Sunday Shoots

Christmas 19th/20th Dec 2020 - Christmas portraits 19th/20th December

Christmas 19th/20th Dec 2020

Christmas 12th/13th December 2020

Christmas 12th/13th December 2020

Hug 10.09.17

Hug 10.09.17

Movie Posters 03.09.17

Movie Posters 03.09.17

Movie Posters 13.08.17

Movie Posters 13.08.17

Movie Posters 06.08.17

Movie Posters 06.08.17

Movie posters 30.07.17

Movie posters 30.07.17

The Monochrome Set 26.03.17

The Monochrome Set 26.03.17

The Monochrome Set 19.03.17

The Monochrome Set 19.03.17

Hug 05.03.17

Hug 05.03.17

Hug 05.02.17

Hug 05.02.17

Winter Wall 18.12.16

Winter Wall 18.12.16

Winter Wall 11.12.16

Winter Wall 11.12.16

Table Portraits 27.11.16

Table Portraits 27.11.16

Table Portraits 13.11.16

Table Portraits 13.11.16

The Profile Extras 09.10.16

The Profile Shoot 09.10.16

Profile extras 02.10.16

The Profile Shoot 02.10.16

The Woods 25.09.16

The Woods 25.09.16

The Woods 11.09.16

The Woods 11.09.16

The Woods 04.09.16

The Woods 04.09.16

Picnic in the Park 21.08.16

Picnic in the Park 21.08.16

Picnic in the Park 14.08.16

Picnic in the Park 14.08.16

Picnic in the Park 07.08.16

Picnic in the Park 07.08.16

Shoreditch-On-Sea 31.07.16

Shoreditch-On-Sea 31.07.16

Shoreditch on Sea 17.07.16

Shoreditch on Sea 17.07.16

Paper Portraits 10th July 2016

Paper Portraits 10th July 2016

Paper Portraits 26.06.16

Paper Portraits 26.06.16

Mirror Shoot 22.05.16

Mirror Shoot 22.05.16

Mirror Shoot 15.05.16

Mirror Shoot 15.05.16

Dressing Table 15.05.16

Dressing Table 15.05.16

Vertigo 01.05.16

Vertigo 01.05.16

Vertigo 24.04.16

Vertigo 24.04.16

Spring Hug 17.04.16

Spring Hug 17.04.16

Spring Hug 10.04.16

Spring Hug 10.04.16

The Corner 03.04.16

The Corner 03.04.16

The Room Set 06.03.16 - A Sunday Shoot by Seamus Ryan held at the Republic of Photography in Ezra Street, next to Columbia Road Flower Market on March...

The Room Set 06.03.16

Project Jump - Defying gravity, if only for a second, seems to release people's inhibitions. Posing, for all but the very gifted is almost impossible....

Project Jump

Windswept and Interesting 2006 - Society favours the famous. Celebrity culture ignores the common man. This series of portraits gave people the opportunity...

Windswept and Interesting 2006

Project Hug 2006 - This project celebrated the human hug. Mounting a camera on the ceiling affords an aerial view, a simplified graphic representation...

Project Hug 2006

July Colour Portraits - It was back to basics for this Sunday Shoot. As with January's Portraits, this project simply recorded our visitors' presence in...

July Colour Portraits

July Portraits Black and White - It was back to basics for this Sunday Shoot. As with January's Portraits, this project simply recorded our visitor's presence...

July Portraits Black and White

Silhouettes - Project Silhouette explores the myriad possibilities of this simple graphic form. Can a mere outline reveal personality or character? The...

Silhouettes

Project Profile

The Snow Booth - In this Sunday Shoot, Seamus dispensed with all of his artistic pretensions and decided to enter into the spirit of Christmas. Using our...

The Snow Booth

Project Hug 2007 - This project celebrated the human hug. Mounting a camera on the ceiling affords an aerial view, a simplified graphic representation...

Project Hug 2007

Head Space - Using our specially designed Photo-Booth, this shoot reduced visitors to floating, body-less heads. As recommended by Anne Boleyn and John...

