https://sonyasmithphotography.com/

Sonya Smith Photography, Manchester (2026)

24/11/2025

📸🌟 Headshot Swap! 🌟📸

✨ A few times a year I get together with some other photographer mates for a cup of tea, a few laughs and to chat shop. We’re a big group who did training together and whoever can make it comes along. We have our cameras in tow and usually have a little wander around, grabbing a few headshots of one another and it’s always such a lovely time :)

✨ On our most recent meet up we were lucky enough to get an absolutely beautiful autumn morning for our walk around Castlefield with gorgeous light in the trees and under the arches.
I love getting the chance to watch other photographers work and it’s always amazing to see how you can have a group of photographers in the same location, with the same subjects and everyone will respond in a completely different way, creating completely unique images. Really inspiring.
I also think as a photographer, having your own photo taken every so often is really important…get vulnerable and see how you like it, haha!

✨ Thanks to Becky ( ) , Theo ( ) , and Maggie (.photo ) for a fun, inspiring, sunny morning in town. Looking forward to the next time :)

xx

15/11/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

✨ As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

✨We met with Paul, who has worked in Gallery Support at Lowry for 25 years! You may well have seen Paul if you have popped into the gallery, chatting to visitors all about the work of L S Lowry and the man himself..Paul’s knowledge is incredible and the way he talked about Lowry’s techniques, life and the variety of his work from portraits to seascapes was so interesting.

✨ Thanks so much for getting involved in One Lowry, Many Stories Paul and taking the time to meet with us.

✨ You can read Paul’s story here:
https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-paul-fpsq

14/11/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

✨ As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

✨ We met with Kate who is Head of the Front of House team at Lowry and has been with the team for 25 years. She started off as the assistant house manager in 2000 before the building even opened!

✨ It was amazing to hear Kate talk about how she has been been able to see Lowry change and develop and the team building up right from the start..including the current bar manager who she met as a new born baby back in 2000 when his dad (a Lowry technical manager and another long serving member of the team) brought him into work to meet his colleagues!

✨ It was so clear to see Kate absolutely loves her work and theatre in general…it was great to hear her talk excitedly about producions she has loved like War Horse, White Christmas, Matthew Bourne productions to name a few.

✨ Thanks so much for getting involved Kate in One Lowry, Many Stories Kate and taking the time to meet with us.

You can read Kate’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-kate-541n

22/10/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

✨ As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry ( ) to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

✨We met with Gemma who works backstage as a technician in the Lowry.
It was brilliant to get a sneaky peek behind the scenes of The Lyric and Quays theatres with Gemma (being up on the bridge over the Quays theatre for some of the photos was very much wobbly knees time for me though, not being a lover of heights
but I tried to be brave 😬🙈)

✨Gemma was so lovely to chat to and I loved hearing how she first got into her career as a backstage techinician, working with lights, sound or anything else show-based..even flying!
We chatted about loads including how it is working in a male-dominated environment and how Gemma deals with that, the huge variety of shows she can end up working on from small community shows to big musicals, stand up comedians and Britain’s Got Talent and just how much time and consideration goes into lighting design that can make all the difference to the mood and impact of a show (but make sure you don’t shine that light in the wrong place in a magic show!)

You can read Gemma’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-gemma-n31f

21/10/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

✨ As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

✨ We met with sisters Apollo and Aspen and their mum, Michelle.
All three have participated in Lowry’s community programmes and it was just amazing to hear how these programmes have really been life changing for all of them..with mum Michelle explaining how she had gone from being agoraphobic to being on stage in a play in the Lyric theatre, all thanks to the Lowry which in her own words ‘picked me up when I was at my lowest and built me up to where I am now’, with Apollo and Aspen explaining how getting involved in the Lowry youth programmes led to being on stage and a love for theatre and the arts that they both want to continue with as careers.

✨ Please do read their full story, including all about the community and outreach groups they went on to found themselves following their time at the Lowry. It’s totally inspiring stuff:

You can read Aspen, Apollo and Michelle’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-apollo-and-aspen-7x78

16/10/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 We met with Salford councillor Bill at Salford Civic Centre where we talked about Bill’s involvement with the genesis of the Lowry, gathering funding and political support for the hugely ambitious project, sharing a stage with the legendary Glenda Jackson and why he hopes we will be talking about Hamlet at the pub.

💫 Thanks so much for getting involved in One Lowry, Many Stories Bill and for taking the time to meet with us.

You can read Bill’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-bill-xyb6

15/10/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY, MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 We met with Sarah, a community connector from Salford. Sarah runs a social enterprise called community pride, Lowry community groups ‘Show Selectors’ and ‘Community Creators’ and so much more.

💫 It was amazing to hear Sarah talk about the impact these Lowry community groups have on people’s lives and you really must read her story to hear everything as there are so many aspects to the work Sarah does I couldn’t fit it in this tiny comment, but one special quote from Sarah that stands out for me was this one about one of the members of the Community Creators group….

🌟 “Just recently, a lady in the Community Creators group, she said, 'Yeah, okay, it's nice. We come and we have a coffee and we get a sandwich, and everybody’s kind. But it's not about that. It's about being a human being and not being seen as a worthless, useless, homeless person. It's about being valued and being included and feeling good about yourself.’ For me, that’s exactly what it's about” 🌟

💫 Thanks so much for getting involved in One Lowry, Many Stories Sarah and for taking the time to meet with us, it was incredible to hear the impact Lowry has on so many people beyond what happens on their stages and the gallery walls.

You can read Sarah’s story here
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-sarah-y5jl

14/10/2025

📸🌟 ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 We met with Michelle who has volunteered at the Lowry for 24 years..almost the whole time it has been open (since April 2001)!
Michelle talked about how Lowry has been an anchor in her life over the years as she has worked a pressured job and brought up her family..when she started she had young kids who are now grown men with children of their own.

💫 She also chatted about the joy she finds in making patrons happy and some memorable stories where they have pulled on her heartstrings!

💫 Thanks so much for getting involved in One Lowry, Many Stories Jaiden and for taking the time to meet with us, we loved hearing your stories from your years at Lowry.

You can read Michelle’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-michelle-n37f

13/10/2025

📸🌟ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 We met with Lowry trustee Jaiden (.consulting ) and had a brilliant chat about how Lowry has impacted his life, from when he first joined in their programme for Looked After young people with his sister up to today where he now acts as a trustee on the board.

💫 It was amazing to hear from Jaiden how the weekly drama sessions at the Lowry gave him a place to let out his emotions and really have fun. Then going on to learn journalism skills that got him kickstarted on a journey of campaigning that has been mainly focused around young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their education..it has also taken him all the way to Parliament to talk about the impact Lowry has had.
It really was such a privilege to hear Jaiden talk passionately about helping young people of Salford rise as their city rises.

💫 Thanks so much for getting involved in One Lowry, Many Stories Jaiden and for taking the time to meet with us despite having hardly any sleep due to the demanding tiny puppies you had been feeding through the night!

You can read Jaiden’s story here:
https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-jaiden-1msr

10/10/2025

📸🌟ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 We were lucky enough to visit Carlos Acosta ( ), Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet ( ) and superstar of the dance world, to chat about the massive role Lowry have played in his career. We met in a dance studio at the Birmingham Royal Ballet the day before the re-opening of their groundbreaking show ‘Black Sabbath- The Ballet’ (which I am so excited about seeing tomorrow at Lowry!

💫 It was so fascinating to hear all about how Carlos entered the ballet world, the feeling of being on stage and how it compares with directing, and adapting ballet to keep it relevant and alive.

On a side note, I can't imagine I'll ever share another dance floor with a better dancer in my life! (even if I am just taking their photo!)

You can read Carlos’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/carlos-542n

Thanks so much for taking the time to meet and chat with us Carlos, it's wonderful to have you in One Lowry, Many Stories!

🌟 “ I think if you're really an artist in your core, you're always going to keep moving and evolving” Carlos Acosta 🌟

09/10/2025

🌟ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES🌟

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, writer Lucy Tomlinson and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry ( ) to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 Next up was theatre maker Alice Christina-Corrigan ( ).
We had a brilliant chat with Alice and talked about loads including how she got into acting and theatre making despite thinking that as a visually impaired person she could never be an actor, about what an impact getting onto Lowry’s ‘Developed With’ programme had on her life and career and about forming her company La La Arts.

💫You can read Alice’s story here:
👉 https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-alice-j9sy

💫 Thanks so much for taking the time to meet and chat with us Alice, we love having you in One Lowry, Many Stories :)
maker

08/10/2025

📸🌟ONE LOWRY MANY STORIES 🌟📸

💫 I’m super excited to finally share the pictures and stories from my latest collaboration with writer/researcher (and friend!) Lucy Tomlinson!

💫 As part of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary year, Lucy and I were commissioned by Salford’s Lowry to contribute to their new heritage project titled ‘One Lowry, Many Stories’, to capture the stories of just a few of the individuals who embody the organisation’s work and impact over the last 25 years.

💫 Our first subject was the incredible
DJ, writer and all round wonderful person, we LOVED meeting up with Paulette and had such an interesting chat. We talked about loads including her 2018 Lowry exhibition ‘Homebird’, art’s responsibility to tell stories and history from a variety of perspectives and her love of art.
(On a sidenote, I was so impressed when faced with a slightly grubby table to sit down for photos and a chat, whipped some wipes from her hand bag and proceeded to scrub that table till it shone! No messing, haha)

💫 You can read Paulette’s story here:
https://thelowry.com/one-lowry-many-stories-paulette-rxh7

💫 Thanks so much for taking the time to meet and chat with us Paulette it was an absolute pleasure!

Sonya Smith Photography

24/11/2025

15/11/2025

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22/10/2025

21/10/2025

16/10/2025

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