LPA NEW SIGNING / SAM RILEY

Few photographers bring as much energy and personality to their work as Sam Riley! Working across portraiture, sport, advertising and moving image, Sam has a brilliant knack for capturing people exactly as they are — whether that’s an elite athlete, a familiar face or someone simply getting on with the hard graft of everyday life.

Over the years, Sam has photographed some pretty incredible people, from Tom Daley and Billy Monger to Dame Sarah Storey and Jodie Williams, alongside campaigns for Adidas, Clarks, Reebok and Red Bull. He’s also been busy exploring life closer to home with his personal project Through a Glass Darkly, photographing working people in his new working class home of Clacton-on-Sea.

He’s also a self-confessed rule-bender, a big fan of making shoots feel more like a chat between pals than a formal event, and apparently cannot be trusted around full-sugar Coke...

So, naturally, we had a LOT to ask him, see below for his interview and a big welcome to him from LPA!

LPA: How did you first get into photography?

SR: I was lucky enough to have a great art teacher in secondary school who encouraged me to pick up a camera. I won a photography competition when I was 16 with a portrait I took of my mate Mark and that was it, I was hooked from that point on.

LPA: For anyone discovering your work for the first time, how would you describe yourself as a photographer?

SR: Empathetic. For me it’s all about relationships. One of the great things about photography is it brings people together, from all walks of life and different backgrounds. I love meeting new people, learning from them, and trying to capture what they are all about.

LPA: You’ve worked across editorial, advertising, sport and portraiture. How has your approach evolved as your career has developed?
SR: I’ve bounced around a lot! I’d say I spent the first part of my photography career learning the rules, then the next part bending them - which is much more fun ;)

LPA: There’s a real sense of movement and energy running through your work. What draws you to photographing people in motion?

SR: It brings together an obsession of mine, blending the technical side of photography with the creative to best capture movement in that decisive thousandths of a second. It’s also a very collaborative process which I love - working alongside athletes at the top of their game is a privilege I don’t take lightly.

LPA: How do you get people to relax in front of the camera?

SR: I love to chat, and find out about people which puts them at ease. But also I think it helps enormously to not make a big deal out of the process and make it more of a conversation between pals, than a formal event. A shoot should be fun and empowering for your subject and if it isn’t, you aren’t doing your job right.

LPA: Tell us about Through a Glass Darkly — what was it about photographing working people in Clacton-on-Sea that interested you?

SR: Again more obsessions! I recently moved to Clacton-on-Sea and I love it here,I’ve always been attracted to shining a light and bringing attention to the beauty of everyday life, and the hard graft of normal people. I’ve always been a big fan of Edward Hopper and the way he captures the infinite suspended in a mundane moment, and he definitely influenced my approach to this series.

LPA: You’ve photographed some incredible athletes and personalities, from Tom Daley and Billy Monger to Dame Sarah Storey and Jodie Williams. Is there a particular subject you’ve photographed who surprised you?

SR: Joe Marler England team rugby player, was a bit of a surprise. A hulking loosehead prop with a mohawk and a reputation for giving the press a hard time, and his opponents a much worse time. Turns out he’s a big lovely cuddly man who went out of his way to make everyone in the room feel valued, welcome and kept us giggling throughout the whole shoot. I think it’s amazing he’s been so open about his struggles with depression and the great role model he presents.

LPA: What makes a great portrait subject for you?

SR: A lived life, I think someone who has experienced some of life’s hard knocks and comes up smiling always makes an amazing subject to photograph. I shot a series of portraits of boxers in the seconds after their bouts over a year that took this approach literally.

LPA: You’ve also worked with brands including Adidas, Clarks, Reebok and Red Bull. What do you enjoy about the balance between a commercial brief and your own creative instinct?

SR: It's interesting to work within a commercial structure and very specific requirements but without losing sight of the creativity, and bringing these two things together in the most effective way. I think it’s important to keep in mind you were probably chosen precisely because of your creative instinct and often your personal work - so I try to bring as much of that vibe to the job as possible within the commercial framework.

LPA: You work across both stills and moving image — what does moving image allow you to explore that still photography doesn’t?

SR: I think film can be a wee bit more forgiving, you can be a bit looser with your shots as no single frame is so important. But I like bringing a photographers aesthetic to film and I love the freedom film gives you to tell someone’s story.

LPA: What’s something you’ve learned recently that you wish you’d known when you started out?

SR: You do you, boo.

LPA: If you could photograph anyone, anywhere, with no creative or budget restrictions, what would you shoot?

SR: Nick Cave, in the Arctic circle. He’s an incredible artist, and having shot Marines in Norway, I want to go farther North. The landscape is just immense.

LPA: What genre of music are you playing on set?

SR: Stone Roses, Empire of the Sun, ACDC, Skinnyman. You are more likely to ask me to turn it down than up.

LPA: Go to drink on set?

SR: Full sugar coke, and lots of it.

LPA: What are you looking forward to about joining Lisa Pritchard Agency?

SR: Everything, I’ve worked with Lisa and Jess before and they rock. So can’t wait to work with them some more!

Well, watch this space! We’re so excited to have Sam join the LPA family and can’t wait to get stuck into some fab projects with him.

Want to book Sam for your next shoot? Drop us a line at hello@lisapritchard.com