Gill Tee - Energy, Enthusiasm and a lot of fun.
As a London portrait photographer, I love capturing people in their own spaces. It’s where you really see who they are, and it’s what makes environmental portraits so powerful. Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing Gill Tee, one of the music industry’s most vibrant personalities. Co-founder of the Black Deer Festival, Gill is known for bringing energy and enthusiasm to everything she does, and our shoot was no different.
Gill invited me into her beautifully renovated home in Kent, where she lives with her husband and their dog, George, who is both blind and deaf. Bless hi! It was a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Black Deer Festival’s own radio station was on in the background, playing a fantastic mix of music that set the tone for the day. In true Gill fashion, she grabbed her trademark hat and her guitar, climbed onto the kitchen table, and started playing along. I wasn’t expecting that, but then, this is Gill and there’s never a dull moment.
Documenting real people in their everyday environment is something I’m passionate about. There’s something special about the authenticity that comes with environmental portraits. You’re not just getting a photo; you’re capturing a moment, a feeling, a story. It’s not about creating something artificial or staged—it’s about freezing a slice of life. With Gill, that meant embracing the joy and spontaneity that comes with being in her company.
