Back in the summer of 2014 the RTPS studio group moved their monthly meetings from a church hall in Kew to Peter Beardow’s new studio in West Molesey, at the suggestion of our group leader Martin Pearson.
For us it was a trip into the unknown to a just built and as yet incomplete space, it was also full of possibilities as we brushed copious amounts of dust off the floor, eager to use an incredible set of lights, props and backdrops. Over the following months Peter outlined his plans for the building, green area, kitchen, a changing and make up room and bathroom facilities for the models, separate facilities for the photographers and well organised storage space. All of those plans came to fruition.
Peter was imaginative, clear thinking, almost frighteningly intelligent, he could be sharp in the way that clever people can be and he was ambitious. He was also incredibly generous, following his clear instructions he then trusted us with the equipment that we honed our skills with, clearly delighted that his studio was fulfilling our ambitions too.
We were aware of course that Peter was becoming less mobile, we were also amazed at some of the innovative solutions that he came up with to counteract this, and we’d help him with the maintenance and organisation of the lighting and props. That was the least we could do in return for his generosity.
Peter would show us his own work, his photography was precise and technically flawless, his lighting of dancers revealed their sculptural beauty and his ideas and imaginative composition. He had a rapport with his models and a marvellously dry sense of humour in the shots he could create with them, clear visual stories that grabbed the viewers’ attention, one poster advertising Hampton Hill Photographic Club’s annual exhibition readily comes to mind.
We will all miss him, the last seven years have been quite a journey, we’ve learned a lot and had great times working together.
John Phillips, Studio Portraiture Group Leader, Richmond and Twickenham Photographic Society
