About
Firin is the Irish word for truth.
I'm Jonathan, the photographer behind Studio Firin. I trained at St Martins, and spent ten years as a professional photographer, moving into full-time commercial work in 2019.
I moved into commercial work after wedding clients began commissioning business assignments — and stayed because commercial offered a calmer, more level-headed pace and greater creative scope compared to the emotional chaos of weddings. The shift happened gradually over several years before becoming a full-time commercial practice.
The name
Firin is the Irish word for truth. I think of truth as something elusive and fragile — easy to lose if you're not paying attention, and worth protecting when you find it. That's not a slogan; it's genuinely how I try to run a shoot. The creative process doesn't hold up well under pressure or performance, so my job is to build the right conditions — calm, unhurried, collaborative — so something honest can actually happen in front of the camera.
Where the eye comes from
Long before digital, I shot film — and spent years paying close attention to how different stocks rendered light: the warmth of one, the green cast of another, the particular blue of a certain slide film at dusk. Film doesn't forgive mistakes the way digital does, so you learn to read light before you shoot, not fix it after. Waking up at 4:30am on a July morning, when the light is somehow both day and night at once, still means something to me. That discipline — really looking at light before doing anything with it — is still the foundation of how I shoot digitally today.
How I work
Every shoot starts with a brief — not a rigid shot list, but a shared understanding of what we're trying to achieve. From there, I work with minimal direction and take what the day gives me, whether that's the weather, the room, or the person in front of the camera. Clients regularly describe the experience as calm and professional, and say I genuinely listen — which is exactly the environment I'm trying to create.
Proof, not promises
Some of my strongest commercial work happened almost by accident. One wedding client — an architect — was struck by the architectural and interior photography from his own wedding, and went on to commission me for several projects afterward. That relationship is a big part of why architecture and interiors remain some of the strongest work in my portfolio today.
Trusted by over 50 businesses since 2019.
Thank you, Jonathan, for the variety of images from Sheku's album publicity concert. The feedback was great — both on the images and the fast turnaround. Looking forward to working with you again.
Where the work fits
- Hospitality & hotels
- Property developers
- Architecture & interior design firms
- Professional & financial services
- Tech & creative agencies
- PR & marketing agencies
- Solopreneurs & consultants
- Arts, heritage & culture
Based in Bristol, working across Bath, Swindon, Gloucester, and Cheltenham, with reach along the M4 corridor when the project calls for it.
FAQ
Common questions.
- Who is behind Studio Firin?
- Jonathan — a St Martins-trained commercial photographer with a decade of professional experience, working from Spike Island in Bristol across editorial, branding, events, headshots and architecture.
- What does ‘Firin’ mean?
- Firin is the Irish word for truth. It sets the standard for the work: honest, unforced photographs of real people and real spaces, rather than staged stock imagery.
- What kind of clients do you work with?
- Agencies, in-house marketing and comms teams, architects and developers, charities and social enterprises, and founders who need consistent imagery for press, web and campaigns.
- What is it like on a shoot day?
- Calm and unhurried. I listen first and direct second, keep the kit footprint small, and work around the way your team or building actually operates so nothing grinds to a halt.
- Do you travel outside Bristol?
- Regularly — across the South West, along the M4 corridor to London and Cardiff, and to European commissions when a project calls for it. Travel is quoted up front.
If that sounds like the kind of photographer you want in the room