Celebrity

One Photographer’s Challenge: To Turn King Charles III Into an Icon

Hundreds of photographers will spend Saturday trying to capture the perfect image of the coronation. But it faces the tougher task of making King Charles III an icon.

Hugo BernandThe 59-year-old is the official portrait photographer for the coronation and has just a few minutes to capture the monarch’s historic image shortly after the newly crowned Charles returns to Buckingham Palace.

Bernand said in a recent interview that he tries to treat the job like any other.

However, some experts say he faces considerable difficulties. Curator Paul Moorhouse, who oversaw a major British exhibition of portraits of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012, said in an email that Mr Bernand appealed to a younger generation skeptical of the monarchy. He said that the glory of the monarchy must be captured.

“It’s going to be a tough balance,” Moorhouse said of creating an image that does both. Unfortunately for Bernand, he added, “there are no models” to imitate. This is because previous coronation photographers worked at a time when Britain was obsessed with the idea of ​​a monarchy.

For centuries, the British royal family has commissioned artists to create coronation portraits.Since Edward VII Coronation in 1902also commissioned photographers, hoping to create compelling images for newspapers around the world.

This job is not for the faint of heart. Cecil Beaton, the official photographer for the coronation of Prince Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953, wrote in her diary that Prince Charles had become so nervous the night before that he drank heavily at dinner. I wrote that I woke up with a hangover.

When he came to take pictures of the Queen, he felt that the lighting was wrong, but he didn’t have time to change anything. “I was fussing and taking pictures at great speed,” he wrote. I just had an idea.”

A former ballroom photographer for Tatler magazine, Mr. Bernand had a long relationship with the royal family, so he was probably a natural choice for this coronation.

In 2004, the royal family asked him to pose for a photo Charles and Camilla’s wedding But Bernand said he initially turned down the job when he received the email. He was on sabbatical in Bolivia and had just been robbed. “They stole my family’s passports, money, and cameras!” Mr. Bernand recalled the reply.

However, he soon changed his mind and the wedding turned out to be a career breakthrough. No more waiting for the phone to ring with a job offer.

A few years later he took Charles’ official 60th birthday portrait. (Charles Unexpectedly casual fashion leaning on a golden chair.) He also photographed the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Photo of newlyweds surrounded by pageboys and bridesmaids.

In a recent interview, Bernand said he didn’t like having his portrait taken, but that he became a better photographer because he tried to make his attendees as comfortable as possible.

It is also effective to be prepared. He said he spent weeks studying images of past coronations. He also tried to consider everything that could go wrong, such as equipment failure. I have confirmed that

Well, Mr. Bernand said he just wanted to. bring it on! Let’s do this! “

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