Bhavna Limbachia // Studio Portraits with James Melia
I first met Bhavna Limbachia in my Manchester studio on a quiet day. One of those days where the light feels steady and there’s no real pressure to rush anything. That felt important, even before we’d taken a frame.
She’s best known for her work on Brassic, where she plays Shabnam Masood, but that wasn’t really the focus in the room. What mattered more was creating space. Time to settle. Time to arrive as herself rather than as a character people already think they know.
This was our first time working together, so the early part of the shoot was about finding a rhythm. Nothing elaborate. Just talking things through, trying a few positions, adjusting jackets, letting silence do some of the work. Oversized tailoring has a way of doing that. It gives structure without forcing anything. In black and white, especially, the clothing becomes less about fashion and more about shape, weight, posture.
The studio setup was deliberately simple. Clean background. Controlled light. No distractions. I like working this way when the intention is editorial rather than performative. It encourages small shifts rather than big gestures. A change in how someone stands. Where their gaze rests. Whether they lean into the frame or hold themselves back slightly.
Bhavna was thoughtful throughout. Very present. She didn’t overdo anything, which I always appreciate. There was a sense of quiet confidence, but also openness, like she was willing to sit with moments that weren’t immediately resolved. Some of my favourite frames came from those in-between seconds, when nothing obvious was happening.
We talked a little about how people are often photographed in ways that reinforce expectations. Comedy actors especially. There’s an assumption that everything has to be animated or expressive. This shoot felt like a conscious step away from that. Not a reinvention. Just a widening of the frame.
Black and white helped keep things grounded. It stripped the images back to expression, texture, and contrast. The oversized jackets created a kind of gentle armour, but they also allowed for vulnerability. Strong lines, soft edges. That balance kept coming up.
I’m always aware that portrait sessions live somewhere between collaboration and observation. My role isn’t to extract something from someone, but to notice what’s already there and make space for it. With Bhavna, that process felt natural. Unforced.
By the end, the studio felt calm. Like we’d made something quietly considered rather than “finished.” And honestly, that’s usually when I know the work has landed where it needs to.
