Hugo Rittson-Thomas is a British photographer. He is best known for high-profile photographic portraiture, including portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

and David Cameron.

Biography

For many years Rittson-Thomas worked in film and television, including as a producer and director for Channel 4 and London Weekend Television. He worked closely with Janet Street Porter as a director on the influential youth TV programme

Network 7 ''Network 7'' was a short-lived but influential youth music and current affairs programme screened on Channel 4 over two series in 1987 and 1988. The series was created by Jane Hewland and Janet Street-Porter, who was also editor of the first s ...

. He gave up film and television to study Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, Middlesex University (Hornsey College of Art), under Professor Jon Thompson and Goldsmiths University of London. He subsequently trained as a qualified fine art teacher, completing his PGCE at the UCL Institute of Education, London before teaching for a while in London Comprehensive schools.

Work

Rittson-Thomas works principally as a portrait photographer. His 2014 project the ''Queen's People'' is a photographic portrait of the British monarchy today, and those who sustain it. The project comprises fifty formal portraits based on special access granted by The Queen,

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educa ...

and Prime Minister David Cameron, as well as to members of the clergy, livery, royal palace, Parliament, military and peers. The photographs offer a detailed insight into the traditional dress codes and pageant of the United Kingdom, whilst focusing on the characters behind the royal and ceremonial

regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

. The ''Queen's People'', was published by Assouline in 2016. Rittson-Thomas's first book, ''Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds,'' was published by Frances Lincoln on 5 February 2015. The book was launched at the London Garden Museum. In September 2015, ''Great Gardens of London'' was published, revealing a wealth of private gardens, from 10 Downing Street, Clarence House (courtesy of HRH Prince Charles) and the American Ambassador's residence, Winfield House. Most recently, Rittson-Thomas has produced the ''Secret Gardens: Private Sanctuaries of Britain's Artists and Creators'', featuring the gardens of Sting, Anish Kapoor, Rupert Everett and Prue Leith. The book is due for release in October 2017. Before he became a portraitist, Rittson-Thomas made fine art film and video art. He made a noted video work about Princess Diana, which featured in the art exhibition ''Temple of Diana''. The show was curated by the art writer Neal Brown. In 2021 he published ''Wildflowers for the Queen: A Visual Celebration of Britain's Coronation Meadows'' (Wildflower Press, ) to celebrate the

Coronation Meadows The Coronation Meadows project is a British nature conservation scheme supported by Charles, Prince of Wales. It aimed to create 60 wildflower meadows to celebrate 60 years since the coronation of Elizabeth II. It is led by Plantlife, along with ...

which had been created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the

Coronation of Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

Charity work

Rittson-Thomas has supporte
The National Deaf Children's Society
as Committee Chairman for a fundraiser, ''David Beckham - Interpretations in Art & Other Matters'', that celebrated the charity's Diamond Jubilee Year. The event raised £150,000 for the charity. Other charities supported include Nineteen Raptures and

RAPt The Forward Trust is a British charity that helps people with drug and alcohol dependence. Previously known as RAPt (the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust), it was relaunched in 2017 as Forward Trust after merging with Blue Sky organ ...

References

External links

* http://www.hugorittsonphotography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rittson-Thomas, Hugo Photographers from Gloucestershire Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)