References for The Mad Hatter

Monika Lara Smith

I had my first ever shoot with Mike in a lovely Sandon Studio and hopefully we will have much more to come !

Pre communication was excellent with Mike, I exactly knew what we were going to do and Mike made sure I was happy with his ideas. He picked me up from the train station as well as he drove me back there which was really really kind of him.

Mike is such a gentleman ! He is so respectful and genuinely kind with people. Working with him was absolutely amazing, so relaxed, enjoyable without rushing and little breaks for tea/coffeee. Mike had loads of great ideas for our 4 hours shoot and he was also happy for me to contribute mine which was amazing! He is so easy to talk to and he has got a great sense of humour too. Moreover, images Mike created with me are absolutely stunning not only because of his skills but also due to the fact that he portrays his models in a very natural and beautiful way. I was very pleased with our results :)

I would definitely like to recommend Mike to every model and I am really looking forward to working with him again. Thank you :)!

Belle Noire aka Black Beauty

Absolutely ADORED our shoot and making those amazing images. SORRY THIS REFERENCE IS LATE...I told you I was useless. Pre comms with you was spot on, friendly, knowledge and very professional. Definitely recommended to all xX

Nicole Rayner

I had my second shoot with Mike at Sandon Studio - which was just fabulous! I travelled a day early so I could have a 4 hour shoot with Mike which I am really pleased I did as it was a really great shoot!

As always Mike was very respectful and professional! He always made sure I was happy! He went to great lengths to make sure I was happy with all of the shots taken in regards to levels etc! He listened to any suggestions I had on the shoot, about where to go and we got some awesome images. Mike of course also had so many great suggestions himself. He really knows what he is doing! it is clear he loves Sandon and I'm really pleased to have had the chance to work with him there.

Mike has loads of knowledge about photography which I could have listened to for hours. Really enjoy working with him and the great conversations we have. He does make me laugh.

Really like some of the images he has chosen from or shoot - some fab shots produced! really hope to work with Mike again! A lovely chap, lots of fun and great shots. of course, recommended by me!

Ecce!

I had an awesome shoot with Mike during my stay at Joel Hicks Photographic. Mike is a great photographer, I love the images he captured. He's friendly and professional to work with, and our four hours went by too quickly! I'd love to work with him again, and he is highly recommended from me.

Heather May Corvid

I shot with Mike for the first time at Sandon Studio today, and loved it! Mike is very easy to get along with and kindly picked me up and dropped me off at the station. I was very impressed by Mike's knowledge of photography and his natural eye and skill. The shots I saw in the back of the camera were beautiful, and I really enjoyed hanging out and chatting too. Thanks for a lovely day :)

Pippa.

I shot with Mike at the very beginning of my journey as a full time model and he created some of my best portraits, so I was super excited to work with him again at Joel Hicks place - somewhere I hadn't been before!

Time always flies by shooting with Mike and he bought along lots of biscuits and food (which of course I demolished!) to keep my energy up.

I absolutely love Mikes work and the way he portrays me in a natural, effortless way.

Thank you again!

Pippa

Rachelle Summers

Another fabulous shoot with Mike!

Having had the shoot arranged at a studio that could no longer go ahead due to a few issues, Mike was incredibly understanding in rearranging the shoot to a new location. He was so lovely and helpful over the situation and really helped with the stress levels over it all, I can't thank him enough for being as kind and understanding as he was :)

The shoot itself went great, and despite some not so pleasant weather we still managed to get a few quick sets outdoors as well as some beautiful images inside the studio set ups too :D

It's always a pleasure working with him and can't wait till next time!

Highly recommended by me :D

Keira Lavelle

Mike is a legend! I will always make time to shoot with him... even if it means I am literally on my way out the studio door to go to another shoot! :P We grabbed an amazing cheeky hour at Joel Hicks Photographic when he was there shooting with the lovely Rachelle Summers, this was mine and Mikes first duo together so it was really nice to get that variation as we have ALWAYS had amazing shoots: from the dawn of time!