Head Space

East End Film Noir - In this Sunday Shoot we stepped back in time, to the sinister days of the East End, a time when everyone wore a hat and in every dark...

East End Film Noir

The Sitting - Here Seamus explored one of the oldest portrait practices; the sitting. A simple chair in a weathered wooden set, our visitors filled the...

The Sitting

The Nobodies - In 'The Nobodies' Sunday Shoot, Seamus Ryan casts his jaded eye on the celebrity group shot, that gathering together of all those living...

The Nobodies

The String Thing - Continuing his ongoing exploration of the photographic portrait, Seamus created a complex graphic space reminiscent of television interference...

The String Thing

Mugshots - We live in a culture of blame. Law and order form the glue that holds our society together. As such, most of us are happy to conform and act...

Mugshots

The Posers - Every one of us is a closet poser. Left alone with a mirror we all pout and pose like over-worked supermodels. This project called on those...

The Posers

Scream and Shout - Life can be frustrating. There's probably a warden ticketing your car as you read this. There are not enough schools in Hackney. You...

Scream and Shout

The Second Sitting - With a new chair, Seamus expanded on his exploration into one of the oldest portrait practices; the sitting. Alongside creating single...

The Second Sitting

About Face - In another world-first, the Sunday Shoots created a portrait set that turns 360°. The idea - apart from celebrating the wonderful diversity...

About Face

The Roto Foto - The worlds first rotating portrait contraption! A mechanical marvel designed by Seamus Ryan (no really!). A movie is to be created from...

The Roto Foto

The Brain Academy - It is a commonly held belief that only the most intelligent of people can laugh at themselves. To honour the admirable trait of self...

The Brain Academy

The Portrait Photobooth - No ordinary photobooth, the Booth Nation booth is a high end portrait studio in a box. Behind the retro curtain you will find...

The Portrait Photobooth

An English Summer - ritain has just experienced its wettest summer since records began more than 240 years ago. This deluge has caused misery to thousands...

An English Summer

Faded Glory - These simple portraits have been colour treated to wash out strong colours leaving soft skin tones and an aged feel to the images. For some...

Faded Glory

Scusa Caravaggio - This project has borrowed its lighting and a splash of red from the great Caravaggio, famed in Rome around 1600 for both his painting...

Scusa Caravaggio

Posing by The Pod - Once again by popular demand, the Booth Nation photo booth was called to service, this time in glorious technicolour. Images are available...

Posing by The Pod

The Ironsides - A strong graphic set made of lovingly scratched and painted corrugated iron. This corner set takes it's influence from one of Seamus' favourite...

The Ironsides

The Fall - This project is an experimental collaboration between Sunday Shoots photographer Seamus Ryan and illustrator Eun-Kyung Kang (aka Zebby). The...

The Fall

Retro Booth - Now a firm Sunday Shoots favourite, the Retro Booth project takes place in the Booth Nation photobooth (see www.boothnation.com), Seamus'...

Retro Booth

GANGS OF LONDON PART 1 - THE HOODIES - In this project Seamus attempts to demystify the cult of 'the hoodie'. Groups of these skulking creatures create...

GANGS OF LONDON PART 1 - THE HOODIES

Light Box - It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, months of darkness lie ahead. In this Sunday Shoot our Booth Nation photo booth...

Light Box

VROOM VROOM - This weeks Sunday Shoot harked back to an era before speed cameras and congestion charges, to the halcyon days of the open road.

VROOM VROOM

Face It - This Sunday Shoot is all about the face. How can such a simple arrangement of features produce such infinate variety? Seamus got up close and...

Face It

Out With The Old - Our last portrait session of a very busy year. These are some of the brave souls still in London on the eve of Christmas eve. A spirited...

Out With The Old

In With The New - Following on from the last Sunday Shoot of 2007 - 'Out With The Old' this project brings a positive start to 2008. Flattering ring flash...

In With The New

Ring Tones - In this project Seamus continues to experiment with his custom made ring flash. The ring flash - a light that fits around the camera lens...

Ring Tones

Vertigo - When we fall we lose control. In this project the public were invited to really let go and plunge into a metaphorical abyss, revealing a more...

