Sandra Dugdale
ABOUT SandrA DUGDALE
Sandra Dugdale is a brilliant Yorkshire-born soprano who made her debut at Glyndebourne and sang with English Touring Opera for many years. Alongside her performing career, she taught singing at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) for years. Back in 2018, she got in touch to get an updated set of simple, natural headshots for her teaching profile, programmes, and masterclasses.
WHAT Sandra Needed
Sandra already knew me from my time studying at the RNCM and working in the college's Wardrobe Department. After decades on stage under theatrical lighting, she had zero interest in a stiff, uncomfortable photoshoot with sterile backdrops. She just wanted a quick, low-fuss session to get a few honest portraits that felt warm, real, and completely like herself.
WHAT I CREATED
Sandra booked a mini session and came over to my flat in Manchester City Centre. We kept the whole thing completely relaxed, much more like catching up over a coffee than sitting for a formal shoot. My Siberian Forest Cat, Igor, took it upon himself to break the ice straight away, which kept everything easy and low-pressure.
Using soft natural window light, I focused on clean, simple portraits without any harsh flashes or heavy backdrops. We finished with a lovely set of photos that captured Sandra’s genuine warmth and humour, completely steering clear of the clinical, forced poses that usually clutter classical music headshots.
Highlights
Low-key mini session in Manchester City Centre, keeping the shoot quick, focused, and comfortable.
Soft natural window light setup to avoid harsh flash and maintain clean, true-to-life tones.
Versatile headshot bank created for RNCM teaching profiles, concert programmes, and masterclass bios.
Modern classical styling that sidesteps stiff, dated concert hall poses in favour of genuine warmth.