He absolutely nailed shooting us as a pair, it's double the challenge to think about with poses and lighting so the photographer has to do twice as much thinking - in that single hour Mike produced some totally HOT and beautiful imagery of us in different sets working his magical natural light-owning skills! :D The impromptu shoot of the year! I am so pleased we managed it!

Highly recommended, will always be and I always look forward to our next amazing shoot together with new and exciting ideas. Mike's a true gem, work with him ladies and gents... the shoots are a good laugh too! :)

Keira x

Miss Abi

Had my first shoot with the wonderful Mike today! Precomms were excellent, I knew exactly what we were going to shoot and everything was really well organised. Mike stayed in contact with me when I was having problems with the trains and even rushed me back to the station to catch an earlier train than planned!

The shoot itself flew by, Mike is well skilled and very knowledgeable. He is also an awesome conversationalist and an all round gent!

You'd be mad not to shoot with Mike, looking forward to the next time. Highly highly recommended!! Thanks Mike! :) xx

Nicole Rayner

I was really pleased to finally get a shoot with Mike sorted as its been on the cards for a while now! First of all I have to thank Mike for being so wonderful on the day - I had mixed up my timings and so it ended up being quite a complicated affair - however Mike was so understanding which meant I was put at ease and didn't turn up a hot stressy mess!! Not to mention I was ill on the day and Mike was super understanding too!! I feel Mike got the worst of me on this shoot, but we still managed some fab shots and I still had a lovely time.

Mike was good company and respectful throughout! I enjoyed his conversation and the shoot itself was very relaxed!! Mike was very considerate indeed and I think we got some great Images! would love to work with mike again. recommended by me!!

Serenity.

I had a great shoot with Mike at Joel hicks photographic! He kindly brought along some snacks for me to munch on and was really friendly from the get go. We really gelled and managed to cover lots of different sets and got some fabulous images. Mike made me feel at ease throughout and his enthusiasm spurred me on even more.

Mike is really lovely, chatty and knows his stuff when it comes to photography.

It was absolute pleasure to shoot with him and I hope we get to shoot again!

ModelZoi

I had a half day shoot booked with Mikey in Sandon House. The entire experience was very positive. I would 100% work with him again and can recommend him as a talented and considerate photographer.

Keira Lavelle

Another sensational photoshoot bites the dust! :D :D

I dare say that we get better each time we shoot but I still look back at previous shoots like: actually that was pretty darn awesome too! Mike is a darling: both photographically and in the lovely rapport/etiquette he brings to shoots... As a model that has shot with him several times now I can honestly say that he consistently floods each shoot with superb vibes, creative drive, enthusiasm in giant masses and the best grapes I ever did try! :P Yes Mike looks after his models very well and each shoot never has a dull set - we get something "wow" every time we make a stop to make pictures happen and it's totally inevitable because Mike's a brilliant photographer trough and through!

What a day we struck gold with too: lovely sunshine which gave some exciting contrast in shoots - a photographer who can persevere with a white wedding dress in strong sun is a very patient and dedicated artist indeed! His technical know-how is just wow, it was fun tough because as the day went on we got a shift in the light so Mike was able to compose exquisite beauty in his shots even when we revisited sets we had shot at earlier in the day: the images had a totally different feel to them and this is how on-point Mike is... his eye for detail and perfecting the lighting conditions shines through every time! :D

Of course a shoot with Mike wouldn't be a shoot with Mike with all the wonderful banter, giggles and high-fives. He's super cool and down to earth: we natter about all sorts whilst we're shooting and drinking tea; in fact it's quite literally a chatter marathon from the moment he gets here. Probably why it feels like we blink and the shoots finished because it's lovely, friendly company as well as artistic innovation from start to finish. He's the friendliest, most respectful gent a model could hope to have on their shoot and I think all the models who have worked with Mike previously will agree. Always bringing life to the cracking ideas we shoot and following up with edits that rock to the moon and back! Stupendous photographer with access to the worlds best grapes (he tells me from the supermarket but I convinced he has knowledge of secret stashes of super grapes) but that's a bone to pick for another day. :)

Work with Mike! You will have an amazing shoot! :D

Keira x

Francesca Milano

Had the most fantastic first shoot with Mike today!

