About Me…

I’m Ed Silvester, a portrait and editorial photographer based in the UK. I’ve been in photography my entire life, starting with an ancient camera handed down to me from my Dad.

Before photography became my full-time focus, I spent many years working at senior level in broadcast and media technology. That background quietly shapes how I work now: preparation matters, calm matters, and getting the result without unnecessary drama matters most of all.

I specialise in working with people who don’t naturally enjoy being photographed. People who describe themselves as awkward, private, sceptical — or simply unconvinced they ever look good in pictures. My approach is deliberately low-pressure. There’s no performance to adopt and no version of you I’m trying to impose. The sessions are conversational, unhurried, and grounded in observation rather than instruction.

I’m interested in portraits that ask questions rather than shout answers. Images that feel rooted in a place, a role, or a moment in time — where background, light, and gesture all contribute to the story being told. Much of my work is editorial in nature, but the same principles apply whether I’m photographing a writer, a vicar, a CEO, or someone who has never commissioned a portrait before.

Clients often tell me they were surprised — not just by the photographs, but by how relaxed the process felt. That, for me, is the real measure of success: when someone leaves the session feeling more at ease than when they arrived, and with images that feel recognisably, honestly theirs.

If you’re looking for portraiture that’s thoughtful, calm, and unforced, you’re in the right place.