Pic ; Sandy Cecil-Oakes
My career began after graduating from Blackpool College with Credit as Student of the Year. I immediately began to assist photographers in the advertising and design fields and in 1988 I founded my own studio in central Manchester .
Adding something powerful and unique to a project is what I do. I’ve become known for a contemporary style that’s ideal for advertising and design work. Look around this site and you’ll see plenty of examples. I’m accommodating and versatile, much of my work is colourful, stylised and larger than life but there’s another side of which I’m equally proud – subtle serious and painterly.
I can comfortably combine stills and motion media within the same project. I'm happy to collaborate with other expert media professionals to achieve the best possible results. I can happily assemble and lead a team of professionals or work solo. I'm flexible and adaptable.
There’s no such thing as a typical client. I work with clients from all over – the North-west, London and Europe. Great commissions can come from the most unlikely places and I enjoy the variety.
In 2011 I was invited to hold an exhibition of my work entitled SEE33, a retrospective comprising 33 both commissioned and personal images ranging from early work to the present. The exhibition was also hosted online by The Association of Photographers in 2012.
One of my portraits from the National Portrait gallery permanent collection, the actress Maxine Peake, has been exhibited as part of a special exhibition of “Portraits by Contemporary photographers” in Rm 39A.
A photograph or movie begins long before the shutter opens. I like to be involved in both the pre and post production aspects of a shoot and that normally means having some input into the casting, styling & set design. I really enjoy the post production process both for stills and motion. I'm experienced in editing, controlling and manipulating the both still & motion imagery myself or working in collaboration with other professionals. I shot only film for years until it became impractical and now enjoy shooting a mixture of analogue & digital media.
I have years of experience in creative and technical collaboration with art directors and designers. I’m experimental, innovative and technical with obsessive attention to detail. I enjoy the challenges of bringing creative ideas to life and thrive on the stimulation of working in varied environments both in the UK and overseas.