Capturing Presence: Collaborating with Cassian Bilton (Rory Lewis Photographer 2025)
There is a quiet intensity to Cassian Bilton that reveals itself not through overt performance, but through stillness. When we met at my London studio, the aim was not to create a character, but to allow something truer to surface—an unguarded moment where thought, restraint, and presence coexist.
Cassian is best known for his role as Brother Dawn in Foundation, yet what struck me most during our session was the classical discipline beneath the modern screen persona. His background in philosophy and theatre lends him a rare composure; he listens with his eyes, and the camera responds.
Working with a restrained, painterly palette inspired by Caravaggio, we allowed light to sculpt rather than decorate. Subtle shifts of gaze, the tension of a hand, the quiet geometry of posture—these details became the narrative. No excess. No theatrics. Just form, shadow, and intent.
The session unfolded in layers: bare simplicity, then a gradual deepening of tone. A leather jacket introduced weight and texture; the light tightened, the shadows lengthened. What emerged was not a publicity image, but a psychological portrait—one that sits comfortably between classical painting and contemporary cinema.
Capturing Presence: Collaborating with Cassian Bilton (Rory Lewis Photographer 2025)