đ Share this article Brian Harris Life Story: An Existence Behind the Lens The photojournalist B. Harris, who has died aged 73 from cancer, ended his schooling at 16 to work as a courier, and eventually became among the most esteemed UK documentary photographers of his era. A Global Professional Journey He travelled the world as a independent or a employee for major British titles, covering such events as 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 consequences of the Falklands conflict and four US presidential campaigns. Additionally, he produced lyrical landscapes of the countryside around his Essex home. According to his estimates he shot more than two million photographs, taking an average of 100 a day, but he made that count several years ago. He continued posting archive and recent images each day on online platforms until a few weeks before his passing, and had been arranging to deliver a lecture on his career and experiences. Memorable Projects Tales from a turbulent career featured an costly business class flight in 1991 to reach the burial in India of the assassinated leader Rajiv Gandhi, where he collapsed from heatstroke and pneumonia and was treated with ice that had been employed to cool 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 carried across eight columns of a front 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 exasperated John Major striking him with a folded briefing paper. Professional Highlights He became the Timesâ youngest ever staff photographer when he joined the paper 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 censorship of his strongest images of famine in Africa. In 1986 Harris became chief photographer as the team was put together to create a new newspaper. He played a key role in shaping the style of editorial photography that the paper was famous for, helping set new standards for press images and newspaper design, in dramatic images covering multiple pages. Among numerous awards, he was honoured as the What the Papers Say photographer of the year in 1990 for his work in eastern Europe recording the collapse of communism. He operated independently after being made redundant in 1999, and major projects after that included a year spent capturing cemeteries across the world in 2006 for the war memorial organisation, which led to an exhibition launched in London â where he gave a personal tour to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh â and a moving book, Remembered. Early Life and Start Harris was born in eastern London, to Dorothy and Leonard Harris, an technician who later helped his son construct a photo lab in the garage. In the 1950s, the family moved eastwards â and up in the world â to the Rise Park estate in Romford, Essex. Brian went to Chase Cross secondary modern school, learning useful skills in woodwork and metalwork, before leaving at 16. At a Fleet Street photo agency, he quickly advanced from delivery boy to photographer, and began his working life at eastern London local papers before progressing to major publications. Peers and Impact Other photographers, often scooped by him, recalled his work as remarkable. Nick Turpin, who worked with him in the initial stages, described him as âa superb and brave photographerâ, an inspiration to a cohort of young colleagues. Tim Dawson, a union representative, said he âtransformed the possibilities of news photography during newspapersâ peak eraâ. Personal Life In 2001 Harris made contact through a website with Nikki, whom he had initially encountered as a toddler in infant school, and they became inseparable partners through his final decades. After learning of his illness, they embarked on a driving tour in Europe, posting sunny images of good meals and good wine, and revisiting important sites including Dresden and Ypres. His last task, finished a few weeks before his death, was to transfer his vast archive of five decades of work to a long-term repository. Among his preferred historical photos he commented on a youthful Harris consuming large glasses of wine with the actor Helen Mirren: âWhat a blessed life Iâve had â no regrets and no âMust Doâsââ. He was married 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.