from Will

There will never be another Rob. He was hugely creative, highly intelligent, articulate, verbose and both frustrating and frustrated. A talented musician, Rob was probably born tapping out a beat. Such was his talent that he even managed to teach me a ‘paradiddle’ rhythm. He texted and emailed me it. Often when we were early for a job he would make me practice it, tapping it on a Peli case or car dashboard. So, to play it safe I thought I’d better include it:

Right hand , left hand , right hand , right hand , left hand, right hand, left hand , left hand, right hand, left hand, right hand, right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand, left hand, REPEAT.

His huge pool of knowledge is irreplaceable. There was nothing he didn’t know or couldn’t find out, no question too minor for him to respond to in minute detail, and he was one of the most reliable people I’ve ever met. “If you’re on time, you’re late” he’d always say.

He helped me plan for a big job in August, photographing the ‘talent’ backstage at V Festival. He was very much looking forward to it, as was I although, we argued (as we often did about the type of lighting to use. I wanted to use mains packs and he was insistent on battery packs ‘If it can go wrong, it will go wrong’ (remember that one?!). So, as a tribute to him I hired battery packs only; needless to say, when I turned up at the location there was no power. So, Rob, I owe you for that one, and many many other times when things went smoothly despite the client’s best efforts to ruin it!

Many of my friends and clients couldn’t quite work him out, indeed, when my son burst into a room one day expecting to find me, and instead came to face to face with Rob, he ran away screaming. Luckily, my clients didn’t do the same, and they all came to find his idiosyncrasies and eccentricities endearing.

In the end, it seems, life was overwhelming and he wanted an escape route. For that, we must respect him. Rest in peace, Rob – I’m hope you’re happily spending a limitless amount of money in the largest Film/Photographic/Music shop ever, stocking; Arri, Profoto, Red, Broncolor, Apple, Fender, Gretch, and Gibson. Or that he’s editing amazing feature films on FCPX that doesn’t ‘crash’… ever!

Will Amlot

From Professional Photo magazine article: Do I Need An Assistant?

Celebrity and portrait photographer Will Amlot had been photographing the London rave scene for a couple
 of years (“all on-camera flash and all pretty straightforward”) when he got a call to do a big studio job. “I had no experience of studio work whatsoever,” he confesses, “so I asked for recommendations in a photographic lab I used a lot, and a guy called Robert Radmall was suggested. He was incredible, setting up the equipment and even whispering in my ear what to say to the models. The pictures were amazing and the client was really happy.”

Continuing to use him for many years, Will says that Robert encompassed all that a good assistant should provide: “There are obvious things like putting up the gear, but just as important is looking for things I might miss when concentrating on the client – has a light failed or misfired? Has the subject shifted to the wrong position? Has the focus slipped, which they can tell by monitoring the screen when shooting tethered?

“What’s really important,” he warns, “is that the photographer and the assistant have a rapport and a mutual respect. My long-time assistant Robert’s finest hour on that score was when we were shooting Alki David for the Sunday Times Magazine. We were desperate for ideas, and he suggested we use a silvery mattress as a backdrop. I took the shot and it was absolutely stunning.”

Let’s leave the final word, aptly, to Will Amlot. His assistant of 15 years, Robert, of whom he speaks so glowingly, recently passed away. The relationship had grown past the professional and Will was devastated. “It’s been really tough, to be honest. He was a great personal friend and someone I could trust implicitly – a rare quality indeed. One of his sayings will always remain with me: ‘If you’re on time, you’re late.’ Thanks in no small part to his help, I’ve come 
a long way.”

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If you would like to add your remembrances or pictures of Robert to this website, please email them to Tom: [email protected]