The big picture: Graham Finlayson


The big picture: Graham Finlayson

Conrad Astley
7/ 4/2006

Work by a photographer who honed his skills in Manchester and helped elevate press photography to an art form is being displayed at The Lowry. Conrad Astley took a look.

DESPITE spending decades as a press photographer, pictures of novelty cheques being handed over or celebrities "spotted" walking down the street were never in Graham Finlayson's portfolio.

Finlayson is now regarded, along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan, as one of the figures who helped elevate the status of photography during the 50s and 60s.

Although he was born in Sheffield, and left school at 17 to work in Southampton, the photographer made his name in Manchester, where he worked on The Daily Mail and The Guardian before going freelance in 1964 and contributing to the new colour supplements.

Now, an exhibition opening at The Lowry contains over 80 of his photographs, including pictures taken in Indonesia, Borneo, Nigeria, Ireland and across the north of England.

His widow Peggie, who helped choose some of the pictures, said Graham's artistic eye distinguished him from other snappers.

"He was very much a free spirit," she said. "And hated to be told he had to stick his foot in the door to take a picture of a woman crying because her husband had just died.

"He preferred to become part of whatever he was photographing, and really find out about it. He used to spend hours taking as many pictures as he could, and he used to paint a little, so he was constantly looking for a composition."

His love of art could have explained why he got on with LS Lowry. Although Lowry was a notoriously difficult subject, Graham managed to take a rare picture of the artist smiling.

"I know he was quite worried when he was going to see Lowry," Peggie recalled. "He didn't have a good reputation for being cooperative with the press. But they got on very well and Graham had a great day with him. Lowry had a stack of paintings around his house, so I'm sure that's why they got on."

Another famous figure he associated with was the writer Arthur Hopcraft, who worked with Graham on The Guardian before becoming a television writer, penning adaptations of Dickens' novels as well as the TV version of John Le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, starring Alec Guinness.

Peggie recalled their time during the golden era of journalism: "They developed quite a partnership. They both liked food, so they would often sit together and plan their work around places listed in The Good Food Guide."

Graham Finlayson: Simply Black And White starts at The Lowry tomorrow (Saturday) and runs until July 16.


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