Keith Cardwell - Photographer (and professor in fine arts in the USA and China)

The Lloyds building with 'The Gerkin'

Arriving early for a meeting in the City I grabbed a bite to eat in Leadenhall Market and had a 15 minute wander around the art stalls.

There I met Keith Cardwell, an ex Guardian photographer. Here he sells his B/W images taken over a lifetime of journalism. A friend of David Furness (a really bright chap, apparently) he showed me prints taken backstage at the Bolshoi Ballet that hang over Elton John's piano and fireplace.

"These are all silver... Printed in a darkroom". "You're not keen on Digital then?" "No, look at this here" he said pointing at a picture of a ballerina. "You can't get this depth of black in a digital image".

We spoke briefly about the new Leica digital camera with the specially designed B/W sensor. The Bolshoi pictures were also taken on a Leica. "This one was taken at F2 at half a second". "Hand-held at half a second? Thats pretty impressive". "A lifetime of practice ".

Flicking through his pile of carefully wrapped prints he pulled out one of Fidel Castro. "I took this with a 24mm lens, so I was THIS close!". An arm outstretched with his finger pointing, Castro was surrounded by body guards. "I asked Castro why he used blacks as body guards. "Civil Rights' he said. 'Isn't that an American issue?' 'No, its the same in Cuba'".

I told him that race relatuons are still not good based on my experience on the Natchez Trace. He agreed. He used to be a Professor in the USA (New York, I think), and said he had been in Tennessee because he is a keen Robert Johnson fan. Had I been? No, but my friend Robert Plant had named one if his albums after RJ's hometown, Clarkesville.

"I knew Robert Plant!", he says. "I went on tour with him". Diving again into his stack he pulled out  another crowd scene with Jack Nicholson in the centre of the image. "Robert brought Jack to Cuba. He's stood  behind these people and wouldn't come out to be in the picture".

I hope this is a true story. I've met a dozen people who have said they know Robert. All of them liars according to Robert... including the chap who claimed that he once pissed up the tyre of Roberts cadilac.... a cadilac he never owned ;o)

Keith actioned Compay Segundo's hat the night this photograph was taken for thousands of dollars.

silverworks
www.keithcardwell.co.uk