Rory Lewis: Portrait & Headshot Photographer

In this newly unveiled portrait of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, portrait photographer Rory Lewis explores not the image of power but its human cost. Years after their first sitting, Lewis captures Blair with a softened expression yet undiminished intellect—an introspective study of conviction, consequence, and time.

It was an absolute pleasure to photograph Ben Miles, whose remarkable career spans stage, film, and television. From his breakout role in the BBC comedy Coupling to his nuanced portrayal of Peter Townsend in The Crown and most recently as Tay Kolma in Andor, Ben has long stood as one of Britain’s most versatile actors.

For years, I’ve held an ambition close to my creative heart: to photograph the extraordinary quartet behind The League of Gentlemen. Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, and Jeremy Dyson forged a world of pitch-black humour, grotesque beauty, and unforgettable characters. As a teenager, their work opened a doorway to the kind of atmospheric, stylised storytelling that still influences my portraiture today.

William Shatner is a name that needs little introduction. To most of the world, he will forever be Captain James T. Kirk—bold, charismatic, impossible to ignore. Yet behind the legend is a man of immense curiosity, wit, and surprising passions, among them a deep devotion to horses. It is this quiet, personal side of Shatner that inspired our latest portrait together.

My portrait session with Andy Serkis is one of the latest additions to my ongoing project Selah. The series draws on the mood and dramatic lighting of the Old Masters, especially the tenebrism of Caravaggio and Ribera. For Andy’s sitting, I wanted to create a moment of quiet reflection—something raw, intimate, and rooted in a sense of personal pilgrimage.

At my New York studio, I had the distinct honor of photographing Maye Musk in a portrait inspired by the timeless techniques of the Old Masters — Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Titian, and Ribera. The session sought to channel the chiaroscuro light and emotional intensity of classical portraiture while celebrating Maye’s modern grace and intellectual depth.

In this portrait of Ray Dalio, photographed in New York in 2022, I set out to capture one of the most defining transitions in modern finance — the moment a master of markets chose to rethink his own long-held beliefs.

Throughout my career, I have been commissioned to photograph a wide range of political figures — from local councillors and Members of Parliament to peers of the House of Lords and former Prime Ministers. Yet this sitting was particularly meaningful, offering a chance to create work within one of the most iconic settings in British public life.

Lloyds Banking Group commissioned a series of corporate portraits for display at their Gresham Street headquarters in London. Captured over a two-week period, the project took Rory Lewis and his assistant across England and Scotland, creating fourteen portraits that celebrate the bank’s most distinguished colleagues.

Acclaimed British portrait photographer Rory Lewis welcomed award-winning actor Tobias Menzies to his London studio for a cinematic portrait session that explored depth, vulnerability, and quiet strength.

Thank you to BBC Corespondent Chris Long interviewing me about my Northerners Photography Exhibition. Speaking in particular about my sittings with Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, full transcript below.

We’re delighted to share that a portrait of acclaimed actor David Warner — known for his roles in Titanic, Time Bandits, and The Omen — captured by Rory Lewis Photographer, has been officially acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, London. Remarkably, this sitting marked David’s first portrait session since being photographed by Cecil Beaton in 1966.

For decades, Warner had famously declined professional portrait sittings, the last of which was with the legendary Cecil Beaton in 1965 when he was just twenty-four. By the time I approached him for my Northerners portrait series, he was seventy-two — a master actor whose presence had only deepened with time.