Roger Bamber (31 August 1944 – 11 September 2022) was a British photojournalist whose subjects included war, politics and music for both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. He won both the British Press Photographer of the Year and News Photographer of the Year twice.
In 2023, a book of his work was published—''Out of the Ordinary''—to coincide with an exhibition at
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a municipally-owned public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. It is part of Brighton & Hove Museums. It costs £9.50 for a yearly pass, discounted to £7 for ...
until 3 September 2023.
Early life and education
Bamber was born in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
on 31 August 1944 to Vera (nee Stephenson) and Fred Bamber. He had an older sister Valerie. His mother had a job in the local textile industry and his father was a telephone operator.
He grew up near the Great Central Railway line which created a lifelong interest in steam trains.
Bamber left Beaumont Leys secondary school in 1960 aged 16, without any
O levels
O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), p ...
. His first camera was a
Kodak Brownie
The Brownie was a series of camera models made by Eastman Kodak and first released in 1900.
It introduced the snapshot to the masses by addressing the cost factor which had meant that amateur photography remained beyond the means of many people ...
. He enrolled in a graphic art class at
Leicester College of Art
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body. The name De Montfort University was ...
and spent £80, his entire year's student grant, on a
Nikon
(, ; ) is a Japanese optics and photographic equipment manufacturer. Nikon's products include cameras, camera lenses, binoculars, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses, measurement instruments, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and equipment related to S ...
camera. He graduated in 1963, and joined Fleetway Publications, a local advertising agency as a junior photographer. In 1964, Leicester College of Art started its first photography course and Bamber was asked to teach on it.
Career
In 1965, Bamber sought work as a photographer in London. He was offered his first
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
role by the ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'' on his first day of job hunting, covering news as well as features for the then
broadsheet
A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...
newspaper. In 1967 he was honored as "commercial and industrial photographer of the year" in the
British Press Awards
The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism.
History
Established in 1962 by ''The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named Ha ...
for his work at the ''Mail''.
In November 1969, he moved to the newly launched tabloid ''
The Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', and worked for the publication for the next 19 years covering hard news and softer features. He travelled the globe, recording armed conflicts, royalty, pop and rock stars.
In 1973 he won another photographer of the year award for a photograph of the immediate aftermath of the
IRA bombing at the
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
law courts in London.
In 1976
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
gave him permission to photograph their first night of rehearsals at the
Festhalle
A Festhalle (German pronunciation: ˈfɛst.halə">Help:IPA/Standard German">ˈfɛst.halə plural, ''Festhallen'' ˈfɛst.halən">Help:IPA/Standard German">ˈfɛst.halən is a German arena or community center. The literal meaning of the name "Fe ...
,
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, during their European tour. The agreement was recorded in a handwritten note on hotel letterhead. Bamber's 1985 photograph of
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...
performing at
Live Aid
Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...
became an iconic image of the singer.
By 1988, Bamber had moved to work as a freelance photographer for ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', followed by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' shortly thereafter. In 1992, he won a photographer of the year award from ''the Guardian''.
Bamber's images were part of the successful bid made by Brighton and Hove to gain
city status
City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a monarch, national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose.
Historically, ci ...
in 1999.
In 2009, Bamber retired from mainstream newspaper photography but continued to photograph a wide variety of subjects which interested him. He was working on the proofs of a book, ''Out of the Ordinary'' until shortly before his death.
Personal life
In 1982, Bamber met Shân Lancaster, a journalist, while they were both covering the
Falklands conflict
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
for the ''Sun'' newspaper. They were married in 2004 after being together for 40 years. Bamber settled in Brighton in 1973.
Bamber died of lung cancer at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on 11 September 2022.
Publications
*''Roger Bamber: Out of the Ordinary''. Lewes: Unicorn, 2023. . With a foreword by
Eamonn McCabe.
Exhibitions
*''Roger Bamber: Out of the Ordinary'',
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a municipally-owned public museum and art gallery in the city of Brighton and Hove in the South East of England. It is part of Brighton & Hove Museums. It costs £9.50 for a yearly pass, discounted to £7 for ...
, Brighton and Hove, 1 April – 3 September 2023
Awards and recognition
*1967: ''
Daily Mail
The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'', commercial and industrial photographer of the year
*1973: Photographer of the Year
*1992: ''The Guardian'', Photographer of the Year
*2005:
University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is a public university based in Brighton on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achieved university status in 1992.
T ...
, honorary master's degree "for his distinguished photojournalism and the wealth of images of Brighton inspired by the city"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamber, Roger
1944 births
2022 deaths
Alumni of De Montfort University
Artists from Leicester
English photojournalists
Mass media people from Leicester