Jai Shah - Impactful photography for personal brands.
- Isobel Arden
- Aug 26
- 4 min read
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Meet Jai Shah, the photographer capturing everyone's uniqueness.
In this interview, Mark invited Jai Shah to create his own fantasy cultural year from the answers to some easy questions where there are no wrong answers. Enjoy his responses below.
Jai Shah is a London-based personal brand photographer who specialises in bringing camera-shy entrepreneurs, creators, and founders out of the shadows—and into the spotlight.
Nestled in Harrow but with vision reaching across the capital, Jai has elevated headshots, personal brand portraits, and event photography into an art form that captures the real you—and looks cracking while doing it.
“Feel like the world’s best-kept secret?” he asks on his website. If your current images don’t feel like you, or if the mere thought of being in front of a lens makes you nervous, Jai’s your photographic unsung hero. And he’s not about stiff poses or awkward grins.
His trademark is a relaxed, three-step process—Explore, Establish, Excite—that starts with a good chinwag about your business, personality, and what makes you tick; builds a stylish mood board for flair and cohesion; and ends with him snapping the most authentic, confident, “yes, that is me” shots you’ve ever seen.
Jai works for founders, creatives, coaches, authors—in short, those who dare to dream and want visuals that speak louder than words.
His distinctive imagery—think creative gels, dramatic lighting, unexpected settings—reflects what he calls “the real version of you,” so your brand feels less corporate gloss and more authentic charm.
Testimonials speak volumes—one client called their session with Jai “professional, relaxed and enjoyable, and the photos turned out amazing”.
Off-duty, Jai’s a vinyl hunter, tech ecosystem nerd, and part-time Choi Kwang Do martial-arts practitioner—so expect a few storytelling moves that might surprise you more than his camera ever will.
Explore some of Jai's work below
Jai's Fantasy Cultural Year...with a magic wand and time machine at hand.
📸 Jai the Photographer
Mark and Jai dived into Jai’s photography journey, especially his focus on personal branding and capturing people’s true essence.
Jai shared the stories behind his portraits, highlighting how key it is to communicate well and let people feel comfortable just being themselves.
🌍 Jai’s Fictitious Global Portrait Project
Jai revealed his favourite building: a hotel in Mauritius with a sea-view balcony.
Mark painted the picture: Jai, beer in hand, flipping through a Don McCullin photo book at that hotel’s bar.
Then came the big idea — a year-long world tour where Jai captures portraits of nations and communities.
The dream outcome? A book deal, TED Talk, and global university lecture tour.
Jai agreed to kick it off with the person funding the project, starting in New York.
✈️ Mark & Jai’s Global Adventures
They swapped stories about favourite music, dance, and food.
Mark posed a challenge: listen to just one genre of music for a year. Jai picked hip-hop (with Kendrick Lamar as his go-to).
Together, they imagined:
🎶 A breakdancing show in New York, followed by a Mexican dinner.
🚗 A trip to Tokyo for drifting and sumo wrestling.
🎨 A visit to a brand-new art gallery in Antarctica.
🎨 Virtual Reality Meets Comic Books
Their conversation turned to VR: what if you could step inside the worlds of iconic visual artists?
They loved the idea of bringing Jack Kirby’s comic book creations to life in an interactive 3D experience — animated, detailed, and totally immersive.
🎭 Cultural Events Week
The plan: spend a whole week together going out every night:
Monday: Pop or rock concert
Tuesday: Theatre play
Wednesday: West End musical
Thursday: Opera
Friday: Film night
Watch to find out what they went to.
📅 Jai’s Cultural Year Exploration
Jai’s project involved photo shoots that reveal personalities.
Mark added a twist: a fantasy cultural year where Jai would have lunch with Nipsey Hussle and Tupac.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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