Drew Forsyth

🩰NEW WORK: ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET🩰 . Brand! New! Work! And can you believe it, it’s English National Ballet (@englishnationalballet ). . This was so much fun to shoot, and a real ‘pinch me’ moment. Since my first ballet shoot over a decade ago, working with ENB has been on my wishlist, and here we are, in 2025… tick! . This image was captured in camera, and posed numerous complex technical challenges… to say the least. Working out how to both freeze motion and create motion blur in a single image was challenging, but we pulled it off! This particular frame we only shot two or three variations of, if you can believe it! . Huge thanks to the amazing team at EDIT Brand Studio for trusting me with such a brilliant project, and Aaron, Lisa, Ben & the team at English National Ballet for the incredible support along the way — I can’t wait for the new season! . CREDITS: * Photographer: Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth * Dancer: Anna Nevzorova @nevzorova_anna * Creative Direction: EDIT Brand Studio @editbrandstudio * Hair & Makeup: Amelia Carrington-Lee @ameliacarringtonlee * Motion: Sean Mccrossan @published.studio * Assistance: Naomi Kane @itsnaomikane * Assistance & BTS: Abbie Jennings @abbiejennings.co.uk * Post Production: Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth * Additional Post Production: Alena @aretouch.a * Studio: Holborn Studios @holbornstudios * Backdrop: Hapaca Studio @hapacastudio * Lighting: Profoto @profoto * Camera: Sony @SonyAlpha * Additional thanks: Anna Sneed & Sam Zauscher @_anna_sneed @samanthazausch . #worldwideballet #enb #northernphotographer #motionblur

🪶 HOW TO:UCAN 🪶 . So I hear what you’re saying. Shooting ballerinas? Easy. Shooting elite level footballers? WAY too easy. Shooting 89 of the best musicians on earth? GIVE ME A REAL CHALLENGE. Fine. Here’s my portrait of a Toucan, shot on location in the Pantanal in Brazil - the world’s largest wetlands. . Whenever I share my portfolio, people always ask me about this shot - the main question being - is it real? And the answer is yes! This was a real toucan, the only thing I edited was removing the fresh guava on the stool that I used to lure him in! And it was one of the hardest shots I’ve ever taken. . Why? . Because of the patience I had to have. And that’s really why I wanted to share this shot, because I wanted to talk to you guys about patience. This all takes time. You might be looking at my portfolio and thinking “damn, I wish I could shoot that”, and you can, but it just takes time, and a lot of patience. I’ve been full time/self employed/earning a living from photography for coming up on 13 years, and I can tell you, it doesn’t just happen overnight. In order to get the portfolio that I’ve got, I’ve had to grind it out, shoot thousands of assignments, make a TONNE of mistakes, and learn everything the hard way. But in those years I’ve had some experiences that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It is one million percent worth it. But you just have to be patient. . Swipe to see a little BTS video! . #profoto #manchester #northernphotographer #takeover #drewforsyth #portraitphotography

⚽️ HOW TO LIGHT: HIGH PROFILE TALENT ⚽️ . TODAY: How to work with, light, and ultimately not screw up working with high profile talent. . This is Millie Bright OBE (@mbrighty04 ), shot on location for a BBC TV Show. Millie’s CV is astounding. Captain of the England Team. Winner of the Euros. Runner Up in the World Cup. Winner of the Golden Boot. Freedom of the City of London. I mean… wow. . So how do you work with someone like this? The answer: efficiently. The client gave me two 15 minute chunks either side of the filming, which was more than enough time to do a couple of setups - both lit exactly the same, with my (at the time) B10 (and now my B10X). The first setup was the full length shot of Millie and the goal posts. I loved having her amongst the football paraphernalia, as I felt it told more of a story. We then moved on to the closer image - which I shot with HSS, and got Millie to stand nice and close to the umbrella with the diffusion. . So, what’s the answer for when you work with high profile talent. Well - here’s what I’ve learned: * Treat celebrities like normal people, and treat normal people like celebrities. Working with famous folk really is all about the power dynamic. You have to remember that you’re both working together to create something. The moment you start establishing them as the one in control (even if they are!!), is the moment you lose the shoot. * Set expectations at the start. Especially when it comes to timings! I tell them that it’s going to take 10 minutes longer than it actually does. That way they leave 10 minutes early in a good mood, because they got 10 minutes back. * Have the answers. Often people will ask “well why are we doing that” - and you better have a good answer! * Be normal. Cannot emphasise this enough. You’re not a fan. You’re there to do a job. * Be efficient. These people are time poor! * Do your research. Don’t ask someone if they want a glass of wine if they are a recovering alcoholic. * If you really would like a selfie, then take it at the end once you’re all done! . #profoto #manchester #northernphotographer #takeover #drewforsyth #portraitphotography

