Professional Commercial Photography in Manchester_

Founded in 2011, decoy is a Manchester-based studio specialising in corporate and commercial photography - capturing events, headshots, portraits, branded content, music and culture.

Smiling bearded man wearing a white shirt standing in a bright, modern office setting.
Diverse group of people sitting in an audience, smiling and laughing during an event.
Smiling woman with long curly hair wearing a light purple sweater against a purple background.
Smiling man in a suit with glasses holding a microphone sitting on a red chair against a red curtain backdrop.
Smiling man in a yellow high-visibility shirt and black Montane cap using a screwdriver outdoors with green trees in the background.
Speaker in a dark auditorium presenting at Ramsay Health Care UK Senior Leadership Conference 2024 with blue patterned lighting on ceiling.
Smiling woman with glasses holding a marker and standing near a whiteboard in a modern office.
Young woman with curly hair and glasses smiling while sitting on a colorful painted bench in front of a graffiti-covered wall.
Corporate event showing people dancing to a band.
Man in glasses and dark sweater speaking in front of a purple backdrop with the word 'TOGETHER' and a logo, with blurred audience in foreground.
Low-angle view of a modern glass skyscraper reflecting a partly cloudy blue sky.
Group of sixteen people posing in front of a branded backdrop with red curtains, most wearing black Beechwood t-shirts.

Partnering with the UK's leading brands

A few reasons to partner with decoy_

Benefits of working together.

Experienced Pro

Years of experience capturing events, people, places, and moments.

Competitive Rates

Professional photography without the inflated price tag.

Quick Turnaround

Receive your preview edit the next day, with the full set ready in 3-5 days.*

Excellent Rep

Trusted by brands big and small, with five-star reviews to match.

Personal Touch

A relaxed, approachable style that makes guests feel comfortable.

Flexible & Adaptable

From boardrooms to banquets, we work seamlessly in any setting.

Man with glasses and conference badge holding a water bottle and smiling while talking to a woman in a red top with a colorful headband.

Read what clients have said about decoy_

Rated 5 stars on GoogleTrustpilot based on over 100+ reviews.

Consistently professional with excellent results.

We chose Decoy Media to cover a one-week conference and exhibition event and were very pleased with the results. The photographer, Alex, was very professional, very easy to work with, and delivered exactly what was required.

Owen
Royal Microscopical Society

Fantastic experience — efficient and easy to work with.

We had a fantastic experience with Alex at Decoy Media when he helped us with photography at a recent conference. He was incredibly proactive and really understood the brief well. With what was an incredibly hectic time for the team, he even suggested a team photo which we would have forgotten to think about were it not for him. The end results are fantastic!

Kitty
Conservative Environment Network

Fantastic experience — efficient and easy to work with.

Washington Green Fine Art have been working with Decoy Media since August 2016. Alex has always been an absolute pleasure to work with and his work is always perfect and surpasses the standard.

Manisha
Washington Green Fine Art
A dressed room at Merrydale Manor in Cheshire for a company Christmas party.

Extremely flexible, professional and great fun

I can't recommend Decoy enough! We have been working with Alex for a number of years now on our corporate events. He always accommodates our requirements, he is extremely flexible, professional and great fun. The results are always fantastic. Thank you!

Rebecca
Quint

Exceeded expectations with quality and professionalism.

We were absolutely amazed with the work Alex delivered at our recently organized international conference and business meet. His effective and easy of handling with the high volumes of the candidates for headshot were very good. As well as, the prompt receipt of the high quality images are worth mentioning. Alex is a very nice guy and always try to follow up on the queries for immediate responses. Totally recommended

Debdeep
University of Liverpool

The face behind the camera

I'm Alex Mead, the photographer behind decoy — a Manchester-based photography studio with a focus on commercial, portrait and event photography. With 15+ years in the industry, I bring experience, a creative eye and a solutions-focused mindset to every shoot.

At decoy, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality, fast-turnaround images paired with a smooth, professional service.

400k+

Edits delivered

1,300+

Projects

350+

Client partnerships

15+

Years of experience

Smiling photographer holding a professional camera in a dimly lit banquet hall with guests seated at tables and candlelight.