What a great guy!

Such a gent, and I felt completely at ease and comfortable around him!

He is so great to get on with and i had a really fun time!!

As well as having a good old chin wag, we got some incredible shots done, and i would be extremely happy to work with him again (and can't wait to do so)!!

Highly, highly recommend to anyone!!!

Keira Lavelle

My 3rd photo shoot with Mike now and how was it?

We didn't just make some nice pictures... we made some SENSATIONAL imagery!

We didn't just shoot inside... we NAILED the great outdoors for the second time at Joel Hicks Photographic!

We didn't just work on a set to fill the time... we INSPIRED one another from start to finish!

We didn't just have a set plan or wing-it completely... we did BOTH for an epic level of productivity!

We didn't just have a pleasant shoot working alongside one another... we had a BLAST and laughed so much!

So yes... it was pretty darn awesome. :) It is very true that the more you work together the better you bounce off each other: Mike is the kind of photographer who puts so much effort and passionate creativity into exerting the beauty out of the models he shoots: when we first worked together we shot a lot of pretty/glamorous feminine beauty, now: we get these same beautiful shots in but we also have a dabble with the quirky, the off-the-wall and I feel like I could suggest anything to Mike now and he would take it with a pinch of salt and look forward to giving it his all technically to creating a stunner of an image. He is a really talented creative, that goes without saying... his ability to see the light so quickly is just tremendous, like X-ray vision for shooting opportunities! This goes for taking on the challenges of outdoor shooting and then bossing the lights in the studio with controlled lighting setups. He really knows how to go about making a shot glow with a WOW label. I am just over the moon with the material we created (yet again and cannot stress how much I am looking forward to working together again. :)

Utterly kind and courteous... the most respectful gentleman you could hope to meet within this industry. His communications are always 5 star and his organisation wonderfully on the ball. Totally, 1000000000% recommended. :) Thank you so much Mike for yet another fantabulous shoot.

Here to next time!

Keira x

On Film Photography Studio

Mike hired the studio over the past weekend & he was a delight to have in! His pre-shoot/ booking communication was great. He has some amazing knowledge & experience making for some great conversation in the studio. As well as introducing us to a great model!

The images so far are absolutely stunning, amazing work!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Peliroja Stephie

I recently worked with Mikey on a fashion, portrait and nude photoshoot.

Mikey was a joy to work with, very friendly and polite and knows exactly what he wants from a shoot.

Mikeys coms were great and I knew exactly what to expect on the day of our shoot.

We created some fantastic images and it was clear that he has a real talent for photography. My only regret is that we didn't shoot for longer.

I definitely recommend him to other models.

Pippa.

I very much enjoyed shooting with Mike yesterday at Sandon Studios is Staffordshire.

Before the shoot he was informative and helpful as to what the day will entail.

Mike was a complete gentleman, who allowed me to pose effortlessly and at ease, whilst even making sure I kept warm by transporting the heater around the studios!

Mike has a very admirable efficiency in his approach to photography, ensuring he gets every shot just right.

A friendly character with a great eye for photography who has a genuine modesty about his own work.

I was unquestionably impressed by the images we produced and I look forward to working with Mike again in the future.

Thank you

Sandon Studio

Mike is a regular at Sandon Studio, and it's always a delight to welcome him. He has a particularly warm and friendly personality and the models love working with him. If you're a model starting out and want to spend time with a competent, safe, friendly, photographer, Mike is your man.He produces some first class images, and always gets the best out of his models.He s very highly recommended.

Artemis Fauna

I had a rather superduper shoot with Mike just yesterday at my place! :D

Comms were spot on, he arrived on time, raring to go and with some tasty treats for me! Olives and kettle chips, wow- I knew the day was going to be just great! ;)

We worked our way through loads of different ideas in the time we had, covering lots of ground and different genres. We also chatted loads and had a really fun time.

The images looked fab and Mike was great to work with. A very friendly, relaxed and respectful man. I really hope Mike and I can continue to work together in the future :) Thank you! :)