The Hallé brand has had a makeover 🪄   Ahead of the orchestra’s 26/27 season announcement next week, @the_halle has unveiled its new brand identity,  reimagined to honour the orchestra’s long-standing legacy and visionary future in Manchester and beyond.   Developed in collaboration with creative agency @editbrandstudio and audience research specialists Indigo, the new logo and design embodies the Hallé’s rich heritage and reflects how the orchestra and its audiences have grown and evolved 🌍 🎻 “Our new brand really captures both the enduring spirit of our rich history, as well as reflecting our bold vision for the future” - David Butcher CEO (@dbutcherhalle ) 📸 @_drewforsyth #halle #manchester #halleorchestra #classicalmusic

📷🔪NEW WORK: ALL KILLA NO FILLA 🔪📷 . Brand new work today! The KEY ART for ‘All Killa No Filla’s’ ‘LIVE AT CHRISTMAS, with Kiri Pritchard-McLean (@KiriPritchardMclean ) and Rachel Fairburn (@RachelFairburn ). . Shooting with Kiri & Rachel is always such a hoot - and this one was no exception. The concept for this one was simple, something Christmas-y, with the two presenters reading from the Naughty List. Simple! . As you’ll see from the BTS (swipe!), the backdrop was actually a little bit smaller than we see here!! But a bit of @Adobe Photoshop helped with that. This was lit with a small @Profoto Clic Octa directly overhead, and then two Profoto B10 heads gel’d read either side of the subjects, to really warm up the shot, and bathe the backdrop in that gaudy red colour. . A huge thank you to Owen and Aline at Berks Nest (@BerksNest ) for trusting me with this project, the team at PBJ Management (@pbjmanagement ), Lois & Jenna on HMU, the ever patient Abbie assisting, Kaitlyn on work experience from Manchester School of Art, and the wonderful team at Studio Manchester for making us feel so welcome. Can’t wait to share more images from the shoot! . CREDITS: * Photography: Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth * Hair & Makeup: Lois Pickup & Jenna Hacking @loispickup_mua @its_jenna_hacking * Assistant: Abbie Jennings @abbiejennings.co.uk * Work Experience: Kaitlyn Pereira @_be_muse * Production: Berk’s Nest @BerksNest * Studio: Studio Manchester @StudioManchester * Poster Design: Desktidy Design @desktidydesign . #allkillanofilla #kiripritchardmclean #rachelfairburn

🎻 NEW WORK: THE HALLÉ ORCHESTRA 🎻 . Ahead of its 2026/27 Season Launch, I’m so excited to be able to share my for The Hallé Orchestra (@the_halle ) shot on location in Manchester earlier this year. . At the heart of the new identity is a reimagined version of the Hallé’s iconic ‘H’ — a sweeping lettering first introduced in the 1960s, now reworked as a graphic device that interacts with type and images. Developed by lettering artist Dan Forster (@danforster ), the elegant motif also captures the essence of an infinity symbol — a nod to the constant innovation at the heart of the Hallé’s enduring passion for music. . This was such a fun commission to work on, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The opportunity to work alongside world class musicians is something I will never take for granted, and so I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to share this work with you today. . As usual, I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without an amazing team - credits below! Thank you so much to Liz, Pete, Bonnie, Sharyn, and the rest of the team at the Hallé, and look out for more of the images coming soon!! . CREDITS: * Client: The Hallé Orchestra @the_halle * Agency: EDIT @editbrandstudio * Photography: Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth * Assistants: Orrin Saint-Pierre @orrin.pierre & Naomi Kane @itsnaomikane * Hair & Makeup Artists: Lois Pickup @loispickup_mua & Charlotte Hubbard @cmlh__makeup * Research: Indigo * Typography: @danforster * Website: cog . #portraitphotography #brandcampaign #northernphotographer

No better feeling in the world CREDITS: * Agency: Edit Studio (@EditBrandStudio ) * Client: English National Opera (@EnglishNationalOpera ), @factory_international and @bbcphilharmonic * Photographer: Drew Forsyth (@_drewforsyth ) * Assistant: Naomi Kane (@itsnaomikane ) * Studio: Five Four Studios (@fivefourstudios ) * Model: Natasha Trigg (@natashalillytrigg ) . #keyart #northernphotographer #EnglishNationalOpera #SonyAlpha #profoto

