The talent-less Mr Rigsby

November 2023

When I was 14 years old, I spent a week with the local newspaper photographer for my work experience. Having already had access to the schools darkroom, I had spent a fair amount of time shooting and printing mostly black and white landscapes and jumped at the chance of seeing the workings of the newspaper. Mr Rigsby, the main photographer, was a lovely chap full of worldly wisdom and good advice for a young cocky wanna-be photographer such as myself. I had secretly expected a little bit of excitement, maybe a murder or a car chase, but the most exciting story of the week was the county's oldest dog turning twenty-one, a scruffy border terrier whose name I forget. As my week ended, Mr Rigsby handed me several rolls of blank film and told me, "Just remember son, you cannot make a living photographing landscapes." Well, respectfully, he was wrong and would later eat his words when I had an exhibition at the local library and sold a print for twenty pounds. Huge profits aside, my week with Mr Rigsby was a learning experience in that no matter how wise you may be, you should never assume anything, especially when it comes to photography.

These days, my work is a far cry from my early black-and-white landscapes. They are often color, shot at night, and not very pretty, but always for sale. Mr Rigsby would not approve.