Vertigo

January Portraits 2007 - These portraits of our handsome visitors emulate the timeless quality of the lith print, an almost defunct chemical process that...

January Portraits 2007

The Thinkers - 'The Thinkers' explored the deepest recesses of the mind. A recent article in the New York Times suggests that each of us have 2-3000 thoughts...

The Thinkers

The Tempest - Storm in a Booth - The only photobooth in the world with a wind machine, the Booth Nation photobooth (see www.boothnation.com) became The...

The Tempest - Storm in a Booth

March Portraits - An exhausted Seamus finished this very busy month with a simple portrait session session for Sunday visitors. A combination of strong...

March Portraits

Light Trails - In this shoot visitors entered a darkened chamber and created unique graphic shapes using a small torch. These 'light trails' are effectively...

Light Trails

The Portal - We are all well used to seeing images in a rectangular format. Framing portraits in a circle seems to change the whole nature of the image....

The Portal

50's Classic Retro Booth - For this project Seamus invited the public into his classic re-make of the 1950's American Photobooth, an affectionate homage...

50's Classic Retro Booth

Windswept and Interesting - This week we revisit one of the first Sunday Shoot projects. Using only a painted sky, a wind machine, and some dramatic lighting...

Windswept and Interesting

May Portraits 2007 - Traditional portrait lighting set-up because everyone looks good in black and white and Seamus was short of ideas.

May Portraits 2007

Evidence - In this project we asked the public to reveal all that stuff they carry around with them. Handbags were emptied and pockets turned out to give...

Evidence

June Portraits 2008 - While the Glastonbury crowds finally got some sunshine the real talent once more turned up to the Sunday Shoots. This lighting set...

June Portraits 2008

The Expressionists - Due to frustrating technical issues this shoot was very late in starting and therefore over very quickly. The challenge to our visitors...

The Expressionists

Windswept at Harrods - This is the first of six Sunday Shoots Seamus is doing as part of Harrod's 'That's Entertainment' season. The challenge was to create...

Windswept at Harrods

Hollywood Portraits at Harrods - This shoot reveals a new breed of femme fatales, leading men, goodies and baddies. With a nod towards 1940's Hollywood...

Hollywood Portraits at Harrods

Light Trails at Gold 2008 - GOLD was a one-day arts and music event held in Shoreditch Town Hall on Saturday 27th of September. It coincided with the official...

Light Trails at Gold 2008

Snow Business - In what some would view as a cynical exercise to generate Christmas orders this project looks back to a golden age when snow fell and banks...

Snow Business

Winter Hug - Another outing for Seamus' Hug Project. Only the hardiest of Londoners braved the bitterly cold and wet weather on this bleak winter Sunday....

Winter Hug

December Portraits 2008 - It was back to basics for this pre Christmas shoot. Two lights and the combined talents of a wonderfully talented group of visitors...

December Portraits 2008

Britain's next...Whatever - None of today's TV talent shows seem complete without a smoke machine. Emerging from obscurity, it would appear, is only possible...

Britain's next...Whatever

Brain Academy 2 - In times of global depression there should always be room for levity. Time for a really silly shoot! In this project, members of the...

Brain Academy 2

Hug 3 - One of Seamus' most popular Sunday Shoots, this project celebrates the human hug. Mounting a camera on the ceiling affords an aerial view, a simplified...

Hug 3

The Signing - In this project we take a sideways glance at the whole business of identity. Our signatures are unique to us and were, until recently, considered...

The Signing

Silhouette - Once more we delve into the graphic possibilities of the silhouette. Subjects were asked to bring their own creativity to the project. A task...

Silhouette

Fashion Portraits at Harrods

Fashion Portraits at Harrods

Silhouette 2009 - For the third time we delve into the graphic possibilities of the silhouette. Subjects were asked to bring their own creativity to the...

Silhouette 2009

Winter Hug 2009 - A miserable wet Sunday in an almost deserted Columbia Road Flower Market.One of the quietist Sundays I can remember. What better than...

Winter Hug 2009

The Room Set 13.03.16

The Room Set 13.03.16

Up Close and Personal - Every now and then a portrait photographer just has to move in closer. Invading a subject's personal space is both challenging...

