The Story Behind The Shot - A Right Royal Celebration

It seems apt that in the week prior to the Coronation of King Charles III, we should stumble upon a blast from the past with a real royal flavour.

The year was 1977, the occasion was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and Tempest was bathed in red, white, and blue!

From today’s perspective somewhere deep within what feels like a slightly fractured nation split about everything from the climate to the current royal family, this vision of patriotic colour and wide shared smiles feels like a lens to something simpler and tighter knit.

What we see in this photograph is a shared celebration for a team working under a happy roof, proud of their Queen and keen to mark a momentous occasion in style.

In fact, Tempest Photography has something of a relationship with the royal family, and in recent years has had the pleasure of photographing the royal staff and residents of Buckingham Palace, including an unforgettable visit to the Throne Room at St James’s Palace.

And talking of relationships with the royals, we can also see long-time friend of Queen Elizabeth II, Paddington Bear, in the shot! Nice of him to attend this special occasion.

The other thing that is clearly evident in the photo is a stamp of the times. The hairstyles and fashion choices are undeniably soaked in 70s trends, as the ladies of Tempest Photography gather on the grounds of Trevethoe House for this happy event. I imagine if we were to listen closely we’d hear the sounds of The Bay City Rollers and The Osmonds spilling from a wireless somewhere deep within Trevethoe’s walls.

And if we look closer still, we can see a couple who in Tempest terms are almost royalty themselves. Sitting suitably adorned in homemade crowns are Horace and Rose Tempest, the giants upon whose shoulders today’s Tempest Photography stands, and whose ethos still carries across many aspects of the company to this day.