Remembering Tom Stoddart

Remembering Tom Stoddart

by Tim Bishop

Tom Stoddart was a very open man in his work, ready to generously share his experiences, his knowledge, his thoughts and wisdom from a remarkable career at the very front of Fleet Street’s finest, working for so many differing news organisations and outlets, from national tabloids and broadsheets in the UK, to news magazines and agencies all over the world.

So yesterday it was for me, and so many others, a profound sense of shock when I was called by The BPPA Secretary Neil Turner with the news Tom had died. Neil asked that the news be kept within a close circle of friends at the request of the family, and that we shouldn’t post anything on social media.

For though Tom was so well known by so many within our profession, spanning generations of photographers, both those who worked alongside him, and those younger who have been inspired and emboldened by meeting him, and seeing his work, in his personal life he was a very private man.

And of all the friends and colleagues I’ve spoken to over the last 48 hours, not one had any idea our friend was fighting cancer.

Tom Stoddart represented the very best of us, working in news from tabloids to broadsheets, and later magazines shooting some astonishing imagery. But he always found time for others, to encourage, to inspire, and back in the day on the road for UK nationals, to help out a colleague.

It means there is so much for so many of us to recall, me joining him on the site of an Alpine coach crash on a Saturday, quietly greeting me with a nod, he with that boxer stance, feet apart, and looking away back and forth as he staccato de-briefed me in his strong Geordie voice, his pictures safely filed to the office deadline for his paper The Sunday Times. He had no special reason to help this young guy from his sister paper The Times, but he did, tipping me off on what he thought might make a picture for me ‘Sunday for Monday’.

Later years, after an injury sustained covering a war zone, Tom joined us on the Sunday Telegraph when I worked the picture desk. Tom was doing ‘light duties’, and it was my occasional privilege to brief him, and edit his ‘contacts’. Later I will never forget the pictures he filed to us from Sarajevo and then the first free elections in South Africa. Now exhibited and in books all over the world, these images were a ‘first use’ for us on the Sunday Telegraph and I recall the gasps even from the hardened hacks in our newsroom as they came in.

He was a brilliant photographer with the most extraordinary gift, but never once let you know it.

Jeff Moore, past Chair of The BPPA, remembers the man who never said no when asked if he would get involved in our Association projects, present an award, judge some pictures, attend an event.

“I remember the first time I met Tom and him coming up to me saying that me and him ‘were the youngest.’ Of course I knew he had to be older than me, he’d been a hero to me for a long time, back when I first started photography. I was astounded he was so nice and I was really pleased. He was so encouraging. I didn’t expect him to come up and just start talking to me, as I was then, a young agency photographer just starting.”

Peter Summers, The BPPA Young Photographer of the Year, recalls “Tom was always there to offer support and encouragement, and how it was a real boost seeing he’d messaged you about a photo or liked something on Instagram or Twitter.”

A former picture editor back then new to his role at The Sunday Times remembers being alarmed with having to brief Tom with an exceptionally dull diary job on a Saturday morning. He’d just had a big row with another contract photographer who had turned the assignment down, and in a typical busy desk style, he called the next name on the list. “Tom listened in silence, he knew it was crap, I knew it was crap, but it had to be done. He didn’t complain or comment. But there was an ominous silence and I had already had a slagging off from one of our ‘star photographers’. Ok, Tom said, but send a bike. It was his way of telling me he was doing me a favour without making me feel a complete arse.”

Sir Don McCullin said that “I hear this news with great sadness. Not only a friend, but Tom was one of the great documentary photographers of his generations with an honesty and compassion that shown through his work.”

Jeff Moore recalls “. I don’t think I ever had a conversation with Tom about photography. But as a true freelance, Tom truly only worked for the people he photographed. His work was for them to tell them their story. Everything he did had integrity and humanity. Not only a great photographer but a fine human being.”

“But though he didn’t tell me this being around him and seeing his pictures I know this to be true….”

“Whether joyful or a moment of terror when people allow you into their lives you kind of have a contract with that person. You have to be truthful and honest and use your integrity to tell the story.”

“Tom Stoddart made thousands of those contracts in his career and he never broke it once.”

Tom Stoddart, documentary photographer, supporter of The BPPA, died 17th November 2021, aged 67.

Sally Soames 1937-2019

Sally Soames and fellow members of The Press Photographers Association (which became The BPPA) at their first London exhibition at The Barbican. Photo ©Brian Harris.

Sally Soames who worked as a photographer for The Sunday Times for more than three decades died aged 82 at her home in north London on the 5th of October 2019.

Sally, like many of her generation had no formal training as a photographer, starting out by winning a photography competition run by a London evening paper. She was noticed by the Observer where she contributed work during the 1960’s before being taken onto the Sunday Times before the decade was out. She stayed on her beloved paper for more than 32 years working for esteemed editor Harry Evans and design maestro Edwin Taylor, reluctantly retiring due to problems with her knees and as black and white analogue film photography gave way to colour and subsequently digital image making.

Sally told me in the early 90’s that she was scouring London and buying up all the Nikon FM2 film cameras that she could find once she had been told that her favourite camera wasn’t going to be made anymore. I don’t think Sally and modern digital technology would have got on together, so a good time to call it a day.

Sally was a pure image maker, the eyes were everything, get the eyes sharp and you will have your reader, she said to me once. She would talk her subject into submission if he or she proved to be reluctant to have their photograph taken. She charmed and cajoled, often writing to her subject in advance of the photography session as well as reading their work if an author, or watching their films or plays if an actor. She saw herself and her work as the equal of the writer and the written word when covering an interview, not for Sally the three minute photo-op session dictated by a hovering PR, which is now seen to be the norm, Sally demanded and got as much time as she needed to produce her work.