Up Close and Personal

Mugshots 2009 - This week the media has had great sport exposing an alarmingly high number of MPs for their fraudulent expenses claims. It got me thinking....

Mugshots 2009

Hug, June 2009 - This project has now become a twice yearly fixture at Sunday Shoots. The graphic possibilities each hug presents make the project both...

Hug, June 2009

Stars on Sunday - This bright sunny Sunday brought the crowds out. The aim of the shoot was to capture something of the individuality and inner strength...

Stars on Sunday

Classic Black and White - No funny business this week, just good old fashioned black and white portraits. Weather wise, this was a truly grotty day so...

Classic Black and White

Paper Portraits - A touch of gusto and verve was asked of all who took part in this lively shoot. The tricky bit was to avoid ripping the paper any further....

Paper Portraits

May Portraits - This week's simple clean portraits reveal once more what is so special about people who get up early on a Sunday morning. Big up to baby...

May Portraits

Timber - Simple set time again at this week's Sunday Shoot. Once more I have raided my landlord's wood supply to create a rustic timber background. Seamless...

Timber

The Corner 27.03.16

The Corner 27.03.16

The Corner 20.03.16

The Corner 20.03.16

Mugshots 2006 - We live in a culture of blame. Law and order form the glue that holds our society together. As such, most of us are happy to conform and...

Mugshots 2006

January Portraits - Nothing special here ... just a simple lighting setup and some portraits of people who came to the gallery on a cold January day. The...

January Portraits

Mad Faces - Pulling a funny face will not get you into Mensa. It is viewed by many as the lowest form of humour and as the last resort of a crap comic....

Mad Faces

High Key - A bright and sunny Mother's Day brought the crowds to Columbia Road this Sunday. At the last minute I broke the grim set I had been working...

High Key

Table Top Portraits - Volcanic dust made for a slightly surreal day in London. The clear blue skies and strange quiet was cause for reflection. Meanwhile...

Table Top Portraits

Film Noir at Harrods - Film making in the 1940's was dominated by 'film noir', a genre of low key lighting in shadowy city streets. These gloomy settings...

Film Noir at Harrods

Headshots - Another chance for me to indulge in my endless fascination with the human face. Those who bravely sat for a portrait did so in front of a large...

Headshots

Pedal Power - Felt the need for speed this week. A wind machine, a blurry background and my landlord's bike combined to create a very amusing shoot. Two...

Pedal Power

Winter Hug 2010 - A damp and cold Sunday with Tube closures kept people away from Columbia Road Market. Thank goodness for the brave and hearty few who...

Winter Hug 2010

Hollywood - My Sunday Shoot this week was somewhat star studded. Six thousand miles away on Hollywood Boulevard I was privileged to shoot the good citizens...

Hollywood

Paper Portraits 2010 - I like the cartoon quality this project brings out. Something to brighten up the gloomy December weather, not to mention the global...

Paper Portraits 2010

Table Portraits January 2012 - I’ve had this table for twenty years. It seems to lend itself to this simple portrait set up. I have a particular fondness...

Table Portraits January 2012

Penn Portraits - Everyone should have a hero. In my case it's Irving Penn, a master photographer who has always inspired me. It is therefore with no sense...

Penn Portraits

Fashion Sunday - Take one simple set, add light and shade and wait. When ready, add the great and the good of Columbia Road Flower Market. Shoot for four...

Fashion Sunday

Silhouettes March 2011 - Simple, graphic and yet still so telling. I really do love silhouettes despite all the work involved cutting out shoes. Now you...

Silhouettes March 2011

Vertigo - March 2015 - When we fall we lose control. In this project the public were invited to really let go and plunge into the abyss (creative licence...

Vertigo - March 2015

Monochrome - A magical day on Columbia Road as the sun finally put in an appearance. A wink and a nod to the 1960's was the general theme of this black...

Monochrome

Spring Portraits 2015 - I dedicate this Sunday Shoot to Gry Garness, a wonderful photographer and friend who sadly passed away recently. She adored Columbia...

