Twenty twenty five was a brilliant year. But it began with the assumption that I wouldn’t be able to repeat the number of photographic adventures I squeezed into the year before. 2024 felt like a one-off, and my goal this year was simply to shoot once a month and, if possible, fit in a small elemental trip around the demands of the day job. Work was busy, and I assumed the camera would need to take a back seat.

But now, sitting here in the cold of December, I realise how wrong I was. I’ve always said my favourite thing about photography is how it opens the door to meeting like-minded people, and while I may not have racked up the air miles this time around, I unintentionally traded places for people and what an incredible mix of people and talent it’s been.

I create this book each year to measure my own development and to document the journey, something I’ll look back on later in life. And despite travelling far less, this year’s book is already twenty percent bigger than last year’s. By that simple metric alone, 2025 has been a bumper year, full of creativity, connection and an ever-growing network of friends who’ve become part of my ongoing photographic story. Grab a cup of tea and let me introduce you to the people I met along the way.

Tara

Tara was my first shoot of the year, born out of that familiar post-Christmas creative itch. We’d never met before, but after a few messages we quickly agreed to a January session, proof of how photography connects strangers who share the same spark. She arrived with an entire wardrobe in tow, and although I wanted to sit and chat first, a perfect shaft of daylight was hitting the studio wall. Minutes later she was in position, hair immaculate, outfit matched, and suddenly she was Rachel from Blade Runner. Tara is an actress, so her modelling leans into performance, and watching it unfold felt effortless.
The rest of the day was fully collaborative. We worked through her outfits, shifting between daylight and flash, picking ideas on the fly. It was a wonderfully creative start to the year, and by the time we finished, I knew I’d found not only a new friend but a muse and a stylist as well. We met up later so I could exchange a few prints from our shoot, our chat solidifying that this was someone cool I wanted to stay in touch with.

Meg

My next shoot was with Meg, almost a year after we first worked together. I’d booked a new daylight studio with a huge skylight, knowing she’s someone I can truly collaborate with. Our opening idea came from an inspo image she’d shown me, a woman holding crumpled paper. Xiaobo, the studio co-owner, handed me some old Colorama and within minutes I was tearing and shaping it under the skylight. Meg pulled her hair up, stepped inside the paper, and suddenly we had a sculptural dress with a Vivienne Westwood character to it. We’d been shooting less than an hour and already captured some of my favourite images of the year.
Once we understood the light, I swapped the paper for my black backdrop and asked Meg to wear a black jacket. With her skin as the contrast and Marisa’s hat completing the look, the whole set just clicked. A hugely productive shoot, and made even better by being able to reunite Meg with prints from our session the year before (see the BTS below).

Ada

It was March now and I had a shoot planned with Ada, who was over from Canada and finally free of the flight cancellations that stopped us working together the year before. She arrived in Brick Lane full of energy, carrying cameras and bags of clothes, already photographing the morning fog before we had even started. The studio was small but had huge windows, and we quickly found our rhythm. Ada chose a black suit for our first set, aware of my fondness for the nineties and I paired it with Marisa’s black hat. Ada is a dancer at heart and she moved through the light effortlessly and the images came together so naturally.
She’d brought so many outfits that we tried to use as many as we could, even experimenting with nude silhouettes against the bright windows. My final idea was an unexpected favourite. I laid the canvas backdrop on the floor, me shooting from the mezzanine while Ada used a piece of organza to create the most extraordinary shapes only a dancer could achieve. It was afterwards that I learned she knew Carl Fehres who I met the year before in Paris, and he explained that she works in nuclear science. Another reminder of how wonderfully connected this creative world can be.

Olivia

My next shoot was with Olivia from Ukraine, and once again I booked a new studio, this time in Hackney, a black and white space with huge picture windows and room for a backdrop. She arrived with a huge smile and wearing a long coat she’d just bought in Venice, so naturally that became our first set. With all her energy and movement aided by a wind machine, the coat came alive, the final images looking beautifully curated despite being completely spontaneous.
The space suited her perfectly. Her dark hair against the white walls gave a clean, contrasty look, and we spent much of the session using the context of the space. I enjoyed shooting from angles that felt a little like someone observing from the edge of the set, perhaps a reminder of my past life assisting other photographers and seeing their shot from another angle. Our final frames were simple nudes on a canvas backdrop, and it wasn’t until I got home and printed one at A2 that I fully saw what she’d given the images. These were not traditional art nude and her eyes were hidden, but her pose was so expressive that the viewer could feel the connection all the same.

