đ Share this article Esteemed Photographer Brian Harris Life Story: An Existence Behind the Camera The photographer B. Harris, who has died aged 73 from cancer, left school at 16 to become a messenger boy, and eventually became one of the most respected UK documentary photographers of his generation. An International Professional Journey He journeyed across the globe as a freelance or a employee for Fleet Street titles, documenting major happenings including the fall of the Berlin Wall, famine in Ethiopia and Sudan, the conflict in Northern Ireland, war zones in the Balkans and across Africa, the aftermath of the Falklands war and several US election campaigns. He also created poetic landscapes of the rural areas around his Essex home. According to his estimates he took more than two million photographs, averaging 100 a day, but he made that count several years ago. He continued posting archive and recent images each day on social media until a few weeks before his passing, and had been planning to give a talk on his life and work. Memorable Projects Stories from a turbulent career featured an expenses-shredding premium flight in 1991 to reach the burial in India of the assassinated leader Rajiv Gandhi, where he collapsed from heatstroke and pneumonia and was cooled down 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, toppling into the sea on Brighton beach were published across multiple columns of a leading page, and are often reprinted as a striking example of photo-opportunity hubris. His 2016 memoir, ... And Then the Prime Minister Hit Me, took the title from an irritated John Major striking him with a rolled-up briefing paper. Career Milestones He became 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 almost ten years, including reporting of the end of the internal conflict in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He later stepped down over what he considered editing of his most powerful images of starvation in Africa. In 1986 Harris became chief photographer as the team was put together to create a new newspaper. He was instrumental in shaping the style of editorial photography that the paper was famous for, helping raise the bar for press images and newspaper design, in striking images filling multiple pages. Among numerous awards, he was named the industry-recognised photographer of the year in 1990 for his work in the former Eastern Bloc recording the fall of communism. He operated independently after being made redundant in 1999, and significant projects thereafter included a year spent capturing cemeteries across the world in 2006 for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which resulted in an display launched in London â where he gave a personal tour 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 construct a photo lab in the garage. In the 1950s, the family relocated farther east â and to a better area â to the Rise Park housing estate in Romford, Essex. Brian attended a local secondary modern school, acquiring practical skills in woodwork and metal crafting, before leaving at 16. At a Fleet Street agency, he rose rapidly from messenger boy to photographer, and launched his working life at eastern London local papers before progressing to major publications. Colleagues and Legacy Other photographers, often outpaced by him, recalled his work as remarkable. A colleague, who collaborated with him in the initial stages, called him âa superb and fearless photographerâ, an inspiration to a generation of young colleagues. Another associate, a freelance organiser, said he âreimagined the possibilities of news photography during newspapersâ peak eraâ. Personal Life In 2001 Harris made contact through a online service with Nikki, whom he had initially encountered as a toddler in primary school, and they became close companions through his remaining years. After learning of his illness, they embarked on a road trip in Europe, posting sunny images of fine dining and quality drinks, and revisiting significant sites including Dresden and Ypres. His last task, finished a few weeks before his death, was to transfer his extensive collection of 55 yearsâ work to a long-term repository. Among his favourite historical photos he reflected on a youthful Harris drinking generous servings of wine with the actor Helen Mirren: âWhat a fortunate life Iâve had â no regrets and no âMust Doâsââ. He was wed twice, each union ended in divorce. He is remembered by Nikki, his son Jacob, from his second marriage, Nikkiâs daughter, Holly, and by his sister, Jan.