Over the weekend I welcomed a good friend and fellow photographer, Hugh de Las Casas, to my studio for a portrait session. I had wanted to photograph Hugh for a long time, so this was one I had looked forward to. It turned out to be a real pleasure, as much for the stories he brought with him as for the pictures we made.
Hugh de Las Casas: a life rich in experience
Hugh’s life has been a varied one. He grew up on a farm in the heart of East Suffolk and built an early connection with the land and the landscape, something still evident in his photography today. His path was anything but conventional, taking him around the world with long spells in Lima, Nairobi and Kabul before he settled back in Norwich.
In Norwich he made his name in television as a filmmaker with Anglia Television. His career there ran for more than twenty-five years, and a number of his films are now held in the East Anglian Film Archive at the University of East Anglia. Through all of it he kept a passion for photography. Working alongside skilled cameramen, he often envied their ability to catch a moment through the lens, and in time that pulled him towards photography himself, where he could tell stories in a more direct and personal way.
From behind the camera: Hugh’s move into photography
The move from film to photography was a natural one. Years of interviewing and getting to know people gave him a real advantage in portraiture. Hugh connects with his subjects, often drawing out sides of their character that might otherwise stay hidden.
His work has been noticed. Hugh’s photographs have appeared in The Observer weekend supplements and hung in a number of galleries. His eye for detail and his knack for catching the essence of a subject have earned him a strong reputation in his own right.
Chronicling the Suffolk coast
Alongside portraits, Hugh has another passion rooted in the Suffolk landscape. Combining his camera work with his love of walking the Suffolk coast and estuaries, he has spent years documenting the region. This is not about pretty pictures; it is about recording a landscape under constant pressure from both nature and people.
Last year he published a collection titled The Rivers Alde and Ore and Butley, 157 Photographs. The book was well received, praised for its imagery and for its reminder of how fragile our coastal places are. His work is both a celebration and a call to look after the landscapes he loves.
A glimpse of the session
Hugh brought the same care to our session that he brings to his own work. His understanding of the craft and his rich life made it enjoyable and genuinely interesting. Although he is far more used to being behind the camera, he settled in front of it easily, which let us make portraits that reflect who he is.
What stood out was how readily he relaxed and was simply himself, something many people find hard when they are the subject rather than the maker. I put that down to the trust between us, built over years of respect for each other’s work.
Capturing your own portrait
If Hugh’s story strikes a chord and you like the idea of sitting for your own portrait, I would be glad to work with you. A portrait is not just a picture; it is a record of who you are at a moment in time. Whether you want to mark a milestone or simply see a different side of yourself, I can help you make images worth keeping.
You can see more of my portrait work in my portfolios. Do get in touch if you would like to talk about a session of your own.
More about Hugh de Las Casas
If you would like to see more of Hugh’s photography, visit the website he shares with his partner Shelley, another fine photographer. Together their work is a lovely record of the landscapes and people of East Anglia, seen through two pairs of eyes.
To close, I am grateful to have photographed Hugh and to share a little of his story. Sessions like this are exactly why I love what I do: capturing the faces and the stories of remarkable people.