Best known for his strong portraiture, Seamus Ryan's advertising clients have included Toblerone, British Airways, Nike, Ford and Virgin Airlines. Seamus has recently been selected for the third year running for the Schweppes Portrait Award, previously the John Kobel Awards. He is one of 60 photographers - out of 8500 entries - whose work will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. The selected photo was taken on a spontaneous shoot on the day Seamus's son got the uniform for his secondary school. For Seamus, the photo represents an important transition point in the life of his son.

Seamus recently also had the privilege of photographing one of his heroes, Michael Palin. The Monty Python comic genius, is now well-known for his travel series and Seamus did the advertising shot for Michael's latest series set in the Himalayas, recreating the mountain range from flight cases. Reports that Mrs Palin loved the shot suggest the shoot was a success.