation exploring how photography might support your work, a collaborator thinking along similar lines, or simply someone navigating their own “what next?”, I’d love to connect.