Photography News Issue 42

Photography News | Issue 42 | absolutephoto.com

Interview Britain in Focus: A photographichistory A major exhibition and a BBC FOUR series explore the fascinating evolution of photography from its beginnings in the 19th century through to the modern day and the impact of social media. We caught up with the programme’s presenter and photographer Eamonn McCabe

Interview by Will Cheung

©JohnHindeArchive

©EamonnMcCabe

Photography News: How did Britain in Focus: a photographic history come about? Did you come up with the idea or did the National Media Museum/BBC Four approach you? BBC originally approached me and asked if I would be interested in presenting three programmes on the history of British photography. As I am self taught, I have always been interested in finding out more about photography. I did an MA in Derby with the great John Blakemore back in 1988 but I was offered the picture editor’s job at The Guardian halfway through the first year of the course and never finished it. But the course whetted my appetite for finding out more about the subject and sowhen Iwas offered the chance to present this series on the history of British photography I was a little scared but very excited by the idea. Eammon McCabe: The

PN: How long have you been working on the project? EM: From the very first meetings about it to the final voice-overs, about six months. PN: Britain has a long and rich photographic history, so how did you go about funnelling it down and choosing the photographs, pioneers and photographers to be included? EM: I worked with three different directors who had a segment of time to work with from 1820 up to Instagram today. We had an overall producer Alastair Laurence, who also made the first programme. The early days were pretty straightforward William Henry Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Cameron etc, the influence of Queen Victoria and the pioneering work of George Fenton in the Crimea. The second programme features early newspaper photography from the Somme to the Sydney Street

development and technology of imaging through the ages? EM: The museum’s exhibition is about both really. PN: What was the toughest challenges you faced? EM: The old one of copyright… PN: Who, in your view, was the most influential British photographer? EM: To my generation, Don McCullin followed closely by David Bailey, who are my two big heroes. PN: What gives you most pride in the finished project? EM: The fact that BBC Four is devoting three hours tophotography on television as part of a larger season devoted to the subject. PN: Why should our readers get along to see the exhibition? EM: To support the museum at Bradford and to try and keep it going

siege up to the work of the Picture Post photographers Kurt Hutton, Bert Hardy and Bill Brandt via the glamour of Cecil Beaton. The last programme was the biggest challenge because of all the names we know and love who have been influential since the second world war. We felt the stories of Bailey and Don McCullin have been told many times so we left them out . Instead we see how Fay Godwin and Martin Parr work and a guy I had never heard of called Peter Mitchell who has been photographing the same fairground ride for fifty years in Leeds. The third programme ends with a great young photographer from Huddersfield called Molly Boniface (what a byline) who takes photographs with her mobile phone and puts them on Instagram. PN: Is the exhibition more about pictures depicting life in Britain, or is the focus more on the

When I was offered the chance to present

this series on the history of

photography I was a little scared but very excited

for as long as we can. I remember with great affection my time there as Fellow in Photography and have been greatly disturbed by what has been happening in the last few years with the RPS collection coming back to London. Also it’s a great show!