Humphrey Spender - Documentary - Street Photographer

Humphrey Spender (19 April 1910 - 11 March 2005) was a British photographer. Spender was one of the first British photographers to use a rangefinder camera and 35mm film in the 1930s. This meant that he was able to capture candid shots of life in action rather than the posed compositions required by a heavy large format camera.
His photographs and connections drew attention and he was soon recruited by the Daily Mirror to become a roving photographer. Under the nickname ‘Lensman’, Spender travelled round the country capturing artistic feature photographs. He was becoming frustrated by the newspaper’s demands for clichéd and staged photographs when he was contacted by Tom Harrisson who asked him to join Mass Observation’s Worktown study of life in Bolton.
Spender took around 850 photographs in Bolton and Blackpool on a series of visits between August 1937 and April 1938. He also made a number of paintings and drawings in the town which were sold to private collectors and have become lost over the passage of time. He also made a number of written observations which are held in the Mass Observation Archive and provide a fascinating accompaniment to his photographs.
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[@gohumberto]

Thank you for your Channel. I was born & raised not so far from Bolton (actually Stockport, Manchester, England) in 1962. The two towns are (were) quite similar. Working-class, Northern Mill towns. I recognise the feel of the photos from my childhood, though I am not so familiar with Bolton as such. This is why I love "Street" photography. It starts as the mundane, the every-day, but becomes important social documentary over time.

[@bristolstreetphotography]

A breath of fresh air, thank you. ;)

[@davidhogan-o3x]

Finally a so-called 'st. photographer' with a soul and with something of some worth to actually say and expressing it !!! suntreader 🌻

[@christiandumontphotography3996]

A very beautiful document on street photography at the beginning of the 20th century. Thank you for letting us discover it.

[@gottanikoncamera]

Fabulous and inspiring photographs. Thank you for bringing such a gifted photographer to our attention.

[@carlosdiazphotos]

Glad you liked it!

[@grahamrichards8531]

Wonderful street history, thank you.

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

thank you for the effort and the sharing. i am unfamiliar with Spender's work. impressive. thumbs up.

[@davidharle8794]

Street documentary at its very best. Wonderful collection.

[@Carmelitathespacecadet]

Beautiful work! 🙏

[@padraicodomhnall2760]

Thank you for sharing these remarkable and evocative images with us.

[@DerekBoy27]

What a wonderful video on photography to watch, emotions and the music too.

[@toke7560]

Beautiful. How did i not know this awesome photographer.

[@paulstevenson200]

Wonderful work.

[@nocommentnoname1111]

Superb work!

[@royhobbs785]

Thank you Carlos!! Imagine today taking pics of children would probably get you questioned by the police! No caption needed for these

[@carlosdiazphotos]

Absolutely

[@anthonycurtola]

Thankyou for this introduction to Mr. Spender's beautiful and extensive body of work. I can see that your channel will be both inspiring and educational!

[@carlosdiazphotos]

Thank you, I hope so too!

[@nikonrulz]

Superb!!

[@alainmijngheer]

Very nice, thanks for sharing !

[@ViaOjo]

Never heard of him. These are fantