Amy Thor Photography has been named Photography Studio of the Year at the North East 2026 Local Awards, recognising a family photographer who has spent more than a decade capturing clean, simple and timeless portraits that families can treasure forever. Founded in 2015, Amy Thor Photography began after Amy spent years photographing her own children as a hobby. What started in her living room has grown into a beautiful purpose-built studio, a trusted photography brand and an 11-year business journey shaped by family, creativity, loyal clients and a genuine love for documenting childhood. For Amy, this award feels like the cherry on top of an incredible decade in business. Voted for by clients and supporters, the recognition reflects the trust families place in her to capture some of their most precious memories.

Timeless Family Photography With Personality at the Heart

Amy Thor Photography specialises in clean, simple and timeless family portraits that focus on genuine personalities and individual features. Rather than relying on overly complicated styling or distracting setups, Amy’s work keeps the attention where it belongs: on the people in front of the camera. That simplicity is one of the reasons her images feel so lasting. Trends come and go, but portraits that capture a child’s expression, a family connection or the tiny details of a stage in life remain meaningful for years. Amy’s style allows those natural features and personalities to shine without anything feeling forced or overdone. Family photography is about more than taking a nice picture. It is about freezing time for a moment. Children grow quickly, family dynamics change and little expressions disappear before people realise they have become memories. Amy understands the emotional value of those images. Her portraits are designed to be looked back on not just next year, but decades from now, when parents want to remember exactly who their children were at that stage.

From Photographing Her Own Children to Building a Business

Amy founded her photography business in 2015 after years of photographing her own children as a hobby. Like many creative businesses, it began with passion before becoming something bigger. Sharing her images on Instagram led to encouragement from family, friends and followers, and that support gave her the confidence to turn something she loved into a profession. That beginning is important because it still shapes the heart of the business today. Amy did not start from a detached commercial idea. She started as a mam who loved capturing her own children and understood how precious those memories were. That personal connection helped her develop a style that feels warm, natural and emotionally honest. Turning a hobby into a business takes courage. It means trusting your eye, your instincts and your ability to create something people will value. Over the last 11 years, Amy has done exactly that. She has moved from photographing families in her living room to building a respected studio that clients return to year after year.

A Relaxed Experience Created by a Mam of Four

What sets Amy Thor Photography apart is Amy’s understanding of family life. As a mam of four, she knows all about the chaos, fun and unpredictability that comes with children. That experience helps her create a relaxed and enjoyable studio environment where both children and parents feel comfortable. Anyone who has tried to get children to sit still, smile naturally and cooperate on demand knows that family photography is not always straightforward. Children may be shy, energetic, tired, silly or unsure about being photographed. Amy understands this because she lives family life herself. She knows when to be patient, when to let a child be themselves and when to gently guide a moment without making it feel forced. This approach allows her to capture authentic moments rather than stiff smiles. Families do not need to arrive feeling perfect or worried that their children must behave in a certain way. Amy works with the reality of family life, not against it. That is why so many clients feel at ease in her studio and why the photographs often show real personality rather than posed perfection.

Eleven Years of Growth and Achievement

Reaching 11 years in business is a huge milestone for Amy. The journey from photographing families in her living room to creating a purpose-built studio has been an incredible achievement, especially while raising four children. That growth shows how much dedication, consistency and trust Amy has built over time. A photography business grows through more than beautiful images. It grows through client experience, recommendations, reliability and the ability to make families feel valued. Amy’s success reflects all of that. Another standout milestone came in her first year of business, when she was featured in Vogue magazine. For a new photographer, that was an incredibly proud moment and early recognition of the quality and appeal of her work. Since then, she has continued to develop her style, work with families and even collaborate with major brands, all while staying rooted in the personal approach that helped the business begin.

Building a Studio While Raising a Family

One of Amy’s biggest challenges has been balancing family life with running a business. As a mam of four, life is always busy, and building a successful photography studio alongside that takes enormous commitment. Running a business means more than taking photographs. There are bookings, editing, marketing, messages, set preparation, customer care and the constant need to stay creative. Balancing that with school runs, family life and parenting is no small task. Amy has managed to grow the business over the last 11 years with the support of her family and the loyalty of her clients. That balance is also part of what makes the business so meaningful. One of the biggest blessings of running her own studio is being able to do what she loves while still being present for her children and making family life her priority. That personal balance is not always easy, but it has shaped a business that feels deeply connected to Amy’s own values as both a photographer and a mam.

From Living Room Shoots to a Purpose-Built Studio

One of the things Amy is most proud of is building a successful business from her living room and growing it into the beautiful studio she has today. That kind of journey takes vision, patience and a lot of hard work behind the scenes. A purpose-built studio gives families a dedicated space where sessions can feel calm, professional and carefully designed. It allows Amy to create the clean, timeless portraits she is known for while giving clients a consistent and welcoming experience. For someone who began by photographing families at home, seeing that growth become real is a huge achievement. Celebrating 11 years in business while raising four children makes the milestone even more special. It is not just a business success story. It is a family story too. Amy has built something around her creativity while continuing to prioritise the people who inspired the business in the first place.

