Rich Hardcastle started photographing comedians in about 1990. He had met Stephen Frost at the Edinburgh Fringe, and he become Rich's first stand-up subject.

The meeting also led to a stint hanging round backstage at Late N Live for a few years, photographing comedians as they waited in the corridor preparing to go on stage. The collection was exhibited in the Gilded Balloon in 1996.

After a break to concentrate on photographing bands, Rich was offered a new exhibition at the Assembly Rooms, so started work on a new collection.

Rich ultimately plans a coffee-table book of his work, and is currently looking for a publisher.

He says: "Most of the comics are good friends, which I think shows in the photos. I photograph them as people who happen to be comedians, rather than trying for wacky comedy shots.

"I guess my rock and roll photo inclinations shine through because I make comedians look cool!"

Rich's commercial work includes images for Adam Hills, Brendon Burns, Ross Noble and Eddie Izzard. He also has portraits in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

To contact him, email richhardcastle@hotmail.com.