Homepage News Reviews - Acts - Shows - Screen - Radio - Books - Clubs Interviews Awards 2006 Edinburgh 2005 - Reviews - Blog - Previews Features Archive Awards 2005 Edinburgh 2004: - Previews - Shows - Diary Guestbook Forum © Emporium Of Mirth 2004 Editor: Lauren Murphy Reporters: Fiona Wilkie Natalie Joanne	Emporium of Mirth Rich Hardcastle When you think of Photos of comedians, you immediately imagine some sort of wacky pose in front of a microphone, or some other such nonsense. Rich Hardcastle is breaking that trend, snapping the cream of the circuit in a style and place where the subject is completely at ease. We are not talking Terry Jones naked at a piano here, these images, these photographs have a resonance, a personality captured on negative. After initially going to university to study as a filmmaker, Rich got into photography purely through hatred “The lecturer I had, everybody hated him, and we really didn’t get on, then I realised if I did photography instead, I’d be in a completely different building and I wouldn’t even have to see him”. To look at the photographs he takes, however, you would assume that Rich had been an aspiring photographer from the womb. His tendency to photograph those of a comedy persuasion also came to him accidentally, while still at university, he visited Edinburgh’s Gilded Balloon and approached Stephen Frost and asked if he could take his photograph in the corridor, and the foundation stone was laid for what would become a massive project. “After that, I would just approach comedians and show them my photos and take pictures of them in that corridor, it tuned into quite a big collection, I didn’t think anything would come of it” What Rich had not accounted for was word of mouth, the comedy fraternity is famously incestuous, and it is thanks to this that other comedians began to approach him, having heard from their friends how great his work was. As a result, Rich began t build up an impressive portfolio and was then asked to exhibit his work in Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms. It is also thanks to this that the exhibition was possible, and that he is continuing to this day. It seems that when people love what you do, word spreads like wildfire, and when they really love it, they’re willing to go that extra mile to see it continue, and provide that turning point in Rich’s story that persuaded him to carry on. When handled with a race against time and money to complete his Assembly Rooms exhibition, an anonymous group of comedians, lead by Adam Hills went that extra mile to raise the money to send Rich to New York to photograph Eddie Izzard. Rich’s eyes light up when he relays this story, he doesn’t know exactly who made up this merry band of fundraisers, but he was clearly deeply touched by their actions. “That’s when I knew I should carry on.” The comedy fraternity have become an extended circle of friends to him, and it is clearly something that he cherishes, you cannot buy the memories that these photographs have. Almost every photo in his collection has a fond memory behind it. Be it the almost romantic events leading to the Eddie Izzard shot, or the drunken escapades of a certain Australian who shall remain nameless (Hey, this is a cheapo website, nobody’s going to get me in court for libel!). Rich clearly knows what makes a good photo, it’s not location, it’s not lighting, it’s the person. Given the look of the newer photographs, one would expect to learn that the locations and studios had been planned in advance of the shoot but no, the locations are simply “wherever the person felt most comfortable” or “wherever was available on the day” and it’s this that brings the best out in the people he photographs. One prime example of this is his shot of Ross Noble, in the image Ross is sitting on a comfy chair, looking out of the window with his feet on the coffee table. The photo was taken in a fairly anonymous bar, but to all intents and purposes Ross could be sitting in his own living room, it certainly looks that way to the untrained eye, in fact, even to the trained eye. “When people who know Ross see that, they ask me if it was in his flat, it turns out his flat in Edinburgh looked just like it, apparently he even had those chairs”. Then there’s Jimmy Carr. The photograph of Jimmy depicts him being fitted for a suit, and looks exactly the kind of thing that you would expect to have been done in a studio, with expensive lighting and a more expensive than necessary mock up of a half made suit. But no, it’s a real tailor shop in Edinburgh. “Well, Jimmy is known for wearing suits and there was a little tailor’s nearby so we went in and asked if he could try one on and they said yes.” It’s clear when talking to him, that the location is barely a factor of the shots he produces, he’s taking photo of a person, with a personality, not just an image that happens to have a person in it. At the moment, Rich is working to complete his collection to produce a book and when asked who his dream subject is he has no hesitation “I really want Billy Connolly for the book, and Robin Williams, that would be really great”. The as yet untitled book is going to feature a foreword by Jonathan Ross and he is hoping to get all his photographees and newfound friends to write a short piece to go with their image, answering the question “Why do it?” This isn’t the only iron in Rich’s fire, he has plans to do some music (“that’s where the actual money is”) and fashion photography in the near future as well as his eventual plans to pursue that career as a filmmaker he originally set out for. If his photography is anything to go by, his films will look like a million dollars on a budget of 20. Rich’s Reccomendations: Dera O’Briain Sarah Kendall Dave Gorman Shaun Of The Dead Rich’s ones to avoid: “I couldn’t possibly tell you that….well….no!” Interview by Lauren, Spring 2004 Click on the images to see the full pictures. RSS  Printable version	Visit our Siamese Twin Sister Site!