UPDATE: Terry’s funeral will be on Monday, 25th November at 2pm at St. Marylebone Crematorium including a reception afterwards at Terry’s favourite venue – full details at the foot of this article
↑ Terry at his desk at Fox Photos 10th Oct 1961 © Getty Images/Hulton Archive
↑ Police press pass photo – 26th Jan 1967 and a Fox Photos stamp © Getty Images/Hulton Archive
Photographer Terry Chambers has died aged 70. Terry passed away last week, he was a co-owner of Fox Photos in the ’70’s.
His friends from the industry remember him:
This in from photographer Brian Harris:
“I joined Fox Photos in 1969 just after Terry, George Freston, John Marshall and Gus Stallard left Fox to set up Focus 4 in Hatton Wall Clerkenwell.”
“I left Fox in 71’ish and joined Focus 4. I was the general dogsbody but really Terry’s assistant. We covered trade shows up and down the country, stayed in decent hotels, Terry always insisted on a good hotel with a decent restaurant and bar. He was always a ‘good boss’ and treated me well and fair. He was a good story teller even better than most other photographers !!
Terry called me Charlie, after my uncle, as there was another Brian, Brian Burt the printer, in the building and whenever he wanted his assistant he would shout out ‘Charlie’ rather than Brian as he didn’t want to intrupt Brian the busty printer.
He used to pass on a few PR type shoots for me to do for his clients, which was giving a great deal of trust to this 19 year old.
Focus 4 took over Fox Photos in the early 70’s and I was put in as the Fox ‘news photographer’….Terry kept a close eye on me and spoke up for me when I started to flew my ‘photographic’ muscles.
Terry taught me how to peel a mushroom in his flat after a long days shooting when we prepared a curry together…he loved curries, the hotter the better….he also taught me the importance of attention to detail as a way of showing the client that you really cared….every copyright stamp had to be in the exact centre of a bromide print and even the postage stamp had to be placed square and true on the envelope.
Like all assistants, I was not supposed to talk to the client unless spoken to first….Terry encouraged open conversation which I appreciated.
Terry let me borrow some of his personal private camera kit for my weekend work, I remember his Nikon 21mm with that funny finder, once again I thank him for that trust.
I last saw Terry a while back in hospital, I took him some fruit cake that I had made. It was a Sunday morning and lunch orders were being taken, Terry who was recovering from a stroke couldn’t make himself understood so I made his order….thankfully there was a curry on the list…I added to the order ‘Put in some more spice !!’
A good decent independent man…shame that his interest in photography waned just as digital came in……T.A.C. RIP.”
Brian ( Charlie ) Harris
This in from photographer David Levenson:
Photographer Terry Chambers died last week. He was one of the co-owners with George Freston of Fox Photos. Terry worked originally as a photographer at Fox Photos. He then went off with three colleagues George Freston, Gus Stallard and John Marshall to form Focus 4. As far as I know, they came back in the 70’s and took over Fox. They did put the photo archive up for auction at Sotheby’s in 1976 but it did not sell.
Terry was the man that gave me my first ever job in photography, after I left school back in 1977. An old school charmer, he organised a few Fox Photos reunions with Matt Butson (Hulton Getty). Last was about ten years ago. Brian is trying to find out details of the funeral for any old Fox Photos people that are still around.
Terry was always very dapper, a bon vivant and lover of the good things in life, especially wine, cars and sailing.
He bought a lot of new people into the business by way of them starting out as his photographers assistant. Including Steve Blogg, Duncan Raban and me.
This from Steve Blogg now Senior Director, Content Partners Getty Images:
“Terry was a true bon vivant. An elegant man from his fountain pen to his taste in music. His booming voice and wicked sense of humour perfectly in tune with his larger than life personality.”
This from Matthew Butson Vice President, Hulton Archive:
“Terry was a true entertainer – working with him helping to organize the Fox Photos reunions events which we hosted a number of times here and at our gallery (images below) was great fun – though ‘vertically challenged’ (he’d stand on a chair to give his ‘address’ to the assembled former Fox folks), Terry was a wonderful host and great raconteur, as well as a more than capable smudger – he’ll be sorely missed by many.”
↑ Terry at the last Fox Photos reunion, held at the Getty Gallery in honour of George Freston who had died in 2004 – photos supplied by David Levenson
RADIO INTERVIEW: Here is a wonderful interview with Terry via the BBC Lives in a Landscape series on BBC radio 4 – Thursday 30 May 2013 – in which Terry talks of his life now and reflects on his career as a press photographer.
Happy chap!
View a selection of Terry’s images via Getty Images
Terry lived in Hornsey, London. RIP
• Thank you to Matt & Sarah at the Hulton Getty Archive for finding, scanning and making available the ‘early Terry’ images.
Funeral Details from Vic Dabrowa
‘Terry Chambers, Photographer and one time co-owner of Fox Photos and Focus 4 has died too young at 70. I was one of assistants in the very early 1970’s’
Here are the funeral details:
Monday, 25th November at 2pm.
St. Marylebone Crematorium
E End Rd, London N2 0RZ
Phone: 020 8343 2233
With a Reception afterwards at Terry’s favourite venue, to begin at 4pm.
Monkey Nuts Wine Bar
2 Park Road, Crouch End. N8 8TD
Please do not send or bring any flowers.
A box will be on hand at the service to collect donations with the purpose to Register a Star in Terry’s Name, which will be visible from the earth.
Public transport is advised if possible – although parking restrictions do end at 4pm parking in Crouch end is limited.
A mini bus will be on hand to ferry people from the crematorium to Monkeynuts Wine Bar.