Bob Pearce is the president of Chelsea Photographic of San Marco.
WHAT DO YOU DO AS PRESIDENT?
“I take care of the overall business decisions and I’m the only photographer. It’s half photography and half processing, running the business.”
HOW LONG HAS THE SHOP BEEN OPEN?
Pearce started the company in 1992. It was his first venture in the United States.
WHAT’S WITH THE NAME?
“Chelsea and Kensington are two of the royal boroughs in London. When I first came through San Marco, it reminded me of Chelsea because of the art shops and fashionable areas.”
SPECIALTY
Weddings and portraits in digital format are the company’s staple. “We cater to the discerning amateur.”
WHAT’S REWARDING ABOUT YOUR WORK?
“The close contact with people we’re providing services for.”
WHAT’S THE CHALLENGE?
“Keeping up with the fast moving pace of digital and making sure we’re on the cutting edge. It’s expensive but it pays off.”
HOMETOWN
London.
EDUCATION
Riddlesdown High School in London and the Royal Naval School of Photography.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE?
“I wanted to come to America. We were fortunate to have an exchange with the U.S. Navy. My wife and I decided we wanted to be in America and Jacksonville seemed like the most likely place to succeed because of the growth. We dealt with the Chamber of Commerce.”
WHAT KEEPS YOU HERE?
“The country is so big that the sky seems taller. England doesn’t have much wildlife anymore but it’s still abundant in America. Plus, they have a lot better manners in America, especially the children and youth. If you bring a young man to your house in America, the parents will stand up and shake his hand. In England, they may not even get up. There’s a lot to be said about the youth of America. The greatest thing you’ve got over here is Little League, where the kids can do stuff with their parents on the weekends. We don’t have an equivalent over there. Also, it’s fairly simple to do business here and people don’t mind paying for something good.”
WHAT DO YOU MISS?
“The newspapers and media [in England] supply more information and present stories in a wider way. You get news from Nigeria, Iraq and all over the world. Here you have to study the paper a lot to pick up the rest of the news.”
SHUTTER BUG
Pearce first picked up a camera in 1964. He was a lifer (30-year career) in the British Royal Navy at the time. “I wanted to go to sea, travel and see the world. I’m artistic and it [photography] was the only thing available in the Navy to utilize it.”
HIS HIGHNESS
During his days in the British Royal Navy, Pearce was assigned as the official photographer to the only ship in the fleet which was not a war ship, the Royal Yacht Brittania. Now retired, the ship was used by the Royal Family as a floating palace to travel the world. “I’ve taken pictures of Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace and Prince Michael of Kent. They’re just ordinary people surrounded by a lot of security. On the yacht, I was able to have intimate conversations with the royal family, as intimate as you could get as a commoner.” Pearce also covered the ritzy garden parties at Buckingham.
RESIDES
Brierwood. He and wife Gillian have five grown children. The youngest is an actress in New York.
AFFILIATIONS
The British Institute of Professional Photography and the Professional Photographers of Northeast Florida.
HOBBIES
Camping, canoeing and visiting the Florida Springs. “The local creeks are America’s best kept secret. You’re the only one there. It’s just you, the alligators and the herons. It’s the most peaceful, quiet thing you can do.”
FAVORITES FROM ACROSS THE POND
The classic comedy “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” gets two thumbs up. For dining, it’s The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra Beach. When he’s home, he enjoys watching “The Drew Carey Show” or reading “Bravo Two Zero,” a book about the Special Air Service.
WHO’S YOUR HERO?
“Dick Suddath [a retired businessman]. I’ve admired everything he does. He’s over 80 and does Meals on Wheels for people that are younger than him. Some of the charitable things he does are fabulous. And he’s a strong church person.”
— by Monica Chamness