The special collection of photographs, taken by Joan Williams, form a tribute to Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Richmond and Twickenham Photographic Society’s annual exhibition is displaying a collection of informal photographs of the Queen at the Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington.
The special collection of photographs, taken by Joan Williams, ex BBC Staff TV stills photographer, form a tribute to Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The Mayor of Richmond, Clare Head, commented that it was nice to see the Queen in an informal setting, picking one of Her Majesty laughing as her favourite.
The photographs were taken by Mrs Williams between 1969 and 1992 for a BBC documentary on The Royal Family, during her time as Senior Photographer for the BBC.
Mrs Williams was asked to take the pictures after her previous photographs of the royal children on a Blue Peter visit impressed The Queen.
She said: “I suddenly had a phone call from the producer and he said would you like to join our unit and will you start tomorrow morning?
“The first shot I took of the queen was her watching her race horses in training.”
Mrs Williams was the only woman to ever hold the post as Senior Photographer at the BBC and says it was often seen as a job only men could do.
She added: “Occasionally I would turn up on the unit and the producer would say: ‘Not another woman!’
“You had to hold your own.”
Among many other photographs, the exhibition also showcases GCSE and A Level work from pupils at St Catherine’s girls’ school.
When asked what advice she would give young women wanting to break into the photography industry, Mrs Williams said: “I would say be very determined!”
Headmistress of St Catherine’s School, Sister Paula Thomas, said she was very proud of the girls’ work and was honoured to be a part of the exhibition.
The exhibition will be open until 15th April, 12 noon to 6.30 pm weekdays and 10.00am to 6.30pm weekends.
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