By the time May arrived, life had become its usual mix of birthdays and busy weeks at work, but I’d booked two weeks off to travel to France without fully realising what I was signing up for. The original plan was simple: a three-day photography event at a grand château with great food, beautiful surroundings and a handful of incredible models, and I knew my friend Dave would be there. An easy yes.

But Dave had other ideas. He asked if I wanted to join him before the event for a week in the south of France, hiring a château with his wife Kris and daughter Kyra. One message later and my long weekend had become a two-week adventure.

Until now, I’d always defined a photographic trip as a 1:1 project in some wild, alien landscape. Instead, I found myself in a very different setting, swapping volcanoes and salt flats for new people, new friendships and a creative energy I didn’t know I’d been missing.

My time in France began with a week at a château Dave had rented forty five minutes south of Toulouse. I’d last seen Dave in Iceland, but being able to spend real time together in the south of France felt like a gift. The château was enormous, owned by two men both called Loic, and we had the entire place to ourselves. It was peaceful, warm, and the perfect reset before the busier days to come.

Dave had always described his wife as the best person he knew and I could soon see why, they were a great combination and Kris was so easy to be with. I was also grateful that they had all invited me on what I now realised was a family holiday.

On Monday, Dave and I met Irina at the airport and we’d later collect Claire from the local train station. Irina is from Ukraine, but lives in Germany with her husband whilst Claire is native to Toulouse so a simpler journey. The girls got to pick their rooms from the countless bedrooms that were on offer and we all enjoyed a meal together that evening. These are the formative moments that define the photos you will take, a glass of wine and a chat, the perfect ice breaker. Sitting back it was like watching a happy family who had known each other for years. This was going to be a great shoot!

Claire

Tuesday was our first shoot day and Claire was kind enough not to question why she was outside watching me erect a black backdrop next to this magnificent building. The overcast sky made for gorgeous daylight and I was keen to maximise it. With a small amount of direction from me, Claire had selected a black outfit, the idea being to accentuate her pale skin and black hair in very contrasty images.
There is no question, Claire is a professional, she knows what she is doing. But it is also really nice shooting with someone you have an instant connection with and you can drop any facade. My first shoot in France was … perfect. I will never tire of photographing nice humans.

Irina

Later that morning it was Irina’s turn, and I wanted to use the same soft, overcast light. I’ll admit I felt slightly intimidated at first, not by her personality, which is warm and genuine, but by the sheer creativity she carries. She’s a model and a photographer, and I was determined to do her justice. With the sun rising, I moved the black backdrop into a corridor of tall hedges to keep the shaded light. Irina stepped into a black suit with confidence to match, and the hedges acted like natural V-Flats, shaping the light across her strong features. It was exactly the stage she needed to simply be herself.
About thirty minutes in, our quiet set was interrupted by a white Tesla easing down the narrow hedge-lined driveway, one of the Loics heading out. Irina, now between outfits, dived out of sight while he smiled and waved, finding another exit. Music still playing, we laughed at the surreal moment. Like Claire before her, shooting with Irina was a jolt of creative energy and a clear sign the week was going to be something special.

Shortly after this photo was taken, we took a set that I’d later enjoy printing at home, so much so that one of them made the cover of this years book.

It was somehow Thursday and time to say goodbye to Claire and Irina. We dropped them off in the centre of Toulouse and stayed in town to kill time whilst waiting for Petra, our next model guest. Claire had recommended a photographic gallery and library, Dave and I admired the art and enjoyed chatting with a librarian who seemed to know so much about self publishing photography books (a topic I am very interested in!). Petra is from Hungary, a place I am ashamed to say I have yet to visit. She’s one of those people who manages to look elegant despite having been on a plane for several hours. She greeted us with a big smile and seeing her I confirmed she was as tall as her photos suggested. Several hours later Dave and I were back at Toulouse airport to collect Karina, our fourth and final model guest. Poor Karina had spent the day in Munich airport after her morning flight had been cancelled and was entitled to look pissed off. But her outlook is a positive one and like Petra before her she greeted us with a big happy smile.

