Famous and Unrecognized?
Jane Bown was one of the most influential, yet unrecognized, female photographers of the twentieth century. She was also one of the best portrait photographers of her time, with her black and white portraits earning her widespread critical acclaim. Her working method was legendary – both simple and fast. She liked to expose no more than two rolls of films, never had an assistant, never used a light meter, used natural light only, and worked exclusively in black and white. Bown was unusual in that she preferred to dispense with the usual tricks of the trade. She had no props, turned up carrying only a shopping bag with her cameras in it, and rarely took more than 15 minutes to get her photos – sometimes less. Before they started assigning her for celebrity portraiture, most of her pictures were snapped on location while some reporter was interviewing someone for the newspaper.
The Observer
Bown worked for The Observer, a British newspaper, for 65 years, where she took several thousand pictures of politicians, musicians, actors, writers, and other celebrities, as well as working folk, protestors, and life on the street. Although she was one of the great photographers of the age, her work only became widely known to the public after the Guardian purchased The Observer in 1993 and put her photo archive online. She knew that the best photographs were those that captured the initial spontaneity of her subject. She worked quickly and never missed an opportunity, on and off assignment.
The Elusive Samuel Beckett
Her photo of Samuel Beckett, (above), was taken in an alleyway at the back entrance of a theatre. Beckett reluctantly allowed Bown to shoot just three frames – she managed five before he walked off. Surprisingly, (or not), one of the most iconic images of the famed playwright was taken in that moment. An offshoot of the minimalistic approach Jane Bown applied throughout her career.
Less is More
The first thing Bown did on a photoshoot was look at the lighting and come up with ideas on where to place her subject. She would quite often place them next to the window. If she was struggling for light, she would grab a 150-watt bulb in her bag and put it in a desk lamp. Her favorite lenses were a 50mm and an 85mm. Jane Bown’s equipment and working method was incredibly simple. She perfected minimalist photography: same camera, same lens, same settings, same film, didn’t use the exposure meter, and never used flash.
Not Owning a Flash
Well, of course, most would say that’s crazy. Good photography requires a $5000 Profoto setup. Everybody knows that. 😳 However, she was renowned for always shooting in black and white and using whatever light was available. An important aspect of her technique is that she didn’t use lights, flash, or meters. This meant that she could travel light and didn’t waste time setting up. Which many celebrities loved!
From Rolleiflex to Olympus
Equipment? Not much. For the first fifteen years at The Observer, Bown used a Rolleiflex camera with a Tessar f/3.5 lens. In 1964 she reluctantly changed to a Pentax S2 before settling on the Olympus OM-1 cameras in the 1970’s. Bown owned a dozen or so Olympus OM-1’s. All purchased second hand. The 35mm format allowed her to work quickly and unobtrusively. On assignment, Bown had two Olympus OM-1’s, both loaded with Kodak Tri-X black and white film: one camera had a Zuiko 85mm F2, her preferred lens for most portraits, and the other camera had a Zuiko 50mm F1.4.
Bown Gets Her Due
Man,…it took a long time. All those images enjoyed by so many. Bown was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1985, followed in 1995 by Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to photography. In 2006, Bown was chosen to photograph the Queen on her 80th birthday. Jane Bown was herself in her 80’s at the time. In 2000, Bown received an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.
Lord Snowdon once compared Bown’s work to Cartier-Bresson stating she produced “photography at its best. She doesn’t rely on tricks or gimmicks, just simple, honest recording, but with a shrewd and intellectual eye.” Luckily, she left much of her work, books and inspiration for a new generation to learn the pleasures of “simplification”.
Jane Bown: March 13, 1925 – December 21, 2014