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Richard Learoyd is a British artistic photographer.

The images of Richard Learoyd are made with one of the oldest photographic methods: the camera obscura. Translated literally from Latin as “dark room” Learoyd has created a room-sized chamber in which photographic paper is exposed. The subject – often a person, sometimes objects – is in the next room, separated by a lens. The light that falls on the subject is focused directly on the photographic paper without the interposition of negative film. The result is a completely grainless image. The general sense of these images, larger than reality, redefines the photographic illusion. The subjects of Learoyd, composed simply and directly, are described with the finest plane of focus, they create and exaggerate the way in which the human eye perceives them and not without a small recognition to the painting of the Dutch masters.

“I like to work with the same people,” says Learoyd, “because the process is awkward and difficult and it takes a while to teach people how to do it.” Often, they are friends of friends with the sort of timeless features and style that will not date the images down the road. In the closed world of the studio, he plays the role of therapist for some, for others he is just an eccentric. But at the end of the day, Learoyd is careful to keep his distance. “I do not socialize with them,” says Learoyd. “I do not mingle.” You see the relationship as productive without the muddied distractions of friendship (…) Learoyd’s portraits question the ability of the viewer to truly know another person. “There is a closeness of people crave from others that is always thwarted,” says Learoyd. “Quite often I think we’d like to merge with others, but there’s always something in between. In this case, it’s the surface of a photograph. “

Biography

1966 Born Nelson, Lancashire, England
1990 Graduates from the Glasgow School of Art in Fine Art Photography
1991 Artist-in-residence at the Scottish Ballet
1994 Teaches photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art through 1999
2000 Moves to London; works as a commercial photographer
2003 Begins camera obscura work
2010 Gives lecture on his work at the International Center of Photography, New York
Lives and works in London, England