Photographs Of Street Life In Post-War Britain

“What I do is often on the border between being an intruder and an observer" - Neil Libbert

Salford-born photojournalist Neil Libbert studied at Manchester’s Regional College of Art before opening his own studio in 1957 and embarking on a career in photojournalism. “I had a keen interest in watching and observing people, a witness to events,” he says. “It is still about the power of observation, and one is just a witness to events.”

“What I do is often on the border between being an intruder and an observer – it’s called clandestine photography. I’m not always proud of how I behave but sometimes it’s the only way.”

Does he know what makes for a good photograph? “I wish I knew,” he says. “It has something to do with the coming together of composition, light, subject matter, or as Cartier-Bresson said, it’s the ‘decisive moment.’ There are no rules.”

 

Outside the Black-E Arts Centre, Liverpool, 1973

Outside the Black-E Arts Centre, Liverpool, 1973

Buckingham Palace Facade, London, 1970

Buckingham Palace Facade, London, 1970

Nun With a Brolly, Salford, undated

Nun With a Brolly, Salford, undated

Salford, 1958

Salford, 1958

Saturday Morning Movies, Moss Side, Manchester, 1958

Saturday Morning Movies, Moss Side, Manchester, 1958

Salford Street Scene, 1957

Salford Street Scene, 1957

Andy Warhol, TATE Gallery London, 1971 © Neil Libbert. Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery

Andy Warhol, TATE Gallery London, 1971

Whitton Park, Bishop Auckland, 1965

Whitton Park, Bishop Auckland, 1965

Cat Jumping, Salford, 1957

Cat Jumping, Salford, 1957

West Indian Arrivals, Waterloo Station, London, 1961

West Indian Arrivals, Waterloo Station, London, 1961

New Bond Street, London, 1964

New Bond Street, London, 1964

Salford Street Scene, 1957

Salford Street Scene, 1957

Workers’ Cafe, Salford, 1957

Workers’ Cafe, Salford, 1957

Children Playing Cowboys and Indians in Salford, 1957

Children Playing Cowboys and Indians in Salford, 1957

 

Via AnOtherMag, Michael Hoppen Gallery

Would you like to support Flashbak?

Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.