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The Story Behind the Making: Brand Storytelling Photography

  • Writer: Emma
    Emma
  • Aug 18
  • 2 min read

Capturing the Craft and Process Behind a Product


Part of what I love about photographing handmade products is the chance to meet the people behind them and see how things are made. My interest in making goes back to my time studying 3D Design & Craft at Brighton University, where I was introduced to a wide range of materials and processes, from wood and metal to ceramics and plastics. Along the way, I met many talented makers and craftspeople, some of whom are still creating amazing things today.


  • Brand Storytelling Photography for a ceramicist capturing her throwing on the potters wheel.
  • A craftsperson selecting the timber for his next piece of furniture in his workshop.

Telling Visual Stories from Studios to Kitchens


One of the things I love about brand storytelling photography is the opportunity to visit makers in their workshops and studios, as well as chefs in busy kitchens and producers working with the land. I love seeing these environments and, most of all, capturing the people at work and the processes behind the finished product.


  • Capturing Brand Storytelling Photography at a Hove workshop kneading soft plastic for their table tops.

Brand Storytelling Photography: The Story Behind What You Make

There’s something fascinating about seeing what happens before the final photograph.

From wedging clay before it’s thrown on the wheel and opening the kiln to discover how the glazes have turned out, to selecting the perfect piece of timber for a new piece of furniture. It’s mixing and heating recycled plastics before they’re pressed under a hydraulic press and transformed into a tabletop, delicately garnishing a dish with chef’s tweezers or basting meat over flames.


  • Brand Storytelling Photography behind the scenes in a Sussex award-winning pub basting a piece of duck over flames with fresh herbs and steam.
  • Restaurant owner and chef at a Brighton Chinese restaurant hand preparing biang biang noodles at the open kitchen in his restaurant.

From restaurants and workshops to vineyards and studios, there’s always a story to tell.

The finished product might be what catches someone's eye, but seeing the skill, materials, time and care that go into making it helps people appreciate the craft and the story behind what you do.


  • Sussex Brand Storytelling Photography at a local vineyard capturing the vineyard owner feeding her sheep on a wintery day.
  • Two Sussex beekeepers inspecting their hive wearing the beekeeping protective suits.

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© 2026 by Emma Harrel

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