About Mike Dick – photographer in St Albans & Hertfordshire

A middle-aged man with a light beard, wearing glasses and a blue patterned shirt, looking slightly upwards with a neutral expression, against a light green background.

I’m Mike Dick, a documentary-style photographer based in St Albans and London. I specialise in corporate headshots, personal branding photography and event coverage for businesses, entrepreneurs and organisations. My approach is natural and unobtrusive. My approach is natural and unobtrusive. The people in your photographs should look like themselves on a good day – not like they’ve been told to stand there and smile.

My career started in graphic design. I spent over two decades working with global brands before picking up a camera professionally – and that background changes everything.

I understand brand identity, typography, layout and visual hierarchy. So when I'm shooting for your business, I'm not just taking photographs; I’m thinking about how those images will work across your website, LinkedIn profile, marketing materials and pitch decks. That's a different starting point from most photographers.

I’ve run photography studios at two major London organisations, averaging over 140 sessions a year. I work to brief, on time and with minimal disruption to your day. Most clients arrive nervous about being in front of a camera. By the end of a shoot, most of them forget I'm there.

Happy to have a conversation about what you're working on.

Let's talk

In a hurry? – Here’s the 10-second version.

Picture us in a lift. Doors closing. Here goes –

"I'm Mike Dick – photographer and designer based in St Albans. I shoot corporate headshots, personal branding and events. My design background means I think about how your images need to work, not just how they look on the day."

Ground floor. Nice to meet you.

A simple, abstract line drawing of a person's face with a blue background.

“I worked with Mike on several projects, from corporate headshots and environmental portraits to reportage to shooting my personal design portfolio. Without exception, Mike’s work was solid, polished and technically perfect. His attention to detail and to getting the shot right was always evident, and his retouching abilities are superb. His personal photo artwork is also stunning. Mike is a real hero!”

Frank Gitro, Designer & artist

Black and white photo of a man jumping with a wide smile, wearing glasses, a suit, and tie, in a decorated room with curtains, a vase with flowers, and a studio light.

Family roots – creativity is in my blood

Photography runs deep in my family – my grandad, dad, and three of his brothers were all photographers. Growing up surrounded by cameras and darkrooms probably explains a few things.

This is a picture taken of my dad back in the 60s in a photography studio in Glasgow.

Unique every time – every project is personal

No two shoots are ever the same – and that's exactly how I like it. Every project reflects the specific personality of the people and brands I’m working with, not a template I've used before. The work has appeared in books, magazines, global ad campaigns and national press.

My approach – people first, always

People relax quickly once they realise I’m not going to make this weird. That matters, because the best photographs happen when someone forgets there's a camera in the room. Over the years, I’ve photographed everyone from musicians and artists to CEOs, directors, sports stars, fund managers and office teams. Some arrive confident and camera-ready, others need a little extra guidance – either way, I’m here to make the experience relaxed, fun, and rewarding.

A man with sunglasses, a blue t-shirt, and blue shorts, is lying on his side on a textured gray carpet. He is smiling widely, making a peace sign with his right hand and an OK sign with his left hand. His head and one arm are inside an orange suitcase, which is open and lying on the carpet.

Life behind the lens – travel, adventure and 36 countries

Outside of client work, travel photography is my happy place. I’ve been lucky enough to explore more than 36 countries. From crossing Canada by train, cruising the Caribbean and exploring southeast Asia.

Having never sailed before, I thought it was a great idea to sign up for one of the world's toughest around-the-world yacht races – the BT Global Challenge in 2000/01. Taking 10 months to race 36,000 miles around the the globe on one of 12 identical 72’ yachts.

I’ve witnessed both the northern and southern lights, and captured everything from jaw-dropping landscapes to buzzing street life and those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it magic moments that make travel so addictive.

Portrait of a woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair, wearing a black blazer over a white top, smiling against a plain white background.

“We worked with Mike on a series of portrait photographs for use across our website and marketing materials. He understood the brief well and approached the sessions in a calm and professional manner.

Mike was effective at putting colleagues at ease, which is reflected in the natural quality of the final images. Delivery was prompt and well managed, and the images are consistent with the tone we were aiming to achieve.

We would not hesitate to work with Mike again.”

Rachel Dixon
Roxbury, Asset Management, London

Shelf with books and a vintage camera on the right.
A coffee scoop filled with ground coffee on a wooden counter, with a person pressing down ground coffee with a tamper.
Open magazine pages featuring photographs of ornate wooden doors with detailed carvings and decorative elements.

Life outside the camera bag

When I’m back home, I turn those travel memories into photobooks – a tradition I've kept going through 15 volumes and counting, all lined up on my bookshelf. They’re not just pictures; they’re proper stories, far too good to be left forgotten on a hard drive.

I’m a devoted fan of small coffee shops – the kind you stumble across rather than search for – and proper bookshops with creaky floorboards and shelves you can get lost in. I always make straight for the design and photography sections.

And then there’s my slightly odd obsession with doors. Old ones, ornate ones, cracked and crumbling ones. There’s just something about them – they whisper stories of history and hidden beginnings. I love them so much I published a book about them, and while travelling in Bali I commissioned a set of hand-carved teak doors to be shipped back to the UK. They now live in my garden, still just as beautiful.

Let’s make something worth looking at.

If what you’ve read sounds like the kind of photographer you want to work with, a conversation is a good place to start.