Testimonials

Judith Hann

Chief Executive / RCPS Ltd (trading as The Poly)

Thank you so much for the wonderful, very high quality photographs you took for The Poly in Falmouth, particularly the ones in the theatre and of our volunteers with the history archives. We have used the photos extensively on our new website, as well as in other promotional material. We found your approach to be professional, listening to our requirements and adaptable.

Hári Sewell

CEO / Black Satin Promotions

Firesoul Media took time to understand exactly what we needed by asking intelligent questions. They produced a promotional video from filming our club night and interviewing guests. What they produced was head and shoulders above anything we have been associated with before or since. Firesoul Media didn’t just film and produce; they created art

Alex Nicoletti

Founding Director / Lil’ollo

We highly recommend Firesoul Media. Rebecca and Elio were a joy to work with and we are delighted with the work they produced. They were not given an easy task and we asked for it to be completed within a tight time frame. They designed six beautiful sets for us, sourced props and photographed a high number of products in seven different languages. We requested an exhaustive list of specific shots and angles, all of which were executed perfectly. They were regularly in touch throughout the shoot to check we were happy with progress. The resulting work is proudly displayed on our website and we look forward to working with them again.

Cordelia Simon

Rebecca and Elio photographed at my wedding and my husband and I thought their work was stunning. They captured some beautiful moments and got some very creative and unique shots. They were easy and relaxed to work with and captured our special day exactly as we would have wanted. Would highly recommend!

Daniela De Armas

Director / London Lucumi Choir

The London Lucumi Choir was looking for a company to produce a video for our song we recorded "River" a cover version of the track by the Afro-French twin duo Ibeyi. The reason why we decided to work with Elio and Rebecca was that it was important to us that the company that work with us were aware of Afro Cuban Culture and Spirituality. Elio had also worked with the Choir shooting us live at a gig. We were aware of both of them as photographers and we liked their work and their eye for detail.

Working with Fire soul Media was a really easy experience. From Beginning to end I felt that the work was a true collaboration. I felt that they were very conscious of what we were looking for and at the same time, they made really useful decisions and suggestions which I may not have thought about (not being a film maker myself!). The process of filming was very relaxed. At times when you are working with a community project such as ours, anything can happen and managing a big group can be challenging. However Fire Soul Media were un-phased and relaxed and really put me and my anxieties at ease. The editing process was a similar experience. The footage was just spectacular due to the eye of Elio Pena and attention to detail, but at all times as a team, Firesoul Media were also open to my ideas as a musician. I am extremely happy with the final product and hope that we can work together in the future.

Geraldine Gleeson

Alexander Technique Teacher

I have always looked terrible in photos; but I wanted to use one on my business cards, in adverts and on my website. Rebecca was brilliant, she put me at ease, moved me around to get the best shot and produced amazing photographs. I was thrilled with the photos and surprised how much I enjoyed the process.

Zarina Farook Toughfar

Laywer & Mother of two

Firesoul Media have photographed our family on a number of occasions, and the experience has always been fantastic. Not only is the time spent with you very enjoyable, it is also a very relaxed experience as they manage to take phenomenal photos of you and your family in your everyday environment. Therefore, the photos always look very natural and relaxed. I still don’t know how they manage to capture such great photos with such ease and patience, but they do every time, and our friends always comment on how great they are. I would highly recommend Firesoul Media to anyone looking for a great family and events photographer and videographer.

Hannah Lowney

BBC Radio Journalist

I couldn't be happier with the photos Becky and Elio took of our wedding. They talked through what we wanted ahead of the big day and were happy to work with any suggestions we had. They didn't just offer stiff group poses and cheesey couple shots like a lot of the wedding photographers we'd looked at. Tthey were creative in their use of the venue and captured some beautiful moments before, during and after the ceremony. They work really well as a team and were a pleasure to be around and made both my husband and I feel at ease. I was really happy with the editing; especially the alternate options they offered and was impressed by how quickly they were able to get the pictures over to us. TLDR: lovely photographers, beautiful pictures, promptly delivered.

Susannah Henty

Media and PR Manager / Prisoners Education Trust

After sumbmitting a proposal via competitive tender, I chose to commission Firesoul Media to take a series of photographs for Prisoners' Education Trust in 2014 where I was Media Manager at the charity. This was an extremely important project because there are very few public images available of people in UK prisons, and even less depicting anything positive from within these walls. Few organisations are granted access for media at all and Rebecca and her partner Elio Pena had to agree to a series of strict rules, checks and edits which most photographers would find frustrating.

However, it was a unique opportunity for us to represent their experiences to the world and tell untold stories of people who were trying to cope with being incarcerated and move forward with their lives through creative photography. It was important for us to get it right. As a charity focused on rehabilitation through learning, we wanted to show that there is more to a person's character than the crime they have been convicted for. We wanted to show these were individuals, that they were students, people who were trying to change their lives for the better through learning rather than simply 'inmates' or 'Prisoners' but this in itself was a challenge as for the majority of subjects photographed we were not allowed to show their faces or anything that would identify, them such as unusual tattoos, due to strict prison rules. This was a dilemma but Rebecca and Elio rose to the challenge. We were not allowed to visit the prisons in advance, so whilst on location Rebecca came up with some interesting angles for the photographs, capturing people from behind, using props in front of their faces, such as the books students were reading, their paintings and artwork and equipment in the gym to portray their interests in an imaginative way. There were some particularly striking photographs from the women's prison, including Mother's Day cards on their walls in the background, letters they had written and their interaction with each other. Research shows the majority of women in prison have experienced very chaotic lives, having overcome abuse, addiction and many continue to experience mental health issues. Many people in prison generally are vulnerable but also can be volatile and they worked with every individual to make them feel at ease. Prisons also present challenges for the photographer, shooting in the small, confined, dark space of a cell isn't easy and they successfully captured striking images that showed the details of life in prison, but also the commitment of learners. The cell photographs show people at their desks studying books, with his cup of toothbrushes next to him, another is showing his cell mate our course curriculum, with the Guardian newspaper in the background. We also have a collection of inspiring pictures from the libraries, of books and people reading, which we used to support the Howard League's high profile campaign 'books for prisoners' to reverse a government ruling which had stopped families from sending in books to their loved ones. This was obviously extremely problematic for our learners who needed several specific books for their studies. Thanks to a groundswell of support across the sector, from actors and authors and the general public eventually the rule was reversed. I believe having this collection of images was a vital tool in PET's communication with the public about this campaign.

The project resulted in a high quality selection of creative images and the charity now has a library to choose from for use in marketing, e-comms, PR and social media. They are frequently paired with the personal stories and letters written by prisoners so their realities and dreams can be heard and the public can understand more about the experiences of people in prison.

I am no longer working for Prisoners' Education Trust but I would definitely commission Rebecca and Elio again, they are talented photographers who will rise to any challenge!