World famous portrait photographer to give a talk in Ipswich

Lucinda Douglas-Menzies, the distinguished portrait photographer, is to give a talk at Orwell Park School in Nacton, Ipswich in October.

Ms Douglas-Menzies, who is based in London, will be talking about her recent work, which involved her taking portraits of 38 leading astronomers in the UK.

Her subjects not only included some of the most influential thinkers around, but they represent a living history of the science, stretching back from early discoveries in radio astronomy to the latest developments in astrophysics.

She took, among others, elegant pictures of Bernard Lovell, Martin Rees, Patrick Moore, Roger Penrose and Stephen Hawking.

Ms Menzies said: "Photographing people is like making any other sort of portrait and it involves tact and understanding from the photographer and the sitter’s personality must be shown in the things around them."

She added that there was something "fascinating and mysterious" about this group of people who "spent their lives studying the far reaches of the universe."

These perfectly crafted black and white images have already been on a tour and were published in a photobook called Portraits of Astronomers.

Ms Douglas-Menzies started her training as an assistant, to architectural photographer Jeremy Whitaker, and to Sydney Harris, press and public relations photographer.

The talk takes place October 21st.