UPDATE: The Guardian ran a lovely obituary of my uncle yesterday, written by one of his former students. It begins:
John Benton-Harris, who has died aged 83, was a US street photographer best known for his photo essays of the English. His output was prolific – by his own calculation, between 1960 and 2006, he shot nearly 2.5m images – and he believed that what he knew, thought and felt was no less important than what he saw. He always worked to reveal something of his own experience in the moments he captured with his camera.
It captures him and his work very well. I especially like how the writer, Paul Clements, highlights “a kindness about [him and his work], with a rich visual language to express [his] ideas.”
I still can’t believe he’s gone…
PREVIOUS: 09.03.23: My year of hell, which I thought was behind me, continues: My uncle, photographer John Benton-Harris, died on August 26th, less than a year after my mother’s death. (He was my mom’s brother.) I was quite close to him, and lived with him and his wife for the first year after I came to London. He was an incredible creative spirit, and very supportive of my work — we had long, raging conversations about the state of art, culture, society, and the world at large. He’d been a steadfast part of my life in London, a bit of a home base and safety net for this precarious writer, and I’m already missing him terribly.
A little under two years ago, I mentioned a project we were working on; that never quite gelled, and the fault was entirely my own. I was going to juxtapose some of his amazing photos from the Troubles in Northern Ireland, which he captured while on assignment for Newsweek, with my review of Belfast… except I never got around to reviewing that film. But I do have the photos he chose for the project, so it’s not entirely impossible that I might still make this happen.
Mostly, though, at the moment, my thoughts are with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and how diminished we will all be without his presence.
I’m so sorry.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. 😥
My heartfelt condolences to you and also to his wife and children.
I learnt about your Uncle’s work reading your article (the one you gave the link for again, here), and I was thoroughly impressed by his work. He really had an eye for the essence of the things he looked at.
Anyways, my vague feelings of loss are nothing agains you having to cope with losing him as a person very close to you.
I really wish that all of youd would have have had more time.
I am sorry for your loss, but glad you liked it. He was known affectionately as “JBH” to all of us as students, and he was tough as nails with us.. but it was exactly what we needed as Photojournalism students. After having John as a Tutor we knew we could face anything and take it on the chin! Bless his heart x.. With very kindest wishes, Paul.
Hi… just to let you know that John’s obituary will be published in print in The Guardian 15/11/2023… Kindest wishes, Paul.