The People’s Portrait Studio

Until recently, having a portrait taken involved a visit to a local studio, where lighting, composition, and photographic expertise made a deliberate and lasting image.

With the growth of smartphones, the high street studio has largely disappeared. Where it still exists, it can feel inaccessible and expensive, limiting who is seen and how they are represented.

The People’s Portrait Studio responds to this change by opening up access to portraiture, creating space for people to be seen on their own terms and restoring the act of portrait making as a shared, everyday experience.

April 2026

January 2026

April 2024

Feedback

Dear Simon, thank you so much for the opportunity to have the photos taken. I look great in them! I think you have many supporters now. I was passing through the Chantry Centre daily and saw how you were surrounded by people – this is really great. Kind regards,

Hi Simon, Thank you so much for the portraits, I am really happy with them (nicest photos of myself I’ve had in a long time!), the help with finding a natural pose that was me really helped. It’s a really great thing you’ve done for the community and I hope it all comes together well. If you ever do something like this in the future, let me know as I would be happy to put posters or leaflets where I work.

Dear Simon, thank you so very much for all your efforts and kindness, your photography skills are absolutely amazing, am so happy and proud of our photo’s which will take pride of place in our home, all best wishes to you and your family.

Simon I absolutely love these photos – thank you – would you be prepared to do others at some time in the future if I can get the family together? The beauty with these – is they are spontaneous – not manicured! We just came out shopping and you took them – so they are more natural – really great thank you so much.

Hi Simon, Thank you so much for the lovely pictures, an amazing work for communities to experience. My son is really happy with the pictures and so am I. Hope you continue to provide smiles to people’s faces, it is very nice of you. Hope you receive as much as you give, always. Kind regards,

Good morning Simon,  thank you so very much for the picture’s, they are so very beautiful, you have really made our anniversary day perfect and so very special, it will be one we will treasure for evermore, we are so grateful to you and your kindness. I’m hoping that somewhen this year, l can get family together so we can have family photo’s, once again thank you so very much for all you done for us, have a lovely bank holiday, all best wishes to you and your family.

Hi Simon Thank you so much for sending the photos. It’s interesting that I can see myself relaxing a little from one photo to the next. The last one is, for me, the best. All down to your skills as a photographer! Thanks again Best regards,

Many thanks for your prompt email and for getting these to me. I can fully imagine how busy you’ve been with editing them. It was a great chance to talk about photography with you and hear your story also. I think the photos you’ve captured are brilliant and thank you for giving me the chance to capture myself in a season of life I’ll never experience again. Good luck and best wishes with all that you do,

Hi Simon they are so good thank you I wish we would have dressed up so I’d like to arrange something over the next coming months as I’d like both my kids and mrs in a few different pics but they are so good we don’t have many family photos, I just showed my boss he said your a top bloke thank you again mate.

Dear Simon, What wonderful pictures! Thank you so much for sharing them. I can’t believe that, despite our unprepared state, you managed to make the subjects look so good! We really appreciate you creating this record of memories for us. Thank you again.

Hi Simon, It was a pleasure to meet you and many thanks for my portraits – these are great! Thank you for also confirming that I can use them as I see fit, much appreciated. I am glad that you had such a great response and I look forward to seeing how this develops. Thanks again.

Hi Simon , Thanks so much for the photos, love them! What a great opportunity for us all, you are very generous to give your time to this experience. It was great to meet you. Best wishes,

Thank you! These are awesome, I’m really happy with them. Thank you so much for doing these, what a fun project. All the best,

Hi Simon, Love them, I’m glad to hear you had so much interest! The pictures are lovely – you mentioned any further assistance I don’t suppose you do wedding photography at all do you? Ha If so how much would you normally charge? Thanks x

Thanks again for the photos — I really love the portraits you took of me! I really appreciate the opportunity. Kind regards,

Hi Simon, These are great! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. God Bless you & Your Work. Kind Regards,

Hi Simon, Thank you so much for these photos. They are so lovely and captured a special moment in time. Kind regards.

Dear Simon, thank you very much for my photo’s which are really nice and l like them very much. We are very much looking forward to our anniversary photo shoot on Mon, thanking you again so much, all best wishes.

Hi Simon, Thank you very much for the photos, we are pleased with them, and we also enjoyed taking part. Will bear you in mind if we need more pictures to be done, thank you Many thanks.

Many thanks for these Simon! Look forward to updates with details of the next stage in the project. Good luck and keep in touch.

These are great, thank you so much Simon. Good luck with your huge piece of work – I hope it all goes well. 🫶🏼

Thank you so much! was so cool meeting you and hearing about all your experiences and work! pictures turned out great!

Hi Simon, Thanks so much they are lovely portraits!

Lovely pictures thank you so much 😊

Love the pictures, thank you so much.

Thankyou simon, these are fabulous, love them thankyou.

Inspiration

My concept was informed by the work of Samuel Fosso. At age 13, he opened Studio Photo National in the Central African Republic in 1975, where he photographed individuals, families, and important life events such as weddings and baptisms.

His studio became a controlled environment where people could present themselves in a deliberate and constructed way. The use of backdrops, props, and lighting allowed subjects to shape how they were seen, turning the studio into a space of identity making.

This has influenced my work by helping me to think about the studio not just as a place to take photos, but as a space where identity can be carefully communicated.

The People’s Portrait Studio began in April 2024 as a two-week artist residency at the Dissenters’ Chapel in St Mary’s Church Cemetery, Andover, Hampshire, supported by Chapel Arts Studios. It was first established there before relocating to the former O2 shop in the Chantry Centre in January and again in April 2026, with the support of Many Words For Snow and Test Valley Borough Council.

With thanks to Jackie Sarafopoulos, Lydia Fee, Sophie Willoughby, Susanne Hasselman, Helen Cundy and Liz Hammond for their energy, patience, and steadfast belief in the value of this work.