Meet the Team
At the London Institute of Photography, all our tutors are highly skilled professionals with rich industry insight that boast vast understanding of the ever-evolving photography market.
As well as this they are experienced teachers who inspire, motivate and share their know-how with our students, transforming them into proficient photographers ready to leave their own mark.
Holger Pooten
Head of the London Institute of Photography
With over 20 years of professional and 5 years of teaching experience on academic level a major player in the photography world, Pooten holds an MA Photography degree from the renowned London College of Communication. His work has won numerous awards and is represented by agents worldwide. Recent commissions include work for Nikon, BMW, Nestle, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Nike and Adidas.
Caterina Nasini
Caterina moved to London in 2013, where she was confronted with new experiences and cultural influences that changed her deeply. As a self-taught photographer, her work is intuitive with an introspective, documentary approach and cinematic influences.
She finds novelty in the mundane, routine activities are something to be studied, everyday objects are curiosities to be dissected and she relishes in narrating stories of people and places.
Debbie Castro
Debbie is a documentary photographer using mixed media to create pieces for exhibition and books. She has a degree in psychology and psychoanalysis plus studied an MA in Photojournalism from the University of Westminster.
Her work has been exhibited in Photo festivals and galleries in Ireland, London and and New York. Debbie works as the Coordinator at LIoP developing aspects of the website, organising talks and the annual LIoP exhibition.
Eliška Kyselková
Fashion and portrait photographer Eliška Kyselková is an artist making head waves in the UK scene and abroad with her style that transcends the boundaries of classic fashion photography and passes into forms of the artistic expression. Her work was exhibited in New York, Paris, London, Helsinki or Sevastopol and has been published in various magazines and publications such as Vogue Italia, Pylot, Pigeons&Peacocks as well as in Vogue Germany, i-D, Dazed&Confused and Wonderland.
More than a digital camera, Eliška extensively uses analogue cameras such as large format camera Sinar and medium format Bronica.
Chiara Luxardo
Chiara (she/they) is a documentary photographer and lens based artist based in London, UK.
They grew up in a family of horse people on a farm near Milan, Italy. From 2015-2019 they lived in Myanmar working on LGBTQ+ projects and the organisation of Yangon Pride.
A member of Women Photograph, in their personal work they explore themes of queerness, family and relationships.
Megan Kellythorn
Megan Kellythorn is an internationally published fashion photographer based in London, who teaches various courses at our school, including fashion photography. A graduate of Falmouth University, Megan's work has appeared in magazines like Aesthetica, Blanc, and Wonderland and she has shot for brands such as KCA-LAB and London Fashion Week. When not behind the camera, she enjoys hiking and exploring the great outdoors.
Ben Smith
Ben has been a professional photographer for nearly 25 years, during which time he has worked on both commercial lifestyle shoots for big brands and editorial portrait and photojournalistic commissions for major publications. He is currently working on a long-term personal documentary project here in London.
He also hosts and produces the popular, fortnightly photography podcast, A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers, on which he chats intimately with a wide array of well-known photographers about their work, life and practice.
Ben has been designing and building websites for himself and numerous others – including fellow photographers – for many years and has been focussing exclusively on the Squarespace platform since 2010.
Misao Kubota
Misao holds an MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art, UAL.
She is at the forefront of LIoP and you will meet her when making bookings and administration work.