Patrick Fraser is a British portrait photographer who’s been based in the United States for years. He has an amazing ability to capture the essence of his subjects, so when you look at his photos, it feels like you’ve known them forever. Whether he’s photographing Hollywood stars like Saoirse Ronan, Matt Damon, or writer Haruki Murakami mid-run, or sports icons like sprinter Michael Johnson, he always manages to reveal something real about them. As an avid tennis player, it’s no surprise that sports play a big role in his work – from the tennis court to a series focused on movement. His love for motion also shines through in his portraits of dancers and ballerinas, with his wife, ballerina Carla Körbes, being a big inspiration. Patrick’s shots from the ballet world, often paired with short films, have even featured in campaigns for top American theaters. His work isn’t just photography – it’s a celebration of personality, movement, and the stories that make us who we are.
"Stay true to my visual instinct when working. Try not to compromise. Stay fresh by experimentation.," says Patrick Fraser, describing his approach to photography. Born in the UK, he studied at Oxford Brookes University and Norwich University of the Arts. He draws much of his inspiration from his teenage years. "Growing up in Britain through the 1990s, I was exposed to an exciting time in art, music, fashion, and editorial. The Saatchi Gallery was introducing Damien Hirst and his contemporaries. In music, The Stone Roses and the indie Manchester scene were huge. Photographers Nick Knight and David Sims were shooting fashion photography for The Face and ID." he recalls, adding that traveling also played a big part in inspiring him during that time.
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Tennis is a significant part of my life. It’s my escape from the everyday, a chance to disconnect from my phone for a few hours.
After two decades of living and working in Los Angeles, Fraser now calls Ridgefield, Connecticut home. He blends his art projects – including exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Annenberg Space for Photography in LA – with commissions for media and advertising. His fine art photography is also now available on his e-shop, where he combines his interest in portraiture and landscape photography. "I offer prints that reflect how I see the world. Having my store is a new experience for me, but I’ve always wanted to sell directly to collectors. My dream is to show my work as large-format prints in museums, galleries, and private collections," says the photographer.
In his portraits, Patrick Fraser aims to capture those unguarded moments when the essence of his subject reveals itself in their facial expression and body posture. In his landscapes, he seeks out places that are overlooked and seem a little lost in time. "My images are rooted in a specific reality, with unique stories to tell, but they are also about more complex issues such as human dignity or consumerism. They are visual archives, topologies of the overlooked: hotel workers, people selling the wares on the beach, eighteen-wheelers parked overnight in concrete lots, or forlorn burger restaurants that look like relics from a previous age. These are laconic images, both celebratory and detached, and speak to the larger interconnections between people, place, and things.," says the photographer, describing the atmosphere of his work.
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His work has been featured in major newspapers and magazines such as The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Guardian, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Esquire. Patrick Fraser has also shot for advertising campaigns of leading American brands, as well as cultural institutions, including the American Ballet Theater and LA Dance Project. Well-known figures like Jennifer Lawrence, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Elon Musk are among his subjects. Since 2018, in addition to photography, he has ventured into documentary and experimental filmmaking.
An active athlete, Fraser regularly participates in tennis tournaments. "Tennis has been a significant part of my life, especially over the last 10 years, serving as my escape from daily life and a chance to unplug from my phone for a couple of hours.," says Fraser, who plays at a USTA 4.5 level. His passion is reflected in his photographic series Club in the Country from 2020.
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At the time, he was living in a small town in Indiana, where, during the lockdown, he created a black-and-white photo series capturing the atmosphere of the tennis courts at Russel Road Racquet Club. "During the pandemic, I played a lot of tennis in Bloomington, Indiana, at this beautiful club with red clay courts. I shot a short video of the club to complement the photo series. I often got up early to capture the quiet moments at the club, focusing on what truly creates the unique atmosphere of those clay courts," says Fraser, describing the circumstances behind the work. One of the photos from this series depicts an empty court behind a fence, with brooms and other tools hanging, used for maintaining the court.
Fraser discovered the beauty of dance through his wife, ballet dancer Carla Körbes. "Working with dancers is so much more interesting than working with models. You get a different kind of freedom with dance. Dancers are ready for anything. Their movement is so beautiful. With still photography, I love the challenge of capturing that decisive moment in dance," he explains.
However, Fraser doesn't just photograph dancers; he also creates dance videos. In his short films, he has captured top-tier ballerinas in promotional campaigns for Pacific Northwest Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. In one of the videos, he filmed his wife, who speaks about the ethereal experience of ballet while dancing in slow motion against a black backdrop, gracefully gliding through the empty space.
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You can purchase Patrick Fraser's photographs through THIS LINK.
