Soulla Petrou, a senior portrait photographer, is based in London. She has a unique and captivating style that helps her clients enhance their profiles and brands, making them stand out among others.

Her dedication and talent have allowed her to thrive in this industry for over 28 years. Soulla’s expertise extends to retouching her own images as well as those of others. She now offers retouching services due to high demand.

Additionally, she has ventured into video production and editing, enabling her to provide her clients with a comprehensive photography, retouching, and video package.

Join us as we delve into Soulla’s inspiring journey. Discover the secrets behind her success in capturing the essence and beauty of her subjects.

1. Can you tell us about your journey into the world of photography and how you developed your specialization in Beauty, Fashion, and Portraiture?

Ans. After graduating from Middlesex University with a BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion, I decided I wanted to be a photographer. Photography had always been a hobby of mine since the age of about 12.

The natural progression here was to attempt to combine the knowledge of both and become a fashion photographer. I attended a trade show where I picked up a directory of all the exhibitors and systematically set about calling them to see if they wanted to see my portfolio. A company called Java said yes.

Java turned out to be the sister company of Monsoon (I never would have knowingly called such a big brand). However, I got on really well with the woman interviewing me and she gave me my first job to produce point of sale material for their shops. An amazing lucky break.

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The fashion photography spiraled from there. I then decided I wanted to pursue my other interest in music and shoot some amazing portraiture work. I approached new magazines that were emerging at the time such as Touch, DJ and Mixmag. They commissioned me to shoot emerging musical bands and Dj’s.

This led onto work for The Times where I shot the launch cover of Metro, their music supplement with Blur at the Stockholm Water festival. After this, I was able to get my first agent, who secured work with record labels and other fashion companies.

It was around the year 2000 when I decided I’d like to try my hand at beauty photography. I’d got my 1st computer and had attended various courses to learn photoshop. So I was keen to try out my newly acquired skills by retouching my own scanned images.

My agent showed the work to magazines and beauty companies and the commissions followed. I have basically pursued topics and subjects that I’m passionate about. I think this is key to developing any specialization in any field you choose to work in.

Check out: Boudoir & Portrait Magazine Issues Bundle

2. Over your 30-year career, you’ve worked with various commercial clients and celebrities. What do you believe is the key to establishing a strong rapport and understanding with your subjects, whether they’re businesses or individuals?

Ans. I think listening to their needs and caring about the project is key to getting the best possible photos. I really do care, it always becomes my main focus and I strive to achieve the best.

Having empathy and compassion for your subjects and always remaining calm under pressure goes a long way too. But essentially, I’m just my authentic self.

With businesses, I always try to deliver more than they ask for. I’m there to help, that’s the attitude I take to every job.

3. In the age of social media and visual content dominance, how do you ensure your clients’ profiles and brands stand out from the crowd through your photography?

Ans. I always aim to produce something original and creative. Maybe something a bit different, that is usually my approach. I try to think outside the box, it’s not always possible with the constraints of some projects.

The feedback from my clients is that my PR images tend to get used more in publications. Having worked with many editorial clients, I know that picture editors are looking for dynamic imagery that stands out. If it’s different and interesting then it’s more likely to be published.

4. Your ability to translate clients’ concepts into compelling imagery is impressive. Could you share an example of a challenging concept you successfully brought to life and how you achieved it?

Ans. Yes, I was hired to shoot Todd Terry for Defected Records during WMC (Winter Music Conference) in Miami. The idea was based on his nickname “Todd the God” and we were intending to shoot him in a night time Miami street, looking as if he had been beamed down from heaven.

I would normally shoot this scenario in situ, but this was challenging as he had no evenings free during the conference.

The solution was to shoot him in a studio with a smoke machine and dramatic top light. And, photoshop him into the night time street scene that I had shot earlier and add the lightning effects in photoshop.

Check out: Tips For Shooting Great Outdoor Portrait Photography

5. With the expansion of your services into retouching and video production, how do these additional skills enhance the overall creative package you offer to your clients?

Ans. Everything is much more cohesive. It makes it much easier for color grading of the images and video so everything matches across the board. No one will care for my photographic images more than me.

I really enjoy retouching images, and as a senior portrait photographer I understand how to get the best out of them. Likewise, with the video, the ideas, photography and lighting need to match so it makes sense to use the same visual creator who conceived the idea, concept and lighting techniques. Clients get a one-stop shop which makes it easier for them.

6. You’ve ventured into selling limited edition archive prints. What motivated you to take this step, and how does this endeavor connect with your overall artistic vision?

Ans. It has been something I’ve been meaning to do for years, but never got a chance until lockdown. To me it seems like a natural progression to make my, now archival, work available for people to collect.

Last year I donated an image to an auction to raise money for a charity raising funds for medical supplies for the Ukraine. It’s good to know my work can help others.

My next step is to venture into the art world, making my work available to the public. There’s something very satisfying about seeing your work in people’s personal spaces instead of the throw away magazines or social media platforms which I’ve done for years.

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I’ve always loved producing art. As a young girl, I used to paint with oils in my bedroom, but got bored waiting for paint to dry. So I switched to photography because it was more instant and allowed me to explore my thirst for visual exploration.

