A review of Henry’s presenting work:

From Asia to South America, from LADAKH to Japan, his photographs celebrate light and colour in soft-toned landscapes, and mysterious mountains. They take us from snow covered rocks to sunsets that light up remote lands. They show flocks of birds in mid-flight and villagers toiling in the fields.  They zoom in on presidents being presidential and vendors selling their wares in street markets.   At one point we wondered, not just how a climber was brave enough to climb a giant elongated icicle, but how on earth Henry got there to capture the moment. In fact, Henry himself was the climber and his climbing partner took the photograph! 

And then in the show come the horses, lots of them – most memorably grey ones galloping alongside some distant seashore, manes and tails a-flying from the exhilaration of the race.

It was horses that led Henry to become one of the favourite photographers of the late Queen, giving him access to the royal family at both formal and more private occasions. We can see the easy relationship between monarch and photographer reflected in her demeanour, in eyes that are smiling because they are momentarily freed from the tensions of Royal duty. At times she seems to be laughing at one of his jokes. My own favourite photograph is the one he took for her 96th birthday when the Queen in warm winter coat was standing in front of magnolias in full bloom, with a horse on either side of her. There is something both stately and endearing in the image of this woman with two such docile creatures: it is a seminal moment. This iconic image is in the National Portrait Gallery collection.

 Henry told his own story with a mixture of modesty and pride, peppering his narrative with a genial wit. It is clear that his curiosity about people and places, and his adventurous spirit, have opened up opportunities and adventures beyond the reach of most of us. At the end of his show came rapturous applause. 

Dr Ann Nugent

Associate Lecturer

University of Chichester