Karina

Friday and Saturday were spent chasing the light around the château, and I’d been a broken record about wanting to shoot in the pool, despite it being absolutely freezing. Irina had joked that Karina would be the only one brave enough to get in, and she was right. Karina waded in without hesitation, hard sunlight bouncing off her sequined dress and turning the whole scene electric. It set the tone for the rest of our time together.
Later we moved upstairs for an after party concept, using a small handheld flash to mimic those candid, slightly stolen images you find in the back pages of old photography books, celebrities caught between moments. Karina leaned fully into it, channelling her wild side as the harsh flash froze each expression. It was enormous fun, the kind of shoot where the process is as exciting as the outcome.
Yet one of my favourite images is the quietest, Karina by a window, still and thoughtful, lit only by a sliver of daylight. A perfect counterpoint to the energy in our other images, and a lovely reminder of her range.

Petra

Petra was also lovely to shoot with, she has a very calming personality and you can see she enjoys what she does. Our first set together was outside the château and using my black backdrop (I was getting so much use out of it!). She wore a black evening dress and sat elegantly on an upholstered chair with the château looming over her and the backdrop. Picture a movie set where the unit photographer has created a pop up studio to capture portraits of the actors between takes. We used the grand dining room for the first time and Petra managed to perch on the large mantelpiece.

We shot in the outbuilding and my first and only time in Dave’s favourite spot, the attic. Petra even got in the pool and soaked her long black dress and all of this she did so effortlessly. Our final photos were taken with my drone retracing the steps made by Claire and Irina a few days before.

Throughout our week Kris and Kyra would head out to see the sights (often seeking out a zoo) and then return for us all to share a meal. Kris had been brilliant. She was such a great host, each night cooking up a new culinary delight. Our evenings of fine food and chatting whilst reviewing the day's photos was coming to an end and we were all going to miss this place. I had been an honorary member of the family for a handful of days and I was once again reminded how much I liked Canadians. Kris and I had joked that she had not only washed my clothes, but even given me a little blue pill. NOT what you are thinking, it was simply a pain killer but I of course found it hilarious.

The following day was Sunday and an early start. We were leaving this wonderful place and all headed in different directions. Kris and Kyra were due back home as were Petra and Karina respectively. Dave said adieu to his family and he and I were headed north to Lyon via train.

Katline

Lyon was meant to be a quiet stopover on the way to Nevers, but the Airbnb Dave booked felt more like a vast industrial studio than an apartment. The old stone stairs were worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, and inside, enormous windows stretched up towards a distant ceiling. The space had once housed giant silk looms, but for us it simply meant one thing: beautiful light. It reminded both of us instantly of the Buckle Factory in London, and Dave didn’t waste a second, he had booked a local model, Katline, for the following morning.
She arrived with a suitcase of outfits and a huge smile, speaking perfect English while kindly humouring my attempts at French. Daily conversation was easy enough, but shooting direction in French… less so, so her grasp of English was a relief. Dave took the first turn, shooting in his signature underexposed “Dave Light™” as the early sun poured through the windows. When it was my turn, I moved to the stairwell, using the soft light bouncing off the stone walls and wrought iron to create a set of calm, elegant portraits. A short stopover, but a beautiful one.

After two days in Lyon, Dave and I travelled north to Nevers for the start of the photography event. Rudolfs met us in his nine-seater van and immediately began a game of luggage Tetris, my long backdrop bag earning bonus points. An hour later we were driving up the long gravel path to château de Clinzeau, where Ilvy appeared on the stone steps like the proud host she absolutely was. Inside, everyone chose their rooms and settled in as more photographers and models arrived. By evening we were gathered around a huge fireplace, drinking wine, sharing stories, and realising this was going to be a very special few days.

Château number two

After two days in Lyon, Dave and I travelled north to Nevers for the start of the photography event. Rudolfs met us in his nine-seater van and immediately began a game of luggage Tetris, my long backdrop bag earning bonus points.

An hour later we were driving up the long gravel path to château number two, where Ilvy appeared on the stone steps like the proud host she absolutely was. Inside, everyone chose their rooms and settled in as more photographers and models arrived.

By evening we were gathered around a huge fireplace, drinking wine, sharing stories, and realising this was going to be a very special few days.

Ilvy, in full host mode, asked each of us to introduce ourselves, and the room quickly filled with stories that reminded me why I love the creative world. So many of these photographers and models carried entire parallel skill sets. Anna, for example, was finishing a computer science degree and hoping to use her skills in agriculture, a revelation that momentarily baffled the table but delighted me. It was humbling, listening to so many layered lives behind the art.

