Robinson Ralph: Seven Years of Suits, Trainers and Butterflies
Back in October 2018…
I had my first shoot with Juliet and Simon. They were just kicking off their new venture Robinson Ralph.
This was a ‘let’s get the website looking decent’ session. Simon turned up in a sharp blue suit with a red tie—proper official. Juliet in a crisp white shirt. Both looked the part. Once they loosened up a bit, we grabbed a few shots of them strolling through this airy space in their building.
Fast forward to July 2025…
Seven years on—and what a shift. Robinson Ralph’s gone from that fresh startup vibe to a fully-formed team of eight. Still steered by Juliet and Simon, still doing the exciting (yes, really) work of employment law, and still got Dave—first hire—on the books.
Three of the team are brand new since our last shoot in 2024, which is why we did this latest update.
What makes photographing these lot brilliant…
is it’s never, ever dull. It’s mad. It’s colourful. It’s full of noise and movement and laughs—everything you’d never expect from an employment law firm. There’s lawyers in trainers, people mucking about, everyone genuinely having a good time.
It’s not an act. If you’ve followed them on social, you’ll know they’ve leaned hard into bonkers skits and silly videos, but they pull it off because it’s real.
This shoot had a few key jobs…
First, the butterfly wall headshots—there’s this cracking Red Admiral mural in the office, and last time we got everyone’s photos in front of it. This time, just the three newbies. We did those later on once they’d warmed up a bit. Took a few tricks to get them smiling properly, but nothing major.
The Dark Wall
Earlier, I’d spotted this dark wall we used ages ago for photos of Dave and Juliet, but never got the full team there. So I set up a flash and had each of them stand there pulling a range of expressions. Took about 5 to 10 minutes. Easy setup, fast turnaround, loads of options—ideal for LinkedIn when you need a photo that doesn’t just melt into the feed.
Chilling and Chatting
Next up were what I call the “chilling out” shots. The space is basically a square with four sofas facing inwards, so I paired people up, had them sit and chat. Bit of lighting, bit of gentle direction. At one point, I got Dave to pick a hair out of Simon’s eye—a little nod to something I saw on Clarkson’s Farm. Honestly, you find inspiration in the oddest places.
From that, we got a whole batch of warm, relaxed, colourful shots. Loads of combinations. Great for feeding their social channels for months.
Final set was the new team shots
Everyone copying Daryl’s trademark pose—arms pinned tight to his sides like a Star Wars droid. Proper funny. Definitely one of the standout images, and I think it’s already doing the rounds on Linked IN.
We did a few more sets inside and out, a “girls set” and a “boys set” to wrap up. The whole day was fast, loud, daft and brilliant. Normally we take a bit more time, but when you know a team this well and they trust you, you can move quick. What would normally take half a day we cranked through in about an hour.
Job done—and I can’t wait to see more of these photos popping up all over LinkedIn.