Robert’s interest in the field began at school.
Work is not really ‘work’ when you’re passionate about what you do. That’s so much the case for Lichfield photographer Robert Yardley that he keeps saying “yes” to jobs despite the fact he is ‘retiring’ from the profession.
Robert told the Echo that “although I am heading towards retirement, it seems that as I get closer, it gets further away”.
His interest in the field began at school, where he was an enthusiastic member of the camera club. But this interest took on a totally different, more serious form when he ‘went pro’ in 1989, specialising in weddings, but also becoming a recognisable local figure by covering a range of civic events, including the Lichfield Bower, and numerous royal visits and weddings. His work for the Lichfield Mercury, among other publications, will no doubt have long been enjoyed by many in the area.
So I really should have anticipated that my request for Robert to send some of his favourite shots from the past 30 years would receive the slight chuckle that it did!
There was just so much to choose from. But Robert is clearly – and rightly – proud in particular of his print exhibition following a 2009 visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau. And also about his photography over many years for the Lichfield Bower.
Robert sent us his favourite (2017) shot of the late Queen, along with photos of the Lichfield Angel – a late eighth-century Anglo-Saxon stone carving – that he was commissioned to take, following its discovery under the Cathedral in 2003.
“It was difficult not to add another hundred or more!”
To save himself from “sitting at home fiddling my thumbs”, Robert now takes on work simply for local charity and civic events, and says he is pleased to be able to “give back” to the community by doing so.