Behind the Lens: The Boardroom Series

The Boardroom began, as most of our projects do, with a single image in Alistair’s mind: a rooster at the head of a long table, morning light from the left, the quiet weight of authority in every line.

Finding the Space

We spent six weeks scouting boardrooms across central London. The brief was specific: mahogany, not glass. Paneled walls. Windows facing east for the morning light Alistair required. No modern interventions — no screens, no cable management, nothing that would date the image.

Sterling & Associates, a private equity firm on Bruton Street, offered their original 1920s boardroom. The partners, to their considerable credit, asked no questions about why we needed it for three days or what the wardrobe racks were for.

The Wardrobe

Margot sourced twelve bespoke suits from a Savile Row tailor who shall remain unnamed — not for reasons of discretion, but because the fitting process for a rooster is not something most tailors wish to publicize. Each suit was cut to accommodate natural plumage while maintaining the clean line of the shoulder.

The charcoal three-piece for the hero shot required four fittings. The subject — a particularly stately Orpington named Gerald — was patient throughout, though he did express displeasure with the initial pocket square selection.

On Set

Three days. Four subjects. Twelve looks. The pace was deliberate. Alistair shoots slowly, rarely more than forty frames in a session, and insists on reviewing each image before proceeding.

The resulting series comprises nineteen final images from approximately three hundred exposures — a ratio that reflects his belief that restraint in the edit is as important as intention in the capture.

The Result

The Boardroom opened at the studio gallery in November 2024 and was subsequently acquired in its entirety by a private collector. Limited edition prints from the series remain available through our store.