Freddy's Photo Years
 Freddy & Miles 1967 |
I
became interested in photography while I was in the Royal Air Force from
1959 - 62. I had bought a camera from my brother and started to take photographs
of a bunch of guys that played in the regional RAF band at Henlow in Bedfordshire.
They played jazz at a pub in the nearby town of Hitchin. They were good
enough to get an audition at Ronnie Scotts and began playing there every
Monday. On their first night, a photographer from the "Melody
Maker" was taking photographs and I got chatting with him. Within
two months of my demob from the RAF I began working for Eric Jelly and
Marc Sharratt as an assistant in their small Soho Studio. Much of
their work was commissions from the Melody Maker. Eric and Mark
were great photographers and their work had a great influence on me and
my future in photography. While with them I began to go to Ronnie Scotts
on a regular basis. In fact, I was at Ronnies almost every night for some
years I also went to all the major concerts of the great jazz musicians.
So many of my pictures ended up appearing in the Melody Maker. After leaving
Eric and Marc, I had to earn a living so I became a Fleet Street photographer
working on many newspapers. The Daily Sketch was my first. After that
I freelanced on most of Fleet Street’s newspapers. I stayed with the Sunday
Mirror for some 25 years working as a staff photographer for one day Only
- Saturdays. I retired some five years ago.
At the same time as working freelance on the newspapers, I shared a studio with my good friend Chris Hopper. My work there was with public relations and advertising. Eventually I began working freelance from my flat. I retired completely from photography about ten years ago. However, a few months ago I decided to get a website up and running; with computers and technology coming of age – digital scanning and printing to a high standard - I felt I would like to show my photographs to the world and maybe sell one or two now and again.
I look back at those jazz years and now realise that it was truly the golden age of jazz and I feel privileged to have photographed such wonderful people and their music. Their music still sings in my heart & mind.
Freddy.
PS. All
my photographs are taken in the camera. The solerized pictures were done
in the printing in the darkroom.There has been no digital enhancement of
any kind to any of my photographs. At the same time as working freelance on the newspapers, I shared a studio with my good friend Chris Hopper. My work there was with public relations and advertising. Eventually I began working freelance from my flat. I retired completely from photography about ten years ago. However, a few months ago I decided to get a website up and running; with computers and technology coming of age – digital scanning and printing to a high standard - I felt I would like to show my photographs to the world and maybe sell one or two now and again.
I look back at those jazz years and now realise that it was truly the golden age of jazz and I feel privileged to have photographed such wonderful people and their music. Their music still sings in my heart & mind.
Freddy.
PPS. If you would like to contact me for any reason drop me an email.