Meet Simon

Photography has always been part of the picture.

I’m Simon Archer, a Dublin-based photographer with a background in graphic design and print media, and more years behind a camera than I care to count.

What began with school sports, early morning trips to Portmarnock beach and photographing my own family gradually became a full-time career. Today, I work with schools, families, businesses, couples and property clients across Dublin, while still personally photographing and editing every job that carries my name.

For me, the best photographs are not just technically good. They should feel natural, capture something genuine and, most importantly, mean something to the people receiving them.

how it started

It started long before it became a career.

I’ve always had an interest in photography. Even when I was still at school, I would bring my camera along to sporting events, photographing the action and taking team photos whenever I had the chance.

After finishing my education, I moved into graphic design and worked across local newspapers and magazines. Photography remained something I loved, though, and in my spare time I would regularly head down to Portmarnock beach early in the morning to photograph the sunrise.

The real turning point came when my first son, Conor, was born. Like most new parents, I photographed him constantly. It gave me the opportunity to improve my camera skills, experiment and, perhaps most importantly, develop a lot of patience when photographing children.

When the owner of Conor’s crèche asked me to photograph the children there, I said yes. That first shoot led to another, then another. I began working with more crèches and eventually national schools throughout the local area.

As the number of schools continued to grow, photography stopped being the thing I did alongside my job and became the job itself. Eventually, I took the plunge and moved into photography full time.

A FAMILY BUSINESS

Personal from start to finish.

As the business grew, so did everything happening behind the scenes. That is where my partner, Dee, came in.

Dee looks after much of the scheduling, organisation and correspondence, allowing me to concentrate on photographing and editing. Between us, we manage the entire process ourselves.

Every shoot is carried out by me, with no photographers subcontracted in, and all editing and printing stays in-house.

It means our clients always know who they are dealing with and gives us the flexibility to provide the kind of personal service that has become a very important part of the business.

TRUSTED BY SCHOOLS, FAMILIES & BUSINESSES

Relationships built over years, not just photo days.

Simon Archer has been our school photographer for a number of years now and I cannot recommend his fresh approach to photography enough. He has an excellent way with the children, putting them at ease and getting the very best out of each photographic opportunity. His photography encompasses the children in their natural form, rather than the ‘stiff’ traditional portraits of the past, and our entire school community, especially our parents are always extremely pleased with the end result. Simon himself is very easy to deal with, extremely flexible and his photography is excellent value for money. From sporting events to Confirmations and school calendars, we are delighted to have Simon as our school photographer – I highly recommend him!

Simon Archer has been taking all of our school photos for a number of years, junior infants, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. As we have four classes at each level, we need someone who can work smart and work independently. Simon is very efficient, has a great way with the children, and produces beautiful photographs. A wonderful service.”

Simon Archer has been the School Photographer for Little Boots Montessori for the past 14 years. We have always found Simon to be a very professional person with a very pleasant manner. He has always had a great rapport with the children. This puts them at their ease while the photographs are being taken resulting in very natural and clear cut images. His photographs stand out and given the amount of children that have passed through the School he manages to make each photograph special and unique. We have always found him to be very reasonably priced and we would highly recommend him for any event.

I really want to thank both you and Deirdre for your flexibility, speed and professionalism yesterday. The staff were genuinely delighted with how smoothly everything went, especially given the tricky conditions you had to work in. You both made what could have been a stressful day feel very easy. Have a lovely weekend,

Get in Touch

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