Encouraged by a Newspaper Editor
My love of photography has always been based around portraits. I was first drawn to photographing people as a young teen. This was initially just as a hobby, but during two weeks of work experience at a local newspaper, the editor encouraged and guided my skill development. Some of my portraits – of schoolchildren eating a bug-themed lunch and a local jazz band – made it into the paper, and my passion for photography grew from there.
My niece, Taryn, was born soon after. She must’ve thought she had a camera for an aunt, as I was always looking at her through the lens. A couple of years later, Taryn’s brother, Ryan, was born. There can’t be many siblings in as many photographs as these two, but every time they made me smile, or did something new/cute, or just demonstrated their uniqueness, I wanted to capture it. Now, I’m so glad I’ve got so many visual memories of their time as children.
High Speed Sessions in a High-Street Studio
My first full-time job was in a photography chain high street studio. We had ten minutes with each customer, and were told to capture 10 different images in this time, with different backgrounds, crops and groupings. Spending so little time on each shoot put a lot of pressure on everyone in the room, which the kids picked up on, making them tense. My sessions often went over the time limit so I could put the extra effort into warming up a shy child, or getting the detail of a portrait just right.
Going Solo
Eventually, I decided to go solo, and have been doing photography ever since. Sometimes, creating portraits has taken a back seat to writing about the process, as Ammonite Press commissioned me to co-author two titles for them, Foundation Portrait Photography and Mastering Portrait Photography.
Now, I enjoy creating portraits on my terms: no more rushed, high pressure ten-minute sessions, where the result is mediocre at best. Instead, I get to know my clients, spend as much time with them as I can, and have the privilege of creating custom artwork that my clients share, display and treasure forever.
I was awarded my Licentiate qualification with the Master Photographers Association in May 2018. Since 2018, over 10 of my portraits and two of my food photographs have been awarded ‘Highly Commended’ Rosettes, while a different portrait was announced as a Merit Award Winner at the Master Photographers Association 2018 Awards. In June 2019 I was awarded MPA Newborn Photographer of the Year and in 2022 I won Young Families Photographer of the Year, both for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).
Fascinated by people
People are always moving, changing, thinking and feeling. They each have stories, worries and hopes.
That’s what I aim to capture. A little bit of the person, beyond their physical self. The uncontrolled laugh that reveals what we find funny. The arm that’s half hugging, half tickling, showing how much we love playing with and being with our family. The young child who peeks out when counting before a game of hide and seek, because the temptation is too much.
We don’t get to be on this earth for very long. Our children grow up too quickly. Friends move away. We lose much-loved pets and family members. Portrait photography is how we capture who we are and who we love at this moment, so we can share, treasure and remember those moments tomorrow.
Overcoming worry and stress
Sadly, by the time we become adults, the process of capturing those moments has negative associations for many of us. We are used to worrying about how we will look in the pictures, or feeling stressed about whether our children will misbehave.
I believe that when we look at our portraits, we are reminded of how we felt when they were created. That’s why my photography centres around a relaxed experience.
It starts with a pre-shoot chat, to let us get to know each other and plan your shoot in a relaxed way. It continues with my reshoot guarantee to take the pressure off your shoot, and my games-led approach to sessions with young kids to keep them engaged and entertained.
It finishes with my no-pushy-sales process. I’ll make recommendations based on what you’d like to do with the portraits and advise on frame mouldings and finishes – but only if you want me to. Keep only what you love.
This way, not only will your portraits be flattering, authentic and relaxed, but every time you look at them you’ll be reminded of how fun they were to create.
Click on the links below to find out more about my two books on portrait photography:
Sarah Plater AMPA is a multi-award-winning qualified, certified professional portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 and Young Families Photographer of the Year 2022 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).
© Sarah Plater Photography. All rights reserved.
