đ Share this article Esteemed Photographer Brian Harris Obituary: An Existence Through the Camera The photojournalist Brian Harris, who passed away aged 73 from cancer, left school at 16 to become a messenger boy, and eventually became one of the most respected UK photojournalists of his generation. A Global Professional Journey He journeyed the world as a freelance or a staffer for Fleet Street publications, covering major happenings including the collapse of the Berlin Wall, drought and hunger in Ethiopia and Sudan, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, war zones in the Balkan region and throughout Africa, the aftermath of the Falklands war and several US presidential campaigns. He also created lyrical scenic views of the rural areas around his Essex home. By his own calculation he shot more than 2m photographs, averaging 100 a day, but he stated that figure some years back. He continued posting historical and recent images daily on online platforms until a few weeks before his passing, and had been arranging to deliver a lecture on his career and experiences. Memorable Projects Stories from a rollercoaster career featured an expenses-shredding business class flight in 1991 to reach the funeral in India of the assassinated leader Rajiv Gandhi, where he collapsed from sunstroke and pneumonia and was treated with ice that had been used to preserve the body. His 1983 images of the then Labour party leader Neil Kinnock with his wife, Glenys, falling into the sea on Brighton beach were published across eight columns of a front page, and are often reprinted as a striking example of staged photo hubris. His 2016âs memoir, ... And Then the Prime Minister Hit Me, took the title from an exasperated John Major hitting him with a folded briefing paper. Career Milestones He was appointed as the a major newspaperâs most youthful staff photographer when he started there in 1976, at the age of 26, and worked around the world for nearly a decade, including coverage of the end of the internal conflict in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He eventually resigned over what he considered censorship of his strongest images of starvation in Africa. In 1986 Harris became chief photographer as the team was assembled to create a major newspaper. He played a key role in shaping the style of editorial photography that the paper became known for, helping set new standards for press images and newspaper design, in striking images filling multiple pages. Among many awards, he was named the What the Papers Say photographer of the year in 1990 for his work in the former Eastern Bloc documenting the fall of communism. He operated independently after being let go in 1999, and significant projects thereafter included a year spent photographing cemeteries across the world in 2006 for the war memorial organisation, which led to an exhibition launched in London â where he gave a private viewing to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh â and a emotional book, Remembered. Background and Start Harris was raised in east London, to Dorothy and Leonard Harris, an electrician who later helped his son build a photo lab in the garage. In the 1950s, the family relocated eastwards â and to a better area â to the Rise Park estate in Romford, Essex. Brian attended a local secondary modern school, learning useful skills in carpentry and metal crafting, before departing at 16. At a central London photo agency, he rose rapidly from messenger boy to photographer, and launched his working life at east London local papers before moving on to national publications. Peers and Legacy Fellow photographers, often outpaced by him, recalled his work as astonishing. Nick Turpin, who worked with him in the early days, described him as âa great and fearless photographerâ, an influence to a generation of young colleagues. Another associate, a freelance organiser, said he âreimagined the possibilities of news photography during newspapersâ peak eraâ. Private World In 2001 Harris made contact through a website with Nikki, whom he had initially encountered as a three-year-old in infant school, and they became inseparable partners through his final decades. After learning of his illness, they embarked on a road trip in Europe, sharing sunny images of good meals and quality drinks, and revisiting significant sites including Dresden and Ypres. His final project, finished a few weeks before his demise, was to donate his vast archive of five decades of work to a long-term repository. Among his preferred historical photos he commented on a youthful Harris consuming generous servings of wine with the actor Helen Mirren: âWhat a fortunate life Iâve had â no regrets and no âMust Doâsââ. He was married twice, each union concluded with divorce. He is remembered by Nikki, his son Jacob, from his later union, Nikkiâs daughter, Holly, and by his sister, Jan.