UPDATED: Sunday 6 October. This from the BBPA:
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of photographer Brian Harris.
Brian was a founding member of The Press Photographers’ Association, which became The British Press Photographers’ Association, when its first meeting was held in a pub off Fleet Street in 1984. He was the youngest staff photographer at The Times when he was just 24 and went on to be the first staff photographer when The Independent launched in 1986. During his 55 year career he covered the famine in Ethiopia, the civil war in Rhodesia, the aftermath of the Falklands war and the fall of the Berlin Wall which was documented in his book “…and then the Prime Minister hit me”, published in 2016.
Brian was due to speak about his life’s work at ‘Assignments LIVE: An evening with Brian Harris’ on Wednesday 8th October. The event will go ahead in his memory and be presented by friends and colleagues, we look forward to raising a glass to him in the bar afterwards.
Brian passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home in Thaxted on Saturday 4th October at the age of 73 after a short battle with cancer. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this sad time.
The British Press Photographers’ Association are delighted to host an evening with Brian Harris at the Bridewell Theatre, off Fleet Street, London. Wednesday, 8 October, 7pm – 9:30pm. Doors at 6pm.
Brian Harris has been an editorial, news and current affairs photographer for more than 55 years. Fascinated early on by the alchemy of the darkroom, by his teens in the 1960s he was combining school work with photographing weddings and football matches in his native Essex. A job as a runner at the Fox Photos agency at the age of sixteen set Brian on the path that would shape his life.
In the 1970s Brian worked in the heart of Fleet Street, freelancing for The Sun, The Times, News of the World, the BBC and United Press International, covering everything from IRA bombings to celebrity news, until joining The Times as its youngest ever staff photographer aged twenty-four. When The Independent launched in 1986, Brian became its first staff photographer, playing a key role in forming the renowned Indy style of intelligent editorial photography. In his fifteen years at The Independent, Brian travelled the world to cover the stories that defined the era – read on and book your seat here.