exploring grief THROUGH CREATIVITY.

About Emilie Sandy

Emilie Sandy is a photographer, creative director and educator with more than two decades of professional experience. She is also Creative Director of Sama Creatives, a design studio specialising in brand creation, visual identity, storytelling-led exhibitions and creative engagement.

Her practice spans portraiture, experimental photography, moving image and collaborative projects. Across her work, Emilie is interested in the power of visual storytelling to communicate lived experience, particularly when experiences are complex or difficult to express through words alone.

Emilie spent part of her childhood in Iceland before studying Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins. She later completed a master’s degree in Photography at the London College of Communication. This combination of photography and design gives her a strong understanding of visual language, narrative and the relationship between images, words and context.

Alongside her professional practice, Emilie has taught photography in higher education for more than a decade. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Photography and has undertaken training in participatory photography with PhotoVoice. This experience informs an ethical, sensitive and consent-led approach to working with individuals and communities.

The Story Behind Picture My Grief

Picture My Grief grew from Emilie’s personal and creative exploration of grief following the deaths of her parents in 2012. During her master’s degree in Photography, she created a body of work exploring their absence and presence through photographs, memories, family archives and meaningful objects.

Inspired by the care her father received at Sue Ryder Hospice, Emilie began developing a collaborative pilot project with the day hospice. Although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these plans, the idea continued to evolve. During lockdown, she created an online workshop, Loss and Change, in collaboration with Dr Neil Gibson, offering participants a creative space in which to explore experiences of loss during the pandemic.

Her father’s experience of living with a terminal brain tumour also shaped her understanding of photography as a means of connection and communication. Creativity gave them a way to spend time together, share his story and make images during a period of profound change.

These experiences continue to inform Picture My Grief. Through participatory projects and workshops, Emilie creates opportunities for people to use photography to explore grief, loss and significant life change in ways that feel personal and meaningful. Her practice centres lived experience, creative agency and care, with participants determining what they photograph, what their images mean and whether they wish to share them.

I Found a Small Lemon Tree

Emilie’s personal project, I Found a Small Lemon Tree, explores loss, memory and continuing family connections. Combining photographs, family archives, meaningful objects and text, the project reflects on the presence of her parents within everyday life after their deaths.

Find out more about I Found a Small Lemon Tree.

Portrait photography:www.emiliesandy.com