Farewell Lord Dearing

Last September I was photographing the LAFTAS awards for the CILT The national centre for languages.

The show was a tough gig, the lighting was very low and there were two lecterns on either side of a big screen and only one place that I could safely put a flash. I had a choice of two backgrounds, black or vomit green. I had hoped to be able to use the screen, and had balanced the ambient and flash, aiming the flash to miss the screen, but the colour of the screen was so bilious that it just wasn't possible.

While I was reading through the program waiting for things to kick off an old boy came over and started chatting to me, he asked me a few questions about my camera, told me about photographing his grandchildren and how a photographer friend of his told him that all the technical stuff doesn't matter, you can learn that, but its how you deal with people that matters. I had no idea he was Lord Dearing until he climbed up to the podium later in the evening.

Ron Dearing was a pleasure to photograph, wonderfully expressive, full of life and laughter. Sadly he passed away on the 19th of February aged 78. Its a great shame as he seemed to have a lot left in him to give.