Martin Bamford Photography

16/10/2026

What a brilliant evening at the Surrey Legal Awards 2026!

Thursday night was my third year photographing this fantastic event at G Live in Guildford, and it just keeps getting better.

A wonderful atmosphere, a brilliantly organised evening and plenty of well-deserved celebrations as Surrey's legal community came together to recognise some outstanding achievements.

This year's host, comedian Hal Cruttenden, was an absolute highlight. I'd never come across his comedy before, but he had me laughing all evening. Very funny chap! I'll definitely be looking out for more of his work.

Huge congratulations to all the winners and finalists. It was a real pleasure to capture your celebrations!

And a big thank you to Helen, Elouise and everyone at the Surrey Law Society for inviting me back for a third year. Always lovely to work with such a brilliant team.

Here are a few of my favourite moments from the evening.

15/10/2026

This was such a lovely day of photography and a brilliant event at a fab venue 📸

14/10/2026

Bold reds, striking silhouettes and some seriously extraordinary millinery.

Another fantastic creative collaboration with celebrated fashion designer and milliner Virna Pasquinelli, bringing two of her incredible hat designs to life in the studio.

From intricate embellishments to those spectacular red feathers, every detail deserved its moment in front of the camera.

I absolutely love how these images turned out. A brilliant combination of fashion, craftsmanship and a little attitude!

Virna Pasquinelli Millinery

14/10/2026

So many incredible photos from my recent shoot for Virna but this piece is one of my favourites. Wow!

❤️‍🔥 RED HOT. BOLD. UNAPOLOGETIC. ❤️‍🔥

Not made to blend in… made to make a STATEMENT! 🔥

This all-red leather cap, featuring dramatic feather horns, is giving fierce, bold and full of attitude. ❤️🪶

For those who dare to be different and aren’t afraid to stand out. 😈🔴

Beautifully captured by the loveliest Martin Bamford
Fearlessly worn by the gorgeous JORDAN EBBITT

13/10/2026

15 years ago, two young paralegals went for a lunchtime walk and started talking about setting up their own law firm.

And 15 years later, they actually did it!

Meet Amy Jacobs and Dan Crate, founders of Reigate-based law firm Crate Jacobs, and my latest guests on The Surrey Hills Portrait. 🎙️

I really enjoyed spending time with these two, hearing how their friendship and shared ambition eventually turned into a business of their own.

We covered all sorts, including the years spent studying to become lawyers while working full-time, the importance of mentoring young people, and why Reigate is such a great place to build a business.

We also got into some fascinating territory around AI, including Amy’s experience of effectively arguing against an AI-generated opponent, and why sharing confidential legal advice with ChatGPT might not be the best idea!

What I particularly loved about their story was the patience involved. This wasn’t some overnight success. It was an idea they held onto for 15 years, through career changes, qualifications and everything else life threw at them.

A lovely conversation with two genuinely interesting people doing great things here in Surrey.

The latest episode of The Surrey Hills Portrait is out now!

You can listen on my website, or find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching for The Surrey Hills Portrait.

A huge thank you to Amy and Dan for taking part. Hope you enjoy listening! 📸🎧

11/10/2026

A murder mystery, plenty of laughs and some wonderfully suspicious characters!

A few of my favourite photographs from Friday evening, when I joined CATS for their production of Soapsuds – Murder Mystery.

Such a fun show to photograph, with a brilliant cast bringing the story to life.

I always enjoy the challenge of theatre photography, capturing the expressions, interactions and little moments that make a live performance so entertaining.

Thanks to Freddie and everyone at CATS for having me along!

10/10/2026

A lovely session in my Cranleigh studio recently with Charlotte, who came along for a fresh set of acting headshots ahead of her drama school applications. 🎭📸

One of the things I love about photographing actors is the variety we can create in a single session.

Charlotte was kept busy changing outfits while I switched backgrounds and lighting. Glasses on, glasses off. Hair up, hair down. Big smiles, subtle expressions and more serious looks.

The aim is to create a collection of headshots that shows genuine range, giving casting directors a sense of the different characters an actor could play.

And once we’d got the headshots sorted, we had some fun experimenting with editorial portraits too!

Charlotte is the latest talented young performer I’ve photographed through my ongoing connection with Showdown Management. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know and photograph so many of their actors.

Good luck with those drama school applications, Charlotte! I hope these photographs help open a few doors for you. ❤️

09/10/2026

What a beautiful place to spend a Thursday! ⛳️📸

Yesterday I photographed the Cherry Trees charity golf day at the stunning St George’s Hill Golf Club. What an incredible course!

I’m not a golfer, although 25 years ago, an early employer in financial services gave me a corporate membership and expected me to entertain clients with weekly rounds. Tough life, I know! 😂

These days I’m much happier carrying a camera than a set of clubs.

I got to know Cherry Trees through our mutual membership of Surrey Hills Enterprises. They’re a wonderful local charity providing short breaks for children and young people with disabilities, while giving their families some much-needed respite.

By lunchtime today, I’d edited and delivered over 400 photographs for the charity and their guests.

Quick turnaround is so important in event photography. Images have far more value when they’re ready to share while the event is still fresh in everyone’s minds, helping to celebrate the day and support future fundraising.

A fantastic day supporting a brilliant cause. Here are a few of my favourites! 📸

07/10/2026

Taking photographs for 25 years has taught me plenty.

But the way I photograph people has been shaped by much more than photography.

I spent years as a Chartered Financial Planner, working in a profession built on trust.

I’ve produced around 1,000 podcast episodes, learning how to listen properly, ask better questions and help people tell their story.

I’ve run businesses and a charity, so I know photographs need to do more than look good. They need to be useful. For a website, LinkedIn profile, press release, acting portfolio or whatever else they’re there to achieve.

And I mostly photograph real people, not professional models.

People who don’t know how to pose.

People who tell me they hate having their photo taken.

People who just want to look like themselves on a really good day.

That’s why so much of my work is about listening, building trust, reading the person in front of me and adapting as we go.

Lighting, lenses and editing all matter, of course.

But portrait photography is still one person photographing another person.

The better I understand who’s in front of the camera, the better chance I have of making photographs that actually feel like them.

If you need new headshots, branding photography or portraits, tell me what you need the photographs to do.

I’d love to help.

06/10/2026

A few favourites from a recent studio shoot with Kat.

We created a mix of acting headshots and more editorial portraits, working through four distinct casting characters for her agent.

Kat had clearly put a lot of thought into the session before she arrived, which made such a difference. Each look had its own feel, but everything still felt natural and believable.

Really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to getting Kat back in the studio again.