Happy New Year!
Opportunities knock…
As we near the end of another year, I thought now was a good moment to share a short snapshot of what I was up to this year, but, more importantly, to say thank you for your continued support.
It’s also been a while since I last emailed my professional circle, so consider this newsletter a gentle knock rather than a cold call. You know you’re in the right job when work doesn’t feel like it. That’s entirely down to the people I get to collaborate with, so thank you, genuinely, for trusting me to document your ideas.
This year I quietly celebrated ten years in business… no fireworks, just gratitude (and good coffee).
2025 brought new opportunities and a few tough challenges. But it also marked a significant turning point in my career: shaking off the label of “food photographer” and leaning fully into what my work has always really been about: human stories, character, and connection.
The shift has opened the door to bigger, bolder projects with new clients such as Lost Art Media, The Brighton Table Tennis Club, Tea & Tarot Brighton, and 180 Degrees Bar & Kitchen, while also supporting local business leaders with their projects and personal brands.
I’ve continued working closely with independent businesses through photography, art, and creative direction, and, of course, alongside long-standing collaborators like Fatto a Mano Pizza, Ben Walton, Pamela & Ben and the brilliant team at the Gingerman Group, Kyriakos Baxevanis, Lyndsey Clay and gobotanica… A pretty solid group of humans, I’d say.
On the creative side, I’ve also shared my storytelling and editing approach through workshops at Photo book Café in London, and House of Cybele.
Along the way, I appeared on the Being Freelance Podcast, local TV and radio, and was interviewed by a few publications who were curious about my work and how I got here.
Most important, I started supporting emerging creatives through talks, presentations at BIPC Cussex, and one-to-one mentoring sessions.
My personal newsletter XAVOGRAFICA got listed as one of the top 10 newsletters to follow on Substack in 2025 by Digital Camera World:
Okay, enough about me, that was incredibly awkward to write as my work truly has never been about me but about my perception and experience of all the amazing things all of you do.
Outside of photography and creative direction, two things bring me disproportionate joy: Sharing my culture through food, and use it to bring people together for a good cause. This year, that meant sold-out Mexican Cooking classes at the Community Kitchen and pop-up collaborations with exceptional chefs like Diego Ricuarte (Palmito) and Kanthi Thama (The Spice Circuit), raising funds for good causes.
So, what’s next?
2026 will be more of the same… but sharper, more focused, and definitely more fun.
If you’d like to work together next year, do shout sooner rather than later.
January and February are already filling up when I’m back at work from 5 January.
I have one or two spaces available for yearly content retainers: one for a shop, design or architecture studio, and one for a food business. Prices start at £400 p/m on a 12-month contract.
I’m launching a Camera Confidence programme for business leaders and entrepreneurs to support them with portrait photography and creative direction for their brands. Read more about it on my website HERE
oh, and I’m always up for Mexican cooking collaborations for a good cause, so give me a shout if you’d like to collaborate.
This newsletter will remain exclusively aimed at my professional contacts. I’m planning to send one every 6 weeks or so.
You can also keep up with ongoing projects on Instagram @xavogram or via the blog on my website. Until then, I wish you a restful end of the year and I’ll see you on the other side for 2026.