⚽️ MILLE BRIGHT APPRECIATION POST⚽️ . Today’s post celebrates the amazing Millie Bright OBE (@mbrighty04 ), who just announced her retirement from football. . I shot these images of Millie for ‘Boot Dreams: Now or Never’, for Expectation TV (@expectation_tv ) and BBC THREE (@bbcthree ) - and she couldn’t have been more professional, and giving with her time. . Captain of the England Team, Winner of the Euros, Runner Up in the World Cup, Golden Boot 2022 winner… what a career. Congratulations on your amazing success, can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds!! . #bbcthree #expectationtv #portraitphotography

🩰KATE BYRNE🩰 . Dancer Kate Byrne, shot on location in Reading, UK, 2020. . Today I wanted to share a shoot that marked a turning point in my career - my ‘Creative Retreat’ work, in collaboration with renowned choreographer and artist Jenna Lee (@JennaLeeChoreographer ), ‘Kate’. . I’m so guilty of not working on personal projects as much as I should, and so when I was reminded of this image in a conversation last night, I was overcome with excitement - what if I just booked a weekend away to shoot. And so now I’m on Airbnb looking. I’ll keep you up to date. . Just a quick note on the creative! The concept was born out of two pieces of artwork - Erwin Blumenfeld’s ‘Nude Under Wet Silk, Paris’ (c. 1937) and Giovanni Strazza’s ‘Veiled Virgin’, (Year unknown, circa 1850s). There’s also a decent chunk of Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner (1982) in there. . As ever, images like this aren’t possible on my own, so credit goes to: * Dancer: Kate Byrne @itskatebyrne * Direction & Photography: Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth * Creative Support and Movement Direction: Jenna Lee @jennaleechoreographer * Hair & Makeup: Ophelia @in.templum.ophelia * Retouching: Matt Brewin @iamaretoucher * Material: Abakhan @abakhanfabrics . #oldmasters #portraitphotography  #worldwidedance

🐴 JOAN MARIE🐴 . This is one of my favourite ever shoots, and one of the most unique, exciting, and thrilling days of my career. This is Joan Marie, shot on location in Texas (@j_o_a_n_m_a_r_i_e  & @maverick_horseback_riding ) . Looking back at this shoot now, it’s immediately obvious why I was so drawn to Joan Marie as a subject - she’s the ultimate representation of what I want to show in my work. She’s Strong. Powerful. Beautiful. Uncompromising… and Singularly Focused. Spending time with her left me breathless, and I’m so pleased that we were able to cross paths and create these images. . Quick note on the technical stuff. For these images I knew I wanted to create something timeless, so I went for a single light source: a Profoto B10, stuffed into a Medium Profoto White Umbrella with a diffuser on the front. I love taking my lights on location, because everyone who steps in front of my camera deserves beautiful light, regardless of how hard it is to find a power outlet or a spot that’s not too windy! . Huge thanks to @_Anna_Sneed  for assisting on the day, and for lending me her incredible @OliphantStudio  backdrop, @iamaretoucher  for the amazing post production, @Profoto  for the lighting, and Joan Marie for her kindness. Until next time! . #portraitphotographer #profotosharethelight #manchesterphotographer #sonyalpha

"Find the wholeness in brokenness.” ~ Lionel Richie Dancer - Emily Suzuki @emily_suzuki Photographer & Director - Drew Forsyth @_drewforsyth Hair & Makeup Artist - Becca Anderton @b écca.anderton DOP & Video Post Production - Sean McCrossan @published.studio Stylist - Aimee Lakin @aimee.lakinn Production & BTS Stills - Ophelia Jorgensen @photobyphe Additional Post Production - Alena @aretouch.a Studio - KNT Dance Studio @kntdanceworks

🎼🎻 BBC PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 🎻🎼 . Last Summer (or was it two Summers ago?!) I was commissioned to shoot the new season for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (@BBCPhilharmonic ) - and whilst doing some prep for a shoot this week, I realised that I only posted that one large image from the session, and not some of the individual portraits of the amazing musicians!
. WELL THAT CHANGES NOW. . Shot in an abandoned fire station in the heart of Manchester city centre, here are some of my favourites from the shoot! What a privilege this was - working with some of the best classical musicians in the world, on location, with a smoke machine. What’s not to love. Also, as it was an active building site at the time, there were very specific problems to overcome vis-a-vis power. As in, there wasn’t any, so the entire setup had to be battery operated. Madness. . Huge thanks to Susan at Profoto for the help, Beth at the BBC for the commission, my amazing team, and the fantastic musicians. Team work makes the dream work. . @itsnaomikane  @profoto  @susan_ely  @captureone  @sonyalpha @sony.unitedkingdom . #campaign #northernphotographer #bbc