Our Team

UNP Team – Picture Desk, leadership & UK photographer network

The UNP team is built on people, not platforms. Picture editors, coordinators and photographers who care about their craft, understand deadlines and treat everyone they meet with professionalism and kindness.

Behind every assignment is a calm team at the Picture Desk, a small leadership group and a network of 60+ experienced photographers across the UK. Together, they keep national press, PR and corporate work running smoothly – even on complex, multi-location days.

UNP team at the picture desk managing nationwide photography assignments
The picture desk at UNP – calm on the outside, even when deadlines feel dramatic.

Many of the people in our core team have worked together for a decade or more. That continuity is a big part of why clients stay with UNP.

How we work together

UNP team – the people behind every assignment

Every job touches three core parts of how we work: leadership, the Picture Desk and the photographer network. Each plays a different role, but they share the same priorities – clarity, reliability and a human way of working.

1 · Leadership

Editorial roots, long-term focus

UNP was founded by a picture editor and is still led day-to-day with the same mindset: clear storytelling, reliable delivery and respectful collaboration with clients, subjects and photographers alike.

2 · Picture desk

The calm centre of operations

The Picture Desk allocates photographers, manages logistics, handles brief details and keeps you updated. Clients often describe the team as “part of our organisation” – especially on complex or time-sensitive projects.

3 · Photographer network

Local knowledge, national reach

Our 60+ photographers work across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Many have been with UNP for over a decade, bringing deep experience in press, PR, corporate, industrial, healthcare and public-sector work.

4 · People skills

Professional and kind, on every job

From CEOs and frontline staff to local communities and vulnerable groups, our team understands how to read a room, put people at ease and represent your organisation well from first hello to final frame.

5 · Communication

No surprises, no drama

The Picture Desk stays close to timings, logistics and any last-minute changes. You know who is coming, when they will arrive and when to expect your files – with clear updates along the way.

6 · Continuity

Relationships that last

Many clients ask for the same photographers and Picture Desk contacts by name. That continuity builds trust and makes each new assignment smoother than the last.

Leadership & picture desk

The editorial mindset behind UNP

UNP was founded by Hamlet Mejloumian, a picture editor by background, in 1997. His aim was to build a nationwide photographer network guided by editorial standards, not just logistics – and to keep the Picture Desk at the heart of every job.

Today, that ethos continues. Every assignment, no matter how straightforward or complex, passes through a calm, experienced Picture Desk. They match the brief with the right photographer, clarify any grey areas and ensure nothing important gets lost between diary, location and final delivery.

For many clients, this is the part they value most: people they know by name, who remember how they like to work and who take pressure off on busy days.

Network

A trusted photographer network across the UK

UNP works with more than 60 photographers across the UK – from major cities to smaller towns. Many have collaborated with us for over a decade, and several have been with the agency since its early years.

Every photographer is carefully selected for their editorial discipline, reliability and people skills. We look for:

  • Strong storytelling and composition under real-world time pressure
  • Comfort working with CEOs, frontline teams and the public
  • Professionalism on-site – representing your brand as well as their own
  • Deadline awareness and experience of working to newsroom-style timings
  • Consistency of quality, so imagery fits comfortably alongside your existing brand work

This network is what enables UNP to deliver coordinated, multi-location shoots – often on the same day – without clients needing to brief multiple suppliers.

For a wider view of professional standards in UK photography, you can also refer to organisations such as the BPPA and NUJ.

Next steps

Work with the UNP team

Whether you are planning a one-off launch, a rolling headshot programme or a multi-location campaign, the same core people will look after you – from first enquiry to final files.

Ready for your next story?

Let’s work together.

Share your brief with our central Picture Desk and we’ll match it to the right photographer, location and timing – then manage everything from first call to final, press-ready delivery.

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