Poldark in the Studio: Themed Portraits with Sophia and Rory

As a photographer based in Suffolk, this one came from the studio: a themed shoot for Elegant Exposures inspired by “Poldark”, with fashion styling doing as much of the work as the camera.

The Styling

A themed shoot stands or falls on its styling. Working with Sue means the costumes carry the story. Her view is that clothing sets the tone and character of the person wearing it, and that thinking shaped every look in this session.

Behind the Camera

As Behind the camera, my aim was to make the period feel believable: soft light, muted backgrounds and framing that keeps the eye on the costume and the expression.

A Tribute to “Poldark”

“Poldark” is set between 1783 and 1820, full of love, politics and struggle. With models Sophia and Rory we set out to mirror the life stages of Ross Poldark and Demelza, using costume to mark each chapter.

Part One

This session was part one. Every set, costume and pose was chosen to match a point in the story, and the studio was dressed to suit the period rather than fight it.

Looking Forward

There is more of this series on the blog: the location chapter of the Poldark story was shot later in Norfolk, with horses.

Elegant Exposures exists for shoots like this: styling and photography planned together until the pictures hold your eye.

New shoots are written up here as they happen.