Picture perfect

THE "conscience of the nation" was how Picture Post magazine was described in its heyday, when the pioneering publication showcased the work of photographers whose ima-ges were an inspiration for subsequent generations.

One of the dedicated team whose pictures appeared regularly in the weekly magazine was John Chillingworth, featuring in a new exhibition at Dimbola Lodge on the Isle of Wight's Olympus Gal-lery from Friday, January 26.

Innocence of Childhood is a collection of a small part of his work from the 1950s and 1960s. As the title suggests, the photographs are of children and perfectly represent the style of the photographer and his attitude to his subjects.

Described as one of the most talented, innovative and influential photographers of the era, John, now 73, modestly attributes his early work to a combination of luck and

nurturing.

He recalls: "Fleet Street during the war was a place where a lot of young people had amazing opportunities.

"I started out making tea in a publishing company called Hulton Press. That was the traditional way into Fleet Street in those days".

"And because many young people died during the War, those of us left had terrific opportunities, so, within a few months, I found myself working in the dark room of a magazine called Picture Post."

By the end of the war, aged

just 18, John was learning

photographic techniques including processing and printing. Then, after a three-year stint as an Army photographer, he returned to Picture Post.

"Every person who came out of the Army was told they could go back to the job they had left for just six months. After that the company was not obliged to keep you on," says John.

Determined to prove himself, John worked hard shooting pictures and creating the style which has been emulated by media photographers ever since. He says it's all thanks to the publication's picture editor.

"He told us what he wanted and the magazine produced things that we don't see now - picture stories: sets of images that had a narrative. These days we call it photojournalism, if you like, but that term wasn't used until the Sixties.

"It was a naturalistic style - be ing a witness to, rather than making things happen; not imposing yourself and not setting things

up. Even when that had to be done it was

done very well, so that it looked natural, unlike most photography then, which was very formal."

The man who first inspired John was

another Picture Post photographer called Kurt Hutton, who he says was really the pioneer of naturalistic photography. Another from the era is Bill Brandt whom John describes as "the most self-effacing man I have ever come across."

John remembers his days on the Picture Post as "like being part of a family."

"There was very little of the bickering or professional jealousy that one might expect in such a highly-creative atmosphere," he says.

Eventually the team dispersed and, sadly, Picture Post ceased publishing, but not

without leaving its mark on the world of

photography.

John says: "The interesting thing is that when we went our separate ways, at the end of the Fifties and the beginning of the Sixties, it coincided with the rapid growth of photographic education.

"I still meet people who know my name from pictures they studied at school and

college."

* The Innocence of Childhood is at Dimbola Lodge, Freshwater Bay, Isle Of Wight from January 26 to March 25. Tel: 01983 756 814.