It started with a quick turn off the road
A chance encounter with a country pub under refurbishment became a lasting creative relationship, from photographing its new interiors to capturing the food, character and hospitality of The Wheatsheaf Inn in Grayswood.
Sometimes, you just follow your instinct
Back in April 2024, while driving just outside Haslemere, my wife happened to spot a beautiful old country pub undergoing refurbishment. The Wheatsheaf Inn in Grayswood had been closed for some time, but there were unmistakable signs that something new was beginning.
Intrigued, I turned the car around and called in on a whim.
As luck would have it, the owner was there. We got talking about the pub, the work underway and Sequoia Studios. I left a business card, headed home and thought little more of it.
A couple of months later, the call came.
Bringing The Wheatsheaf back to life
The refurbishment was moving towards completion and the brief had grown into something much broader than that first conversation beside the road.
We were commissioned to photograph the newly refurbished interiors and exterior, together with drone imagery showing The Wheatsheaf in its village setting. Alongside the photography, Sequoia Studios also worked on elements of the pub's new visual and brand identity, website and supporting printed material.
Working closely with the team meant understanding what they wanted The Wheatsheaf to become: warm and welcoming, respectful of the building's heritage, but with a fresh identity of its own.
The photography needed to communicate that character rather than simply document the refurbishment.
“From concept to launch, Sequoia Studios made our branding, photography and website design process incredibly smooth.”
Mark Miserotti · Owner, The Wheatsheaf Inn
Back for another helping
This relationship didn't end when the refurbishment was complete.
We later returned to The Wheatsheaf for a dedicated food photography shoot, turning the camera from the character of the pub itself to the dishes coming from its kitchen.
The menu gave us plenty to work with: Korean-style ribs, moules marinière, a bright and crunchy Waldorf salad and, of course, the ever-popular sticky toffee pudding.
As with the interiors, the aim wasn't simply to record what was there. Each image needed to feel appetising and authentic to The Wheatsheaf, while giving the team a versatile library of photography to use across its website, social channels and marketing.
Sometimes, turning around is worth it
What began with an unplanned turn off the road became a relationship that has continued well beyond that first photography commission.
We've returned to The Wheatsheaf to photograph its food and continued working with Mark as the business has evolved. That relationship has since extended beyond the pub itself, when Sequoia Studios was commissioned to design and build a new website for his family's long-established Fulham butcher, Dickenson's Quality Meats.
It's one of the things I enjoy most about working with independent businesses. You get to know not only the place, but the people behind it, and sometimes one project becomes the beginning of something much bigger.
Not bad for a quick turn of the steering wheel!
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