Although Sally did specialise in portrait work for the paper, producing some of the most eye catching imagery to grace the pages of any newspaper in the land she was also a dab hand on the political scene. I personally worked alongside her on many occasions, Sally on the ST and myself on The Times at many a political conference during the 70’s through the 80’s. I was always surprised to see her visual summation of the week in her paper, normally a quiet reflective moment caught without fuss, just a fine quality image that would make you think a while.

I also worked alongside Sally in Israel whilst covering a general election in June 1981 featuring Menachem Begin and Moshe Dyan, both of whom she had entré to with one phone call. Her portrait of General Dyan on the Golan Heights ranks, IMHO, as one of her finest images. She introduced me around to those that mattered and arranged passes and some access to this then relative green horn, but that was just so typical of Sally, she would help just about anyone but especially new guys and gals on the block…there is a long line of news photographers working now who all owe Sally a great debt of personal gratitude, myself included.

 She had a heart felt affinity with Israel, being born Jewish (born Winkleman), and when based there during the Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab States led by Egypt and Syria in October 1973 she was recalled by Kelvin Brodie her Sunday Times picture editor (and a former top flight news photographer) as it was deemed by the ST management as being too dangerous for Sally to stay after the death of ST correspondent Nick Tomalin. The group of Arab commandos who stormed the beach outside her Tel Aviv beach front hotel made the point more emphatically. She returned to Israel a week later to cover the km101 peace talks.

Sally may have been slight of frame and stature but she was strong and a fighter…Sally never ever gave up, she always found a way to achieve what she wanted, with a gushing smile, a hand hold, a squeeze and it must be said a fair bit of feminine schmoozing…Sally really was one of those unique individuals who was a friend to many, a mentor to many more and a bloody good photographer…oh, and a really nice woman. RIP Sally.

Brian Harris © 2019

Keith Morris 1958-2019

Photographer Keith Morris during the 2019 Hay Festival on June 1, 2019 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. Photo © David Levenson/Getty Images.

Tragic news. The day after Keith was reported missing, a body was found in the sea, near Aberystwyth.

Many would know his byline, but fewer would have met the man. I saw him a couple of times a year, and my memory is of not just a very talented photographer, but a mate who was always laughing. He really did have that joie de vivre that some people are gifted with. Rarely travelling outside of Aberystwyth, he nevertheless had pictures published in the national papers nearly every week via Alamy and LNP. His ‘murmurations of starlings over the pier in the sunset’ were a staple of most papers. 

Based for nearly his whole career on the west coast of Wales in Aberystwyth, Keith made a living photographing the local community and all of it’s activities. What made him special though, was his ability to see a picture that was of local interest, and transcend it into an image that the national press would want to use. He was an incredibly hard working freelance, but was happy to share his knowledge with others, who wanted to learn the secrets of successful stock photography.

Almost uniquely he made a great success of his career without ever feeling the need to travel far from his home town. His enthusiasm knew no bounds, night after night he would return to the same locations, to capture variants on his famous sunset over the pier pictures. A prolific operator, he has over 25,000 pictures on Alamy.

After his death, dozens of tributes have appeared on social media from those he had photographed in the town. It seems everybody in Aber’ knew him.

I first got to know his work well during the great storms of 2013, when his weather pictures made the front pages day after day. Ironically, it seems that the great waves that he captured in all their glory, were what claimed him in the end.

Keith leaves a wife Gilly, two daughters, and a grandson.

DAVID LEVENSON, 9th October 2019

Mike King

Mike King

 



The devastating news of the death of our friend and colleague Mike King was greeted last week with a mixture of disbelief and enormous sadness. He was not only one of the best sports photographers of his (or any) generation but he was also generous, witty and great company. There have already been several obituaries and memories including one from the Sports Journalists Association and a slide show by Philip Brown posted on the web and featured in national newspapers. This short but heartfelt tribute from Peter Tarry is posted here in the hope that others will add their comments about Mike and his professional life.


I first met Mike back in 1989 when I was a lowly junior photographer at a small sports agency and Mike was a staff photographer on the Observer.


At that time I feel that Mike was really enjoying life – a great flat, a Saab 9000 and a great job that involved traveling the world and getting to take fantastic pictures. But success never went to his head and he made time for everyone. He helped and encouraged me getting work at The Observer and was always pleased to offer advice. He would also ring up and ask if you wanted to go and take pictures for fun – events like lawnmower racing or early tough guy races, or if you just wanted to pop over to his house and play around with some new lights.


Mike was without doubt one of the finest sports photographers this country has produced. I remember looking through his contact sheets in the Observer darkroom – every frame was usable. The pictures were all pin sharp and beautifully composed. Just give him a couple of Nikon F3s, a manual 300mm 2.8 and a 180mm and Mike would produce magic – he was a craftsman – autofocus was of no benefit to him at all.


In recent times Mike loved covering London 2012 – he was in his element – it was the ultimate sporting event and it was being held in his city. After the closing ceremony we walked back to the Media Centre together – the party was over and we both felt it. But next morning Mike was back shooting the now deserted venue and getting the pictures published!


Mike was a prolific photographer – he loved taking pictures and never stopped – but beyond all of his skills as a photographer – Mike was a wonderful person whom I am proud to have called a friend.


Please feel free to add any comments that you wish to.