Meet The Client
- Client Fortava Healthcare Ltd
- Location: Headshots at there head office Park House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, and then care home photos at there centres at Thorpe Wood Care Home & The Maltings, both in Peterborough
- Project Type: Commercial Photography – Team Headshots & Care Environment Photography
- Date: 22nd September 2025
Fortava Healthcare is a specialist dementia care provider founded by Johann van Zyl, named by Health Investor as one of the 50 most influential people in UK healthcare for three consecutive years, and Jamie Stuart, a healthcare finance specialist. Their two Peterborough sites, Thorpe Wood Care Home and The Maltings, are built around evidence-based practice, cognitive stimulation therapy and a commitment to environments that genuinely improve quality of life.
Their values, Dignity, Respect, Belief, Openness and Excellence, are not written on a poster. They are visible in every room, every interaction and every decision the team makes.
Key Deliverables
- A full set of commercial headshots for the Support Hub team at Park House, Lynchwood, polished and consistent for digital, print and LinkedIn use.
Environmental photography across Thorpe Wood and The Maltings, capturing welcoming interiors, themed rooms, communal areas and purpose-built facilities.
Ethical lifestyle storytelling using professional stand-in models to depict meaningful moments of care and daily life, protecting the privacy and dignity of real residents throughout.
Architectural and interior photography of key spaces such as the theatre, bar, sensory rooms and activity areas, showcasing Fortava’s commitment to wellbeing and cognitive stimulation.
Architectural and interior photography of key spaces including the theatre, bar, sensory rooms and activity areas, showcasing Fortava’s commitment to wellbeing and cognitive stimulation.
Warm, natural editing and consistent colour grading, aligning with the brand’s values of Dignity, Respect, Belief, Openness and Excellence.
All images delivered in organised high-resolution and web-optimised formats, clearly labelled by location and type for easy integration into Fortava’s marketing workflows.
How the Project Came About
This project did not begin with a brief. It began with a LinkedIn connection and a catch up over coffee.
In early 2025, I connected with Fortava’s marketing manager at a point when the business did not yet have a name. A company was being acquired, a brand was being built, and a photographer was being considered for what appeared to be a straightforward headshot request for six people.
The initial enquiry arrived while I was on holiday. I responded the same day with a full professional quote and a client booklet. Then came the wait. Papers were delayed. Completion was pushed back. For two months there was silence, the kind of quiet that can easily feel like a lost client.
In August 2025, the message arrived. The six headshots had become ten. The company now had a name, offices, two care homes, and a brand that needed to be built from the ground up. What started as a simple booking became one of the most complex and rewarding commercial projects I have undertaken.
What The Photoshoot Achieved
A cohesive image library for a brand launch
Polished headshots with a warm, unified look
Ethical storytelling that protects dignity
A clear sense of place and care experience
The Client Brief
Fortava Healthcare needed a complete, cohesive visual identity that could carry a brand launch. Specifically, they needed:
- Professional headshots for the full Support Hub team at Park House, consistent and polished for use across web, print and LinkedIn.
- Environmental photography at both care homes, capturing the warmth, design and quality of the spaces, from themed bedrooms and communal lounges to the theatre, the bar and sensory rooms.
- Ethical lifestyle storytelling using professional stand-in models to represent residents, showing meaningful moments of care and daily life without compromising the privacy or dignity of real residents.
- Architectural and interior detail shots across both sites for use in recruitment, investment materials and marketing campaigns.
- A versatile image library delivered in both high-resolution and web-optimised formats, clearly labelled by location and category.
The photography needed to communicate three things at once: professionalism, compassion and a sense of place. Those are not always straightforward to combine. They were the reason the project excited me.
Nate has been incredible to work with. He recently supported Fortava Healthcare as we launched as a new care home operator, and he captured our story beautifully. From thoughtful brand-focused shots to professional corporate headshots for our senior management team, Nate delivered outstanding results throughout. He has a rare ability to put people at ease, bring out genuine expression, and translate our values into powerful images. The final photographs were exceptional — polished, warm, and perfectly aligned with our brand. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a photographer who not only produces excellent work but truly cares about getting it right.
The Creative Approach
Two days, two care homes, a head office, ten headshots and a lifestyle shoot that required careful, considered direction. This is how I approached it.
Headshots at Park House
I set up a clean studio in the Park House offices using soft, my style of headshot lighting is clamshell as this wraps the light beautifully around the subject whilst keeping that beautiful catch light in there eye consistent.
This setup is designed to produce a warm, professional result rather than a clinical one. Fortava wanted every team member to look confident and approachable, not corporate in the traditional sense. I directed each person individually, taking time to settle them into the frame before making a single exposure. The result is a set of headshots that feel consistent across the whole team but genuine to each person in it.
Care Home Environment Photography
At Thorpe Wood and The Maltings, my approach shifted completely. These spaces have been designed with real intention: themed rooms, a fully equipped theatre, a working bar, sensory environments and quiet lounges. My job was to show that intention without it feeling like a sales brochure.
I used natural light wherever the spaces allowed. I looked for details that tell the story of a considered environment: a carefully arranged table, a well-lit corridor, a window with a view. Wide shots establish the scale and quality of the spaces. Detail shots show the care that has gone into them.
Care Environment Photography
Depicting care requires a particular kind of sensitivity. Fortava’s residents are real people, and their privacy matters. Working with professional stand-in models, I was able to create images that show warmth, interaction and daily life authentically, without any compromise to the dignity of those living in the homes.
This is not a workaround. It is the right way to do it. The models brought genuine warmth to the shoot, and the resulting images feel real precisely because they were directed carefully rather than constructed artificially.
The Results
The image library went to work the moment it was delivered. It underpins the Fortava website, their LinkedIn presence, recruitment materials and investor communications. For a brand that launched with no visual assets whatsoever, it now has a library that can carry every channel.
Fortava Healthcare's live website featuring brand photography by Nate Lansdell Photography
A Personal Note from Nate
Because great photography is about more than images, it is about honouring the people behind them.
Seeing the heart of Fortava
What struck me most was the thought, care and intention behind every detail, from the design of each room to the warmth of the team.
Telling a deeper story
Working with stand-in models allowed us to show real connection while preserving dignity and privacy. It created space to tell the story of care as it should be: human, respectful and full of purpose.
Where it’s heading
Fortava is at the beginning of something special. Their passion for redefining dementia care is inspiring, and it was a privilege to help them build the imagery that will support their journey ahead.
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