About

ABOUT

I'm Sophie! Based between London and the Kent coast, creating considered digital experiences and natural, editorial photography for people, brands and places. I'm happiest near the sea, travelling and discovering new places, and I'm grateful that my work gives me the freedom to do both.

With over 15 years of experience, I've worked with brands including AllSaints, Rat & Boa, Hackett London, Crabtree & Evelyn and Christie's London, across product design, branding, visual design and art direction. I like bringing different disciplines together, combining strategic thinking with a strong visual eye to make work that feels clear, distinctive and considered.
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What do I make?
A bit of design. A bit of photography. Cyanotypes... Quite a lot of looking at things with curiosity & wonder. My design practice spans digital products, websites, brand experiences and visual identities. Alongside this, I photograph people, movement, places and the details that make a brand or person feel like their unique selves. My work is rooted in composition, typography, light and a healthy curiosity about how things fit together.

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What do I photograph?
I love to create natural, editorial photography for people, practitioners, spaces and lifestyle brands. From yoga teachers and pilates studios to retreats, makers, independent small businesses and creative people. I love photography that feels lived-in & natural rather than overly posed.
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Walking, talking, moving, making, pausing, often the moments in between are the ones worth keeping. Natural light, real connection, thoughtful composition, with a little pinch of dreaminess.
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Where did photography being?
My love of photography began while studying a BA at the University of the Arts London, where I spent countless hours in the darkroom exploring film, hand printing techniques and the relationship between light and image. After years working in design, I've returned to photography through documentary work, completing a documentary photography course with UAL and continuing to explore photography as a way of observing people and place. I'm particularly drawn to photographs that leave a little room for the imagination.
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Where does the name come from?
Garwood Studios is named after my grandfather, Peter Garwood whose photographic darkroom and art studio first inspired my creative journey.

Some of my earliest memories are of watching him paint, exploring his studio and seeing photographs emerge in the darkroom.
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I think some of that curiosity stuck. Garwood Studios brings together the things I've always loved; design, photography, making and paying attention to the small details that become part of the bigger story.
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What can we work on?
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Design
Digital products · Websites · Brand experiences · Visual design · Art direction

Photography
Portraits · Wellness & movement · Lifestyle · Retreats · Editorial · Brand content

Creative Direction
Visual concepts · Campaigns · Art direction · Photography direction
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Have something in mind?
I'd love to hear about it.

Whether its a shoot, digital product or simply an idea that's not quite formed yet, let's have a chat.
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hello@garwoodstudios.com