I was recently commissioned to produce some acrylic paintings for a client. This has reignited my passion for painting again and now I’m older. I seem to have the patience required to wait for paint to dry!

So, for this reason I have made my works of art and edition prints available on a separate art based website called www.soullapetrou-art.com.

Check out: Portrait Photography Pricing Guide: To Help You Market Better

7. Could you share your approach to maintaining a stress-free and productive environment during photoshoots? What strategies do you employ to ensure both you and your subjects are at ease?

Ans. Plan, Plan, and plan some more, I don’t leave any stone unturned I think everything through, practically and creatively, everything is in place and there is always a plan b and c!

That way you are prepared for almost anything. I meditate every day, I’ve been doing this for years. So, on the rare occasion things don’t go to plan I’m quite calm which usually results in a calm client or subject.

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8. With such a diverse range of commercial clients and celebrities, how do you adapt your photography style to suit different brand aesthetics and individual personalities?

Ans. I don’t consciously adapt my style. I think I may do this on some unconscious level. I’ll spend a great deal of time researching my subject or client beforehand. Sometimes over several days or weeks so I get a feel for what they might like.

I can technically do almost anything and shoot in any style required, which is why my work is so diverse. If I have an idea I don’t know how to produce, I’ll research it, test it out beforehand to see if it works. Some photographers have one style and stick to it and that’s fine, that is what they’re known for.

Personally, I would get bored shooting the same way all the time. I love exploring new techniques, it’s this very trait that has allowed me to move from film to digital photography with relative ease. Adapting, I think, is what I do best, and it also keeps things exciting.

9. You’ve captured portraits of various celebrities. Could you share an anecdote about an unforgettable experience while working with a high-profile personality?

Ans. I was booked to shoot Blur for the launch cover of The Saturday Times music supplement “Metro”. We were flying to Sweden for the Stockholm Water Festival.

I was very nervous as this was the first big famous band I’d been commissioned to photograph, up until this point I’d only shot artists at the beginning of their careers. I was already seated on the super early flight when Damon Albarn sat down next to me, the plane had taken off and no one had introduced us.

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Figuring it would be really weird to sit there for the entire flight and say nothing I decided to introduce myself. So, nervously and speaking at 100 miles per hour I introduced myself, he looked at me really startled and politely informed me he was tired, I just nodded but I was cringing inside.

He then fell asleep on my shoulder for the entire journey, I just sat there stiff as a board, eyes wide, trying not to move. When we landed everyone stood up but he was still asleep on my shoulder.

I gave him a little nudge, he woke up and again looked at bit startled, we had another awkward moment.! But it was all ok in the end, I think when I got over my nerves and started shooting I relaxed.

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10. Are there any specific photographers or artists who have influenced your work?

Ans. Yes definitely, I’m a huge fan of famous photographers Bill Brandt, Jeanloup Sieff and Guy Bourdin.

I believe certain film directors have influenced my work David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet”, Roman Polanski, Guillermo Del Toro’s “Shape of Water” and my latest visual crush is Wes Anderson absolutely adore “The Grand Budapest Hotel” it’s a visual feast.

11. What do you like to do in your free time? 

Ans. I love to bake, I think if the photography hadn’t worked out I probably would have been a chef, this is my other hobby.

I think it’s important to do things you enjoy for work, you spend a great deal of your life at work so you may as well enjoy it if you can.

12. Can you share any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you are currently working on?

Ans. I’m currently working on an exhibition based on my debut book “Rewind”- Journey of a Music Photographer, which I self-published earlier this year.

It features portraits of some of the most ground breaking musicians and DJ’s of the 90s and 00s such as: Frankie Knuckles “The Godfather of House”, Geri Halliwell pre-Spice Girl fame, Britpop hero’s Blur, Orbital, Goldie, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, General Levy and many more. 

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13. Looking ahead, what goals and aspirations do you have for your photography endeavors, and how do you envision continuing to evolve as an artist?

Ans. I think the whole industry is evolving at a rapid rate, especially with the introduction of AI. I’ve been experimenting with this lately, I’ve found it exciting and fun.

However, I struggle with this ethically, as it’s learning model is based on scarping the work of photographers and artist which is essentially copyright theft on a global scale in my opinion. As a member of the Association of Photographers, I know they’re currently working hard for the Rights of photographers in this area.

So instead of using prompts only, I’m using some of my own images as starting points to avoid any copyright infringements. This possible copyright infringement issue is the reason most advertising agency and clients are reluctant to use AI, because they don’t want to be saddled with a large lawsuit.

For this reason, the commercial photography world is not dead just yet, so I will continue working as a commercial photographer, as well as working on my own creative art based photography and paintings. Moving forward, I will use AI to demonstrate ideas and expand my own images as works of art.

I also have a huge back catalogue of work, which needs to be scanned, and I may produce more books in the future, I really enjoyed working on my debut book during lockdown, but it did take 2 years.

Working on my first ever exhibition is also exciting, I guess this is an area I’ve never had time to explore before so it’s a new and interesting learning curve. I think, it’s important to learn as you go along, it’s how you evolve as an artist.

To know more about Soulla and her work, check out her website here.