Sarah Plater

I started out exploring photography on a one-megapixel camera when digital imaging first came out in my mid teens.

A couple of years later I got a job at a high street studio (Olan Mills) where I learnt about sales and studio photography, while experimenting with film cameras and darkroom processing in my free time.

I then graduated with a first class degree in Journalism with Psychology, while regularly contributing to photography magazines as a writer, cover photographer and portrait judge.

I co-authored Foundation Portrait Photography and then Mastering Portrait Photography, which was translated into Chinese, German and Italian, reprinted multiple times and licensed by National Geographic. In 2025, ten years after the first edition, a completely new and updated second edition was published.

In 2018 I started a full-time photography business, achieving a Licentiate and then Associateship qualifications with the Master Photographers Association. I have also won Young Families and Newborn Photographer of the Year as well as numerous finalist and merit awards.

My first solo photography book, 52 Assignments: Family Photography is due out in Spring 2027, and helps parents create better images of and with their children, whether using a smartphone or camera, and by using things they already have at home in a creative way.

I now combine my love of writing, photography and psychology to help portrait photographers get the most from their subjects. In my own studio, I use a positive, games-led approach to help people of all ages relax in front of the camera so I can capture authentic expressions and interactions that will be displayed and treasured for a lifetime.