Spring Portraits 2015

Vertigo 2009 - As the world seems to be plunging into financial meltdown it seemed timely to re-examine the fine art of falling. In this project the public...

Vertigo 2009

The Barbican Shoot - Viktor and Rolf (and Seamus) jostled for space at a packed Barbican Art Gallery for this special fashion beauty shoot. The great and...

The Barbican Shoot

Winter Hug 2013 - A chilly Sunday warmed up thanks to the brave few who joined in my hug shoot. As Billy Connolly said 'There's no such thing as bad weather,...

Winter Hug 2013

Mother's Day 2012 - So the plan was to do a fashion shoot featuring all the Shoreditch hipsters who visit each Sunday. I was aware that it was Mother's...

Mother's Day 2012

Headspace 2012 - One light illuminating a dark space creates a warm and intimate setting. Artists have been using the technique for years, so who am I...

Headspace 2012

Winter Hug 2011 - The annual love fest that is The Hug Project shows no signs of losing momentum despite the gloomy global forecasts. Hugging is somewhat...

Winter Hug 2011

Jump December 2011 - Project Jump was the first ever Sunday Shoot project I did and it was fun to return to this action packed theme. As the heated debate...

Jump December 2011

Flat White - Named after my current coffee of choice, this shoot was lit using a large expanse of diffused light which floods the subject with soft flattering...

Flat White

Vertigo 2011 - Once more my willing victims plunge into the black void with grace and style. A ceiling-mounted camera recorded all the thrashing about...

Vertigo 2011

Closer - Simple clean portraits on this sunny spring Sunday. I've just realised that the last six sessions have been in black and white. Is the era of...

Closer

Light Trails 2011 - Painting with light proved to be a somewhat complicated shoot for more than a few. Brave participants had to enter a dark chamber and...

Light Trails 2011

Mugshots 2011 - A wet and miserable Sunday meant only a hardy few turned up at Columbia Road Market. To add insult to injury I then invited them to pose...

Mugshots 2011

Hug, June 2010 - Six months on and another reassuringly happy 'Hug' shoot. At times I found myself literally teaching people how to hug. I wonder if there...

Hug, June 2010

Shoreditch-on-Sea - It's so bracing! Where better for hipsters to unwind than on our specially made beach. All the beezy fun of the seaside without getting...

Shoreditch-on-Sea

Vertigo 2010 - As we totter on the brink of economic abyss it could be time for a fall. Plunging into the unknown need not be so terrible, as these images...

Vertigo 2010

Flower Portraits - This collaboration with floral artist extraordinaire Rebecca Law must surely be evidence that I am well and truly in touch with my feminine...

Flower Portraits

Emeco Navy 111 Launch at Conran - Sunday Shoots relocated to the Conran Store to help launch the Navy 111, Emeco's classic chair design recreated from...

Emeco Navy 111 Launch at Conran

Bright and Breezy - At last, the sun made an appearance on Columbia Road. I could hardly do a moody shoot after such a gloomy summer. Blue sky, a gentle...

Bright and Breezy

Big Grey - Forget iPads and fancy cameras. All a photographer really needs is an enormous painted grey canvas and some great subjects. I'm happy to report...

Big Grey

Manchester - This shoot was held in Manchester at a showing of the latest Harry Potter movie for an international client. Wonderful people from a great...

Manchester

The Woods - Visitors to the studio this Sunday were transported (in a visual way) to a mini silver birch woodland wherein they gambolled about and posed...

The Woods

Paper Portraits November 2011 - A foggy and distinctly chilly morning kept the usual crowds away this Sunday. The brave few that made it took part in an...

Paper Portraits November 2011

January Portraits 2012 - I like January. The maelstrom that is Christmas has finally ebbed away. The new year is slowly gathering pace and each day is...

January Portraits 2012

Me, Myself and I - Old school multiple exposures this week. The principle is very simple. Create a darkened space, open the shutter and fire the flash...

Me, Myself and I

The RNIB Public Shoot - Following on from his recent RNIB advertising campaign Seamus asked visitors to lend their support by taking part in an open shoot....

