DARLING DISPATCH. MAY 2026

Hello Darling,

Bringing the Dispatch back properly felt overdue…

Moving forward, these notes will become a monthly collection of what’s been unfolding inside JD Studio. The work, the observations, the references, the strange little moments shaping things behind the scenes.

Grab a cup of tea, settle in and let’s chat..

May felt strange in the best way, lots of movement. Lots of rebuilding behind the scenes.

Moved into the studio, this space is slowly becoming less of a workspace and more of an extension of how I see. There’s something that draws me in to a ‘un done look’ - its not going to feel finished, and thats the point.

Fashion Week, I went down for the day, had a little pass and just said hello to pretty much every person I came across. I think for me it was also if nothing else came of this a wonderful treat to myself. To go out of town, by myself, with my gear and just hang and meet people, drink some coffee.. take some photos.. win win right? Well, it ended up being so much more than that… I was really swept up in the momentum, everyone was there to have fun, look and feel fabulous. Everyone was happy to have a chat, to pose for me. Tell me about them, why they were there etc.. And, beautfuly, the other photographers around me that morning were so lovely. Inspiring souls. I came away feeling full. In a few ways, Id do it a again in a heartbeat. You can see more from my morning at AFW here x

Founder work evolving, Lately I’ve become far more interested in photographing founders as people rather than “personal brands.”

Less performance. More atmosphere. More observation.

Interiors, Sensory direction… things generally clicking into place..

Things I’ve been noticing

Founders perform less when they feel observed properly
Spaces change the way people show up on camera
I’m becoming more interested in atmosphere than polish
lately I’m noticing the images people connect to most are the quieter ones

What’s ahead?

I’m quietly opening a handful of founder- focused editorial sessions through June.

I keep thinking lately about how much founders already reveal about themselves without realising.

The way they move through a space.
The objects always sitting nearby.
The pace they speak at..
The coffee shop they return to.
The tabs left open on their laptop.
The atmosphere surrounding them before the camera even comes out.. I think that’s why I’ve become less interested in overly manufactured “branding” imagery lately.

The quieter observations usually say more.. and interestingly, those are often the images people continue returning to months later too - not because they performed well for a launch week, But because they actually felt like the person.

I’ve also noticed that the strongest founder imagery rarely comes from trying to invent a personality for someone online, It usually comes from paying closer attention to the identity already existing around them.

The repetition. The rhythm. The spaces. The rituals. The atmosphere.

That’s the part I’m becoming most interested in documenting.

Less content creation. More observation.

Interested to hear if any of this feels familiar to you too… feel free to hit reply and share your thoughts with me