Welcome
Silk Hat Studio is the home of Derbyshire photographer Alan Ward, specialising in dramatic, creative portraits and story-telling.
I work with my subjects to create stories, equivalent to selecting random pages of a book that never existed. Add the images together and the story unfolds.
I like to approach each project separately, understanding who the subject is, what their life is, what their ambition for the shoot is and then develop a theme together.
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Valentine's Day 4
From a short studio session on a Valentine's Day Theme Featuring Alona Shot at Zavod Studio in Sheffield
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Erica 1 - portrait
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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Erica 15 - Dance
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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- Theres A New Villain In Town
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Erica 10 - Portrait
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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Futuristic Sheffield 4
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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Fern as Prince 7
From a series of shoots, based on a concept of what would male guitarists looked like had they not been male. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/fernnyyfern/ is in this shoot as Prince. See the rest of the album at Prince as a Woman
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Fern as Prince 9
From a series of shoots, based on a concept of what would male guitarists looked like had they not been male. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/fernnyyfern/ is in this shoot as Prince. See the rest of the album at Prince as a Woman
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Futuristic Sheffield 7
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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Vain Wedding
From a bridal shoot with attitude. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Bridal at Boardroom
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Wondering
Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield.
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Liliya in Studio 2
From a 2 hour shoot with Liliya covering a variety of themes and styles. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/mrs.molodetskaya/ Shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield
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Attention
Using the corridors of Zavod Studio in Sheffield. With Xenia leaning against a corner wall. This was from my first shoot with Xenia and we went through a variety of styles and themes. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield.
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Valentine's Day 2
From a short studio session on a Valentine's Day Theme Featuring Alona Shot at Zavod Studio in Sheffield
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Futuristic Sheffield 8
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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Bleakness
Bleakness inspired by the desolate landscapes and rock formations amidst the unforgiving weather typical of Ilkley and Yorkshire moors.
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Fern as Prince 1
From a series of shoots, based on a concept of what would male guitarists looked like had they not been male. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/fernnyyfern/ is in this shoot acting as Prince. See the rest of the album at Prince as a Woman
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Organ Failure Act 1, Scene 2
Images from the first act of Organ Failure, shot in Yorkshire
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Liliya in Studio 1
From a 2 hour shoot with Liliya covering a variety of themes and styles. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/mrs.molodetskaya/ Shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield
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X Marks the Spot
From a short, fast-paced shoot, featuring https://www.instagram.com/williamthompson.model/
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From a forest fantasy themed shoot featuring https://www.instagram.com/itsmisskimberley_/ See the rest of the album at Forest Fantasy
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Fantasy In The Rocks
From a forest fantasy themed shoot featuring https://www.instagram.com/itsmisskimberley_/ See the rest of the album at Forest Fantasy
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Katey Pink 2: Gaze and Gauze
Featuring Katey, https://www.instagram.com/kateymodel/, shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield with a pink theme for the shoot.
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Futuristic Sheffield 1
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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Erica 19 - Portrait
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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Hard to Handle
Dramatic portrait in an alt-wedding/anti-bride theme
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- From the Steppes 1
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Contemplating Blue and Yellow
From a short, fast-paced shoot, featuring https://www.instagram.com/williamthompson.model/
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Organ Failure Act 2
Featuring Marie at the organ in the misty moors of Yorkshire
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Embolden
Embolden inspired by the desolate landscapes and rock formations amidst the unforgiving weather typical of Ilkley and Yorkshire moors.
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Erica 18 - Dance
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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- MissHavisham
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Retrowave 2
From a retro-wave-inspired shoot, featuring https://www.instagram.com/simon.zl/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield. See the rest of the album at Retrowave
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Forest lights
A mix of wood elf and fairy inspiration, shot near Otley, Yorkshire, with Annie creating a magical feel to what was otherwise an overcast day From a forest-fairy/elf themed shoot. See the rest of the album at Forest Fantasy
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Poignant
From a bridal shoot with attitude. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Bridal at Boardroom
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Vintage Lace
Featuring Annie, an Auburn-haired model wearing a vintage lace wedding dress. Shot at Zavod
- Attitude Level 100
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Futuristic Sheffield 6
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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Fairy ball
A mix of wood elf and fairy inspiration, shot near Otley, Yorkshire, with Annie creating a magical feel to what was otherwise an overcast day From a forest-fairy/elf themed shoot. See the rest of the album at Forest Fantasy
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End of a Long Day
Shot in the corridors of Zavod Studio in Sheffield. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield.
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Katey Pink 6
Featuring Katey, https://www.instagram.com/kateymodel/, shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield with a pink theme for the shoot.
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Liliya in Studio 4
From a 2 hour shoot with Liliya covering a variety of themes and styles. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/mrs.molodetskaya/ Shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield
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Wrangling Two Photographers
From a short, fast-paced shoot, featuring https://www.instagram.com/williamthompson.model/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield.
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Erica 5 - Dance
From a 2 hour shoot with Erica, covering a variety of themes and styles, centred around dance. Featuring Erica Mulkern Shot at Crossroads Studio
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Retrowave 1
From a retro-wave-inspired shoot, featuring https://www.instagram.com/simon.zl/ and shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield. See the rest of the album at Retrowave
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Futuristic Sheffield 3
From a series of shoots inspired by the futuristic visions of movies of the 1980s and 90s. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/ See the rest of the album at Futuristic Sheffield
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We build them to dream by
"We no longer build fireplaces for physical warmth?we build them for the warmth of the soul; we build them to dream by, to hope by, to home by." - Edna Ferber See that portrait on the mantlepiece? So did the camera. Eye focussing was not an option for this shoot Featuring https://www.instagram.com/xeniamodel_official/
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Liliya in Studio 3
From a 2 hour shoot with Liliya covering a variety of themes and styles. Featuring https://www.instagram.com/mrs.molodetskaya/ Shot at Zavod Studio, Sheffield
Story-Telling Portraits



















Creative Portraits























Each shoot is bespoke, creating unique imagery that suits our joint vision. Each shoot is approached as a separate project, with the amount of preparation beforehand appropriate to the complexity of the shoot itself.