insights into photography
Jane Bown, the Observer photographer known for her natural light portraits of the famous has died aged 89. One of the great British photographers, sadly missed.
Jane Bown: a life in photography – in pictures From The Guardian
Jane Bown: a self-portrait, c1986
Samuel Beckett, 1976Having thought she’d missed her quarry, Jane snuck round the back of the Royal Court Theatre in London’s Sloane Square, where after rehearsals of Beckett’s Happy Days, part of a season celebrating his 70th birthday, she caught him exiting via the stage door
Mick Jagger, 1977
Jane Bown, who has died aged 89, was an outstanding portrait photographer who confounded the experts with the simplicity of her camera technique. She spent 65 years on the Observer, for whom she took several thousand pictures of politicians, bishops, actors, pop stars and other celebrities, as well as ordinary people – miners, hop-pickers and women at a holiday camp – whose faces captured her interest.
Nearly all her pictures were snatched on location during the 10 or 15 minutes she was allowed while a reporter was interviewing someone for the newspaper. A tiny, round-faced, unobtrusive woman, she would appear with only a shopping bag, in which her camera would often compete for space with vegetables for that night’s supper.
This unthreatening demeanour had the effect of defusing a subject’s initial hostility. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took to her and allowed her to stay long after the time allocated by their minders. This resulted in famous portraits of Mick Jagger and John Lennon in particular; she found Paul McCartney “a bit pompous”.
Her much-admired picture of Samuel Beckett, showing his face as a cracked desert of lines protruding from a white polo-neck, was captured at the stage door at the Royal Court after he had declined to see her. A very determined character beneath a gentle, nervous manner, she obtained a memorable portrait of Richard Nixon by crawling through the legs of the crowd outside his hotel and shouting to him to look at her……MORE
Queen Elizabeth II, photographed in 2006 for her 80th birthday. It was Jane’s 80th birthday that same year
The Beatles relax backstage in East Ham, London, 1963When someone asked Jane to leave at the end of the photo shoot, Ringo Starr insisted she be allowed to stay
Sir John Betjeman, 1972
See more of Jane Bown’s portraits in this extensive gallery
Observer editor John Mulholland called her “part of the Observer’s DNA”.
Bown last appeared in the Observer offices in August, although by then she was too frail to take photographs.
‘Immense contribution’
Mr Mulholland said: “During more than 50 years working for the Observer, she produced some of the most memorable and insightful images of prominent cultural and political figures taken during the 20th Century.
“From the Queen to the Beatles, Samuel Beckett to Bjork, John Betjeman to Bob Hope, her beautifully observed pictures have become part of our cultural landscape.
“She is part of the Observer’s DNA – her contribution to the paper’s history, as well to Britain’s artistic legacy, is immense, and will long survive her.
Jane Bown spoke to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour in 2006
“She was loved by her colleagues and adored by our readers. We will miss her hugely.”
Thanks to The Atlantic for this roundup of images from the opening night of the London Olympics. These images are so much better than anything seen on tv, make sure you have a look at these fantastic pictures
Last night the 2012 Summer Olympics kicked off with a huge Opening Ceremony in London’s new Olympic Stadium, an event watched on television by an estimated 1 billion viewers. Performances paid tribute to British heritage and culture, from agrarian beginnings through pop culture successes like the Beatles and J.K. Rowling. Contingents from more than 200 nations marched in the athletes parade, and the evening was capped off by the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron, a performance by Paul McCartney, and a huge fireworks display. Collected below is just a glimpse of last night’s ceremony, as the 2012 Olympics are now underway. [44 photos]
Newly “forged” Olympic rings light up the stadium in London, on July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Britain’s flag bearer Chris Hoy holds the national flag as he leads the contingent in the athletes parade in the Olympic Stadium, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters)
Union Flags, commonly known as the Union Jack, are projected on the Palace of Westminster next to Big Ben on the bank of the River Thames, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Sergio Perez)
Actors perform in a sequence meant to represent Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), on July 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Britain’s David Beckham (center) drives a powerboat with the Olympic torch as fireworks are launched over Tower Bridge during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Eddie Keogh)
Actors portraying the Queen of England and James Bond arrive via parachute after jumping from a helicopter during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Murad Sezer)
A giant marionette of Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books makes an appearance in the Opening Ceremony, on July 27, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
Fireworks on display at Tower Bridge on July 27, 2012 in London, England. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
A wide-angle view of the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, on July 27, 2012. (Reuters/Pawel Kopczynski)
The celebrated German art photographer talks about his London retrospective, and an ‘odd experience’ with the Queen
For 15 years, Thomas Struth has been practising the gentle martial art of tai chi chuan. In that time, his photography has moved tentatively inwards to address what he calls “some questions of the self”. Only recently, though, did he make a connection between his personal and his artistic journey……this article by Sean O’Hagan The Observer, Sunday 3 July 2011.….more
Audience 1, Florence 2004, by Thomas Struth.
Oxford School of Photography 