The RNIB Public Shoot

Moody(ish) - In this shoot the intention was to shoot moody, thoughtful portraits of one and all. The problem was it was a beautiful sunny morning and...

Moody(ish)

Mugshots 2010 - Now an annual fixture on the Sunday Shoots calender, Mugshots gives everyone the opportunity to admit publicly that at some point in time...

Mugshots 2010

The Big Chill - The Arctic front made it to London. I knew it was coming so, for once, reflected the weather in my shoot. What I hadn't figured on was...

The Big Chill

Spring Portraits - According to my calendar it’s Spring. Not in Columbia Road Market it would appear. The heavens opened and I have a strong hunch that...

Spring Portraits

The Seating Plan - Shooting from above has its complications but richly rewards with graphic possibilities. This shoot features my twin chairs, a corrugated...

The Seating Plan

Windswept and Interesting 2010 - Perhaps it's the romantic in me that keeps leading me back to this theme. A stormy sky and a blast of wind brought out...

Windswept and Interesting 2010

Easter Portraits - Easter Sunday didn't feel like the right time to confuse my guests with arty experiments. Instead I just rolled out the grey and braced...

Easter Portraits

Punchy Portraits - Weeks of shooting on location have kept my studio doors closed on a Sunday for too long. How lovely to once more embrace the warm and...

Punchy Portraits

Silhouettes May 2012 - I've been doing at least one silhouette session every year and have yet to be disappointed by the results. Once more the random...

Silhouettes May 2012

The Red Carpet - Everyone deserves their moment in the spotlight. For this week’s Sunday Shoot the paparazzi assembled to get their shots of some real...

The Red Carpet

Windswept and Interesting 2012 - What fun to restart the Sunday Shoots after such a hectic Summer. Nothing like a wind machine to bring out the hero in...

Windswept and Interesting 2012

The String Thing 2012 - How long is a piece of string? Over a mile in this case. Back by popular demand, the String Thing creates a graphic and involving...

The String Thing 2012

The Big Chill 2012 - It wasn't even cold outside! It's so hard to fight the whole Christmas thing. The lights are up, mince pies abound. All we need now...

The Big Chill 2012

Winter Portraits - Another of my fruitless attempts to have a smile free photoshoot. To give them credit most people had a go and more than a few injected...

Winter Portraits

The Little Red Sofa - Wawa are my lovely neighbours on Ezra Street. Owner/designer, and all round nice fellow, Richard Ward this year celebrates twenty...

The Little Red Sofa

Rather Moody Portraits - It's freezing outside, the UK's lost its triple A rating, and we need a Pope fast. I decided to avoid unbridled joy for at least...

Rather Moody Portraits

White Space - A simple shoot exploring the effect white space has on an image. The images on our site are very small so we have put a close up of each...

White Space

The Woods 2014 - Sunday Shoots is back! Visitors were invited to explore the tiny woodland we planted in the studio. We try to go the extra mile to create...

The Woods 2014

Paper Portraits 2014 - I know it's Christmas and you've all got stuff to buy and it was a bit rainy but the turnout for this shoot (December 7th) was pitiful....

Paper Portraits 2014

Winter Hug December 2014 - Seven years on and Project Hug still seems to create the warmest and happiest of portraits. These were shot between Christmas...

Winter Hug December 2014

Black and White January 2015 - The hats and scarves in these portraits are testimony to what was a flipping cold Sunday. I could only shoot for two hours...

Black and White January 2015

Silhouettes 2015 - Shooting silhouettes counts as a bit of a day off for me. No agonising over expressions or shiny skin or blinking. All is pure and graphic....

Silhouettes 2015

Penn Portraits 2015 - Irving Penn (do Google him) has long been my all time photographic hero. Every now and again I feel the need to tread softly in his...

Penn Portraits 2015

The Close-Up - Known in the film industry as an ECU (extreme close up) these portraits zoom into the heart of the action. This proximity to the face is...

The Close-Up

Old School Portraits - Another crazy week left me almost no time to sort out a shoot. At times like this I'm inclined towards an 'old school portrait'...

Old School Portraits

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