Stock shots from the archive: Press photographers
It's time for another rummage in the photographic files held in the basement of Television Centre in West London. The News Stills Archive began life in the late 1960s and each week I pull a few pictures from the files on a particular subject, this week I have been looking at those filed under press photographers.
Picture archives have their own lifecycle. Photographs that are more than 30-years-old are seen as important records of life at that time, and anything under five-years-old is current. The problem period is the in-between years, a time when pictures are out of date and yet not old enough to have nostalgia value. It's these pictures that should be safeguarded, for their time will come.
Getting back to the task in hand, there are 155 slides held on file under the heading Press: Photographers. Most of the pictures seem to have been snapped by the BBC staff photographers whilst on other assignments, possibly to fill the time and most likely as a record of their colleagues in the press pack.
As with many photographers I find an interest in the old photographic equipment on view, but it's the poses of photographers waiting that I also find fascinating. Anyone who has door-stepped someone or just waited for a press conference to begin will know that once you've claimed your spot you just have to wait for something to happen. Then you get a sudden burst of activity at 1/250th of a second and it's off to file your pictures.
So, let's look at a few of the images.
This picture below is one of the earliest on file and shows a group of photographers peering over a wall? The card index simply states: Hunting Jacky (sic) Onassis. The photographer is not listed and the date is also missing but must be around 1969.
The next two pictures were taken at the wedding of actor Peter Sellers on 24 August 1970. The index does not list the name of his wife to be, but given the date it's easy to check and was in fact his marriage to Miranda Quarry, an Australian model. The couple divorced in 1974.
The event looks like a real "bun fight" as photographers jostle to get a shot. No digital spray and hope techniques here, many are photographers are without even a motor-drive. The photographer is just listed by his, or maybe her, surname, Woodgate. You can see Peter Sellers clearly in the centre of the frame so they did a good job.
This next photo shows a regular event on the photographers' calendar, the Windsor Horse Trials, which offered photographers a chance to get up close to Her Majesty. An interesting photo this one and I like the way it seems all the photographers are ignoring the Queen. This was taken in 1975 by BBC photographer Willie Smith who I remember well.
Here the photographers take a break between events at Windsor.
The poses of these photographers are hard to ignore and the TV cameraman seems out of place in his light jacket. Yet this simple picture leads to a big news story as they are outside Bow Street Court on 18 July 1975 waiting for the arrival of Labour MP John Stonehouse and his former secretary, Sheila Buckley. The full story came to light in 2005 with the release of official documents by the National Archives.
Another annual event is of course the Budget and in the past the chancellor would invite photographers into his office and then go on a walk about with his family. Here Labour chancellor Denis Healey poses in April 1978.
The last picture of interest was taken in 1979 and shows actress Lalla Ward facing a pack of photographers who all seem to have found a different angle, as none are pointing their lenses the same way. Lalla is best known for her role as Romana in Dr Who where she played alongside Tom Baker, who she later married, and divorced. The picture was taken by BBC staff photographer Gerry Hawkins.
Do you recognise any of the photographers? If so, please leave a comment.
If you have a subject you'd like me to dig around in the stills collection for then do let me know.
I'm 
© 2012~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~34~RS~)
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Great blog, thanks Phil. I particularly like the one of photographers peering over a wall. Can't say I recognise anyone but what a wonderful glimpse into the past. Amazing how little has changed really
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Being an old pressman myself,it's interesting to look at the fashions of us lads over the years,never mind the cameras themselves.At least we studied the weather conditions.
Actually,if you went back 50/60 years you would notice that everyone wore suits,and no crush barriers to worry about,or P.R. ladies with clip-boards ushering everyone around like herds of sheep.
Also look at the ages of the press photographers they looked very mature.Look at a modern press grouping and you have baggy jeans,back packs (with ladders) and just stepped out of Uni.
Fashions change with the years-your editor made sure you looked the part to represent the paper you worked for.
I still have the scars to prove it!.
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Shots of Peter Sellers were taken by Crispin Woodgate who did a great deal of work for the Daily Mail and was one of the first people to shoot the Rolling Stones in the days when they wore smart matching suits with flared trousers.
Shot of photographers at Windsor Horse Show: photographer on right was Aktar Hussain who was Iranian and had a brother Anwar: both of them did a great deal of work for the BBC on the "Royals" in the 1970's / '80s when the BBC picture editor was Brian Clifford. I think I am right in ssying that they all met when BC was a picture editor there.
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Recognised another 'smudger' [ use of that term gives away my age ]. Photographer directly to the right of H.M. The Queen at Windsor is John Moss who was a "Black Star" photographer of many years standing. He was incredibly laid back and one of the most charming people I have ever met and had spent ten years photographing and filming in east Africa.
Worked in a generation where anything beyond Calais was foriegn and the phones did not work - remember this was an era when a call to the USA had to be booked and might take three hours before it came through. One Christmas he was bemoaning the fact he had just got a major shoot on for an oil company in Africa and was having to celebrate Christmas two days early to enable him to give his children their presents before he left for the five journey it was going to take to get to the location. Rather jealously I commented how fantastic it would be to go to Sudan "Yes", said John, "never been to that part of south Sudan before".
Magic days!
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Here the photographers take a break between events at Windsor.... on the left is Peter Stone of the Daily Mirror, then next to him is John Downing of the Daily Express. I agree with earlier post, guy on far right is Aktar Hussain.
Bow Street Court on 18 July 1975: Guy in black leather coat, 2nd let at front was a Mirror freelance.
Budget 1978: 1st left is Tony Prime, then on the Sun. The bloke 3rd left worked for the Telegraph. I think the one in the checked shirt bouncing a flash from his umbrella is Brian Harris.
1979 Lalla photocall: 1st left is Reg Lancaster of Daily Express, 3rd left in blue coat is Frank Barrett Daily Star and on far right with half a head is Mike Hollist of the Daily Mail. It looks as if this one was taken in the gardens at the back of the Savoy which was the scene of a lot of photocalls.
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Windsor Horse Show photo - it's Anwar Hussein, not his brother Akthar on the right. Facing the camera in the parka puffing on a Gauloise is Serge Lemoine
Bow St court - centre in the blue tie is Ron Bell of PA, Mirror photographer on the far right was Julian Brown(?)
Budget Day - l to r - Tony Prime, Francis (?) from the Economist, Roger Taylor, Brian Harris (keeping his hair dry)
Roger is right about the Laila photocall, the second photographer in the black mac is Graham Turner, then of Keystone, now The Guardian
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My father Frank Martin (retired Guardian) helped me identify a few faces:-
Budget Photo:- Far left (with tinted specs) TONY PRIME, Middle (with blue blazer) ROGER TAYLOR, Right (holding flash brolly) BRIAN HARRIS
Lalla Ward Photo: 2nd Photographer in black mac is definitley Graham Turner
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Sheilphoto: It's great to have Mr Woodgate's first name at last as he's always been BBC Woodgate to me, as that's how he is listed on our card index. I do remember the names of Aktar and Anwar Hussein as I think they were still supplying material when I started, though it was after Brain Clifford left.
RogerBamber and DavidLevenson: Many thanks for all the names and bringing your expert eyes to the task in hand.
Ann_Rose: Thanks for yet more names, and do say "hi" to your father Frank who I used to see regularly at meetings of the Visual Journalism Group of the RPS in London some years ago.
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Well done Phil it seems you've coaxed a few old hands out of the woodwork! Roger Bamber and David Levenson have the names right and yes, that is Julian Brown in the Bow Street pic.
Please dig out some more so we can have a laugh at 70's fashions and hairstyles as sported by old colleagues!
Ann_Rose please also give my regards to your father. We often worked together when he was at the Guardian and I worked for The Times
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Hello This is Brian Clifford. I can add some names to some iof the press ophotographers photos. In the Windsor Horse Show picture it's (l to r)Peter Stone (Mirror) John Downing (Express)Serge Lemoine (freelance) Ray Bellisario (freelance) and Anwar Hussein (freelance). In the Lalla Ward photocall picture that i arranged as Editor, picture Pubvlicity it was taken in Cavendish Square when she got the role as the Doctor Who Assistant to Tom Baker who she later married - and got engaged to tom in my Cavendish Place office...Crispian Woodgate and I worked together on the Daily MNail and I invited him to freelance at the BBC. He wiorked with us in the Still Library (Central Stills) with Willie Smith the doyen of TV news stills photography.
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This photocall of Lalla Ward took place in Cavendish Square when she was signed by Producer John Nathan Turner to be Doctor Who's assistant (Tom Baker) Later Lalla became engaged to Tom, - their engagement photocall took place in my officet 10 Cavendish Place.... (our prop was The Doctor's scarf)
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Hello............. The Windsor Horse show photo has some of the 70's Royal Rat Pack... Left to Right... Peter Stone (Mirror) John Downing(Express) Serge Lemoine (freelance)Ray Bellisaro and Anwar Hussein...
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