May 20th 2024.
During King Charles III's coronation, he received a remarkable gift in the form of twelve stunning portraits from the Household Cavalry. These portraits, captured by renowned British photographer Ripley, will be on display at Floors Castle in Borders this summer.
The idea for this project came to Ripley in 2012, and it took him between 200 and 300 hours to perfect each piece. After four years of hard work, the project was finally completed and ready to be shared with the world.
Last year, a boxed set of these same portraits was presented to King Charles III as the official Coronation Present from the Household Cavalry. Ripley himself, along with senior officers, presented the gift to His Majesty at Buckingham Palace.
The exhibition, which just opened and will be available until June 26, showcases magnificent portraits of soldiers from The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals. These portraits feature the soldiers mounted on their horses and posed on iconic buildings throughout London, overlooking the bustling city from Trafalgar Square to Canary Wharf.
Ripley shared his inspiration for this project, stating that he got the idea while photographing from rooftops in New York. He wanted to create an art piece featuring horses placed on rooftops, overlooking an urban landscape. His goal was to portray The Household Cavalry as "protectors" and "The Trusted Guardians" of London.
Ripley's photography process involves more than just layering images on top of each other. He uses various techniques, such as shifting focus throughout the image and using multiple photographs to construct the background. In fact, the background plate alone can consist of over twenty separate pictures.
With the help of then Commanding Officer Col James Gaselee, Ripley was able to turn his idea into a reality. Production on a large scale began a year later, involving many soldiers and their horses dressed in full ceremonial attire. It took two more years to complete the photography in London, but the end result is truly breathtaking.
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