The ups and downs of a Royal visit.



The Queen tours Sherborne



I had known the Queen was coming to visit Somerset and Dorset for a while, but what I didn't know was that it would be over two days and encompassing three of the major towns in our circulation area.

Also the second of the two day visit would clash with our publishing deadline. This meant that the pictures had to be taken, turned around and edited to make up part of our 26 page supplement with an hour or so.

A Royal visit for a photographer means that they are either part of the official 'rota' where they have full access to almost everywhere the Queen goes, meets and greets or they are dumped in the dreaded fixed point, a sort of pen where a getting a good view of the distinguished visitors would be a lottery. Which to my dismay I was soon to discover.

As usual the night before all the usual worries for a photographer had to be foreseen and guarded against. Lenses were cleaned, memory cards formatted and batteries were charged to capacity.

Typically I had forgotten to get my suit dry-cleaned, so had it had to make do with a good sponging before ironing my shirt and buffing my shoes. I know, I know, what for?

Well I am old school and manners maketh a man, so my father once said or was it something I learned whilst serving in the Royal Navy. Either way it wouldn't hurt and I knew that the female members of staff were buying new dresses so ironing a shirt was the least that I could do.
The morning came and my worst fears were realised, it was pouring down. But full of optimism I made my way to Sherborne with my photographers. To be honest it didn't really matter what the weather threw at us. We still had a job to do.
Having collected our passes and encamped at Sherborne Abbey, I along with hundreds of school children, specially invited guests and thousands of local people lining the streets resembled a field of drowned rats.
I never ever get nervous at photographing anybody but I hate waiting and longed for the main event to start for real.

I soon found out that it didn't matter that it was pouring down. For no cared about the weather. They were hear to catch a glimpse of the Queen. Their monarch was coming to the see them and choruses of 'God Save the Queen' reverberated around the Abbey Green. Spirits were high and thousands colourful flags were being waved giving the impression of a field of swaying flowers.

Then the big moment arrived, the car pulled up and the Queen stepped out onto the cobbled Abbey path to a cocophony of noise made up adoring chants and cheering. Camera flashes lit up the dank morning as if the sun was rising again ,then as if instructed by a higher being the rain stopped and the sun was forcing it's way through the clouds.

The rest of that Tuesday was a blurr, I went about my duties as a professional photographer, If she met someone I took a picture, if children cheered I took more pictures and when the Queen smiled I realised that I was a very lucky man.
I have attached a picture that my wife took of the Queen passing through our village because to many people this is the sort of picture that they will remember for ever. It was the day they saw Queen Elizabeth 2 pass by.
There are of course memories without photographs but these are always more vivid when accompanied by that special image.
As they say a picture paints, well you know what I mean.

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