Supporting Local Families and Fundraising

Amy tries to support the local community wherever she can. This includes donating vouchers to raffles and fundraising events, giving local causes the chance to raise money while offering families the opportunity to experience a professional photoshoot. She also enjoys running giveaways on social media, allowing families to win a photoshoot and enjoy an experience they might not otherwise have booked for themselves. These gestures matter because professional photography can feel like a treat, and giving families access to that experience helps create memories they may treasure for years. Community support is a natural part of Amy’s work because her business is built around families. The local families who have supported her over the last 11 years have helped make the studio what it is today. Giving something back, whether through donations or giveaways, is a way of recognising that support and sharing the joy of photography with more people.

Photographing Families Year After Year

The support from local families has been incredible throughout Amy’s 11 years in business. She is clear that her business simply would not exist without them. Many clients return year after year, allowing Amy to photograph their children as they grow and their families change. That long-term relationship is one of the most special parts of family photography. A photographer may first meet a child as a newborn, then see them return as a toddler, then again as a confident young person with their own personality fully shining through. Over time, the photographer becomes part of the family’s memory-keeping tradition. Amy often jokes that she feels like a “crazy auntie” that people visit a couple of times a year. That phrase says a lot about the warmth of her client relationships. Families do not just come for photographs. They return because they feel comfortable, known and welcomed. That trust is the foundation of the business and one of the reasons this award means so much.

Capturing Children as They Grow

There is not one single customer story that stands above the rest for Amy. What feels most special is watching children grow from newborns into confident young people and knowing she has documented those memories for their families. That long-term view gives photography real emotional weight. A single session captures one stage, but a series of sessions over years tells a much bigger story. Parents can look back and see the tiny newborn details, the toddler expressions, the missing teeth, the growing confidence and the changing personalities. Those photographs become a visual record of childhood. For Amy, being trusted with that responsibility is incredibly meaningful. Families allow her into important moments of their lives and rely on her to preserve them beautifully. That trust is never taken for granted. It is one of the reasons she continues to love what she does and why the award feels like such a personal recognition.

A Touched and Grateful Reaction to Winning

When Amy found out that Amy Thor Photography had won Photography Studio of the Year, she honestly could not believe it. Although she knows she has amazing support from her clients, she had still doubted whether people would get behind her and take the time to vote. They did. The response left her incredibly grateful and genuinely touched. For a photographer whose business has grown through relationships, loyalty and recommendations, that support meant the world. It showed that clients value not only the photographs, but the experience, connection and care behind them. Winning through public support makes the recognition especially meaningful. It is one thing to be proud of your own work, but another to see clients and supporters take action to help celebrate it. For Amy, the award is a beautiful reminder of the community that has surrounded her business over the last 11 years.

What Winning Photography Studio of the Year Means

Winning this award feels like the cherry on top of what has already been an incredible decade in business. Amy has built her studio from a hobby, a living room and a passion for photographing her own children into a recognised and trusted family photography brand. The award reflects years of dedication, creativity and care. It celebrates the families who have visited the studio, the children who have grown up in front of Amy’s camera and the clients who continue to recommend her work. It also recognises the challenge of building a business while raising four children and staying true to what matters most. For Amy, the win is not just about professional recognition. It is a deeply personal milestone. It shows that the work she has poured her heart into has made an impact and that the families she photographs feel connected enough to support her. That is what makes the award so special.

Recognition Built on Client Trust

Amy believes this recognition reflects the trust clients place in her to capture some of their most precious moments. Family photography requires a special kind of trust because the images being created are often emotional, personal and impossible to repeat in exactly the same way. Clients return to Amy because they know she will make the experience relaxed, enjoyable and true to their family. They recommend her because they have felt comfortable in her studio and loved the results. Their continued support, loyalty and recommendations have formed the foundation of the business. This award is therefore a reflection of those relationships. It shows that clients value the way Amy captures their families and the care she brings to each session. In a business built around memories, trust is everything, and Amy Thor Photography has clearly earned that trust across many years.

Looking Ahead to More Memories

Amy is excited to see what the next few years bring. Her focus remains on doing what she loves: creating beautiful portraits, meeting lovely families and capturing memories that can be cherished forever. The future is not about changing the heart of the business. It is about continuing to do the work that has brought Amy this far, while enjoying the opportunities that come with growth. Every new family, returning client and child growing up in front of the camera adds another chapter to the studio’s story. One of the greatest blessings of running her own business is being able to do all of this while still being present for her children and making family life her priority. That balance will continue to guide Amy Thor Photography, keeping the business personal, warm and rooted in the values that made it successful.

Thanking Family, Clients and Her Four Children

Amy would like to say a huge thank you to her husband for his unwavering support, and to her parents for always being there, especially as the very best babysitters over the years, allowing her to book in midweek sessions and continue growing the business. She is also deeply grateful to every single client, whether they have been with her for years or simply like, share and support her work on social media. Every act of support has helped the business grow and means more than people may realise. Finally, Amy thanks her four beautiful children, Oskar, Erika, Kasper and Kit, her best, although sometimes unwilling, models. They inspired the journey, shaped her love of family photography and remain at the centre of everything she does. To every family who has trusted Amy Thor Photography, the message is simple: thank you for allowing Amy to be part of your family’s story. Your support means the world to her.