Claire

The next three days would be very different from the relaxed pace of the first château: a full 1:1 shooting schedule where each photographer was paired with a model and left to scout locations.

My first session was with Claire, and we headed straight to the pool where a giant stone bird kept watch, fitting for her namesake. She has this remarkable ability to shift instantly from giggly, warm and endlessly positive into pure elegance the moment the camera lifts. It’s a transformation I always enjoy witnessing, and our session set a perfect tone for the days to come.

Anna

Anna was next, and I had an hour with the woman who loved writing code. My first thought was how to use the black backdrop with her, so I set it up outside the main entrance where the building fell naturally into shade. We talked outfits, and before I’d finished the sentence she declared, “Versailles!” and disappeared, returning with a magnificent dark blue corset and matching accessories. It was perfect for the setting. I tethered my camera to the laptop, she queued up some classical music, and from that moment Anna slipped fully into character.
We moved between composed portraits and bursts of mad energy as she ran across the lawn chasing my camera. The grand finale was entirely her idea, perched on a stone lion at the entrance, waving her bra overhead like a regal trophy. None of it planned, all of it collaborative. Later, back home, she helped me choose the edits, and unsurprisingly there were many keepers.

Ilvy

Next it was my turn to shoot with Ilvy, and for the second time in two weeks I felt a little intimidated, purely because her reputation precedes her and I wanted to be on form. In reality she’s incredibly gentle, and I was probably the loudest person there. Dave had photographed her countless times and insisted she could do any style, so I kept it simple: a black suit, heels, and a wide lens outside on the stone walkway behind the château.
Rudolfs filmed us with his drone for some fun BTS footage, and I grabbed an iPhone shot of Ilvy reviewing the images. She smiled and said not everyone knows how to use a wide-angle lens on people, a compliment I quietly held onto. We’d later shoot in a room upstairs, Ilvy wearing a dress made from jewels and against a yellow wall. The dress must have been incredibly cold to her skin, but Ilvy wore it with her usual strength of character, something that is very visible in the images.

Leo

It was Meg who told me I would enjoy shooting with Leo, and she wasn’t wrong. Our first set was a mix of outdoor B&W and indoors in a blue room with flash. I was enjoying the party themed shots and Leo seemed to fit right in. The next day we woke to a misty morning. Gone were the long light wells from the windows and in their place was soft light that grazed the edges of each room. It was a great day for shooting outdoors, but also a fun time to shoot inside. Leo and I were up first and I had requested to shoot in Ilvy’s room which had three big windows. Leo put on a black suit and I asked her to channel Helmut Newton, something she called Tuesday.
The images came thick and fast and the more we opened the windows and Leo stepped outside the more she embraced the moment. It was there that I took one of my favourite images of Leo.

La Sy

My session with La Sy was brief but immense fun. The light was still soft, so we used the tall bathroom window as a backlight, the perfect way to highlight her pale skin and black dress. From there we moved to a semi-nude shot on a studded sofa, her gaze lifted into the light, possibly my favourite image of her from the whole trip.
We finished with a few quick “after party” frames, and in just three clicks I caught her flicking her hair as if she were at the centre of the night’s chaos. Completely unplanned, completely perfect.
What I loved most was how different these images were from the shy person Dave and I had met on the platform in Lyon. A reminder, once again, that you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

The event was about to end and as a last hurrah I had twenty minutes to shoot all five models together, something I’d never done before. The light shifted wildly as clouds raced overhead, so I abandoned my backdrop idea and went for a group pose I’d imagined all week using my drone. Everyone was brilliant, huddling together despite the cold, and Ilvy helped shape the composition. My final frame shows Leo at the centre, gently supported by the others, a simple image that perfectly captured the connection this group had formed.

Martina & Elena

Two days later and I was back in the UK, my next shoot was with my friend Elena (Nausicaa Yami) and her sister Martina, who works for Balenciaga and arrived armed with a selection of wonderfully quirky pieces. It was a soft Sunday morning, so we started outside, simple portraits on a canvas backdrop, followed by the two of them squeezed into one oversized coat. “We like weird fashion photos at work,” Martina said, and it showed. We wandered into the woods and the field behind the local church before finishing in the studio for something more structured.
By then I’d fully embraced Martina’s playful taste, and when she produced a pair of magnificent black boots I immediately knew how to shoot them, front and centre, like a wide-angle pack shot with the figure blurred behind. It looked brilliant, and that energy carried into the rest of the session. “I want to do Spider Girl,” Martina announced, and from there the studio dissolved into joyful chaos as the sisters twisted into strange shapes, laughing between every frame. It was impossible not to laugh with them.

Daria

It was early June, that nice period in the year when it’s warm outside but summer has only just started. I last saw Daria in Iceland almost a year ago so this was a much needed catch up and of course a shoot. But before that could happen I gave her some prints and she was able to meet my mother and aunt who were in London (my aunt likes my photography enough that she has a print of Kate, Artdecomodel, on her wall in NYC).

Daria and I spent the day in a studio in North London, another opportunity to be collaborative and chase the daylight. I enlisted my black backdrop again for a set that had a magazine cover feel to them and then we cut up some black fabric and made an outfit that partially covered her face. We finished the afternoon with some gentle nude shots with Daria resting on a table. Another shoot where I came away with too many photos to edit!

Halyna

Suddenly it was July and I was in a studio with Halyna creating a nice mix of styles. She helped me extend my Body & Soul series and then we did some wardrobe/portraits. We’d actually met for a drink earlier in the week, an evening out that included Nausicaa Yami. A chat about the industry and a chance to catch up. Halyna and I chatted about our upcoming shoot and she asked what clothes she should bring. Nausicaa laughed and said “Black. Sam likes black clothes” haha It’s true.

Kate

The following month I had a double shoot booked, Kate Ri was in town and I was excited about shooting together once again. As a bonus, Marisa was also in town and asked if we could shoot so I booked the same studio I had used in April with Olivia and spent the day creating with the two of them.

Kate was first and full of energy for 8 am. Her strong looks exaggerated by a white top I had bought.

Marisa

I last saw Marisa in October 2023 in NYC so it was a nice surprise to shoot together here in the UK. She is such a trooper, she had bought so many cool clothes, each one carefully selected from second hand shops. We managed to use them all, my favourite being a long evening gown combined with my black backdrop to form a train.

That evening we had a meal in an Italian restaurant, a nice catch up and where we revealed she liked milk in herbal tea. Whatever next! Look at the models & prints page to see Marisa holding my 2023 book with her portrait on the cover.

In September I travelled to Tuscany with Elena (Nausicaa Yami) and Tezz (Bosatezz) to add two new locations to my Elemental project, a cascading thermal pool carved into limestone and an abandoned iron mine that looks like another planet. Originally it was just going to be Elena and me, but a voice note from Tezz in a cinema foyer turned it into a three-person adventure. Elena was, of course, “always right” that this would work.

Tezz & Nausicaa

The thermal pools were our first stop and it was packed with people. The next day we returned before dawn, wading into the blue water while I flew the drone overhead. The bond between Elena and Tezz was obvious as they held onto each other in the current.

That afternoon we shot in the villa against my black backdrop and took photos that the girls would later describe as their favourites. On the second morning I managed to fall, saving the camera but not my leg, and ended up with stitches and a bonus hospital visit. They took charge completely, looking after me, adjusting plans, and somehow keeping the trip on track.

Our second location was a rust-red landscape of mini canyons, formed from old iron ore. We shot there twice, morning and evening, the girls resting on hidden towels while I worked above and at ground level. By the end I felt repaired, creatively and literally. Two unreal locations, two wonderful people, and a friendship with Tezz that almost felt as solid as the one I have with Elena.

Emily

In October last year Emily, whom I’ve known for over five years via Instagram but never actually met, explained she was coming to the UK and asked if we could shoot together. I had of course said yes, but that was 12 months away. But as time does, here we were, in a studio filled with daylight and excited to see what we could create.

We had planned many different outfits, but somehow Emily had left a number of them behind at the hotel. In her words, “we’ll have to do mostly nudes”. We were both drawn to the light wells as the daylight traced the giant studio. We spent many happy hours shooting together followed by a meal in a favourite restaurant with her husband.

Saida

Two months later and I was back in the same studio with someone new, Saida from Lithuania. In the morning we enjoyed the same beautiful daylight that streamed through the windows and moved through different looks as the daylight shifted around the space.

By late afternoon we were using flash, Saida transforming with each look. The final set had strong makeup and a very Brigitte Nielsen feel to them.

This was the perfect way to end the year. I’ve had an incredible time meeting so many new and awesome people with Tara and Saida bookending the months with a mixture of looks decided by the light in the moment. I may have not travelled as much this year, but I’d always swap people for places and this story is testament to my belief that people always matter most.