Roger Bamber: Out of the Ordinary

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What do I remember of the tall slim man sporting the trademark white trousers, always atop the tallest ladder in the pen? That above all Roger Bamber was the friendliest press photographer you could ever meet. He would talk to anyone, including this young ambitious local London weekly snapper hoping to ditch his Pentax for Nikon, and work in Fleet Street alongside the finest news photographers in the world. Roger told me that he’d soon see me dropping my film into the darkroom. And he was right, later when I joined The Times, within months we were sharing the same darkroom at Wapping, and Roger greeted this very ‘wet behind the ears’ new boy like an old friend. Bamber, who died in 2022 was twice British Press Photographer of the Year, twice British News Photographer of the Year and won many awards for his features on the arts. Towards the end of his career, he worked mainly for the Guardian and was happiest finding creative people with a story to tell. He preferred working outdoors, ideally within sight of the sea, and showcasing ordinary people – celebrating just how extraordinary all of us can be. I would definitely recommend visiting this exhibition and seeing the photos in the gallery, because there are so many pictures to look at and it’s quite fascinating. There’s a lot of options, so there’s surely something for everyone, and the captions to the images are really interesting. Bamber died of lung cancer at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton on 11 September 2022. [4] Publications [ edit ] Roger Bamber: Out of the Ordinary, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Brighton and Hove, 1 April – 3 September 2023 [2]

I liked the photographer’s style and the way the photos looked. I liked that it was serious but still humorous in a way. The exhibition would have been better if the images that were running on the projection had been printed and framed, too. That’s the reason I’m rating it 8/10. An IRA car bomb blew up the west front of the Old Bailey criminal court in the City of London on a terrible day of bomb scares in 1973. I was returning to the office in Fleet Street after a hoax bomb threat at the police HQ at Scotland Yard when there was a God Almighty bang. Roger’s career spanned the golden age of photojournalism, and he was one of its brightest lights – though you wouldn’t have known it because he wore his genius modestly and without flash. Roger, who lived in Brighton, worked at the Daily Mail for his first role in the industry before moving to the newly-formed Sun newspaper four years later in 1969. Rupert Murdoch buys the broadsheet Sun newspaper and relaunches it as a tabloid to compete with the (image-centric) Daily Mirror. Bamber is persuaded to leave the Mail and be part of the Sun's team. As well as war reportage, Bamber documents the British music scene, getting an enviable level of access because musicians recognise him as an artist, and because he's likeable.In 2005 he was awarded an honorary master’s degree from the University of Brighton, “for his distinguished photojournalism and the wealth of images of Brighton inspired by the city”. He was chuffed to receive this honour, given that he had left school without a single O-level.

His work brought him a clutch of accolades, including twice Photographer of the Year (once for a Sun portfolio and once for a set of Guardian pictures – a double thus far not repeated by anyone else...), twice News Photographer of the Year and he couldn’t remember how many times he’d been Features and Arts Photographer of the Year but knew it was more than 11. The tabloid formula became too constricting. In 1988 he left to go freelance and worked for The Independent, The Observer and a host of magazines. But perhaps most significantly he became a regular contributor to The Guardian which showcased his work so often that he was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Brighton “for his distinguished photo- journalism and the wealth of images of Brighton inspired by the city”. I found out that Roger Bamber was an amazing photographer, and I really love the unique style of his art form and his unique expression of the dramatic darkness he has in his creations.With an instinct for the surreal and irreverent, much of his best work has a subtle anarchic thread running through it, from Mrs Thatcher mistaking manure for clean straw, to a pantomime cow dancing at the brink of a cliff.

Exclusive! Roger Bamber: out of the ordinary Twice British Photographer of the Year; twice News Photographer of the Year In 1982, Bamber met Shân Lancaster, a journalist, while they were both covering the Falklands conflict for the Sun newspaper. They were married in 2004 after being together for 40 years. Bamber settled in Brighton in 1973. [3] [1] There was no doubt that my life and career were lifted by knowing Roger and I looked forward to the days that he might come into the office.It was a cool exhibition. It’s worth seeing this exhibition because it shows you a perspective of how Roger Bamber interpreted what he saw. I think this exhibition will inspire people to feel an interest in photography and in Brighton’s history. The exhibition really drags you in and makes you want to find out more. RIP ROGER Award-winning Sun photographer Roger Bamber – who photographed the Queen and Olivia Newton-John – has died aged 77 (thesun.co.uk)

A year later, in 1965, on his first day in London shopping his portfolio around, Roger got his first Fleet Street job, covering news and features for the Daily Mail, then a broadsheet. While there, he won commercial and industrial photographer of the year in the British Press Awards (1967). Denis recalls “Roger had an irresistible charm. He could persuade anyone to do anything. We had a very different way of working, but I guess we formed a mutual admiration society. I observed the surreal moments of ordinary things and Roger created wonderful pictures out of the ordinary. His pictures were like theatre.” The exhibition was a wonder. It was fascinating and beautiful. It made me feel really inspired to do more photography and pursue my dream to become a photographer. I really liked the photo of the pavilion reflected in the water. I still can’t figure out how Roger Bamber managed to capture that extraordinary picture. The picture is ironic because there isn’t much water there, but the perspective makes the pond look like an enormous lake. I once asked Bamber what he wanted his epitaph to be and he answered by telling me a story about a man who had approached him at a bar. Without realising who he was, the man had started talking about Guardian photographers he admired. ‘Who’s that madman in Brighton?’ he asked. ‘It’s me,’ Bamber replied. The man smiled. ‘I can tell your pictures from the length of a tube train’, he said.His wife Shan Lancaster, who also worked at The Argus and the Sun, said Roger "couldn't have been better cared for anywhere" than the Royal Sussex and described the staff as "magic". This picture, taken in the split second after seeing him, later won News Photographer of the Year for 1973. But the icing on the cake was when a box from El Vino’s, the legal watering hole of choice in Fleet Street, was delivered to me. It was full of wine and fine cheeses and there was a card from the barrister James Crespi on top: ‘Dear Roger, thank you for the best portrait of me ever taken.’ Exceptionally talented, Roger Bamber landed his first Fleet Street job on the same day he arrived in London with his student portfolio in 1965, having trained in design. In those days the Daily Mail was a broadsheet and they signed him up to cover news and features. He was just 20 years old. The Wapping dispute, and dissatisfaction over increased working hours, soured Bamber’s relationship with The Sun and in 1988 he quit to go freelance, working principally for The Observer and then The Guardian. marked Roger Bamber’s 50th year as a leading photojournalist. He landed his first Fleet Street job on the day he arrived in London with his student portfolio in 1965. In those days the Daily Mail was a broadsheet and they signed him up to cover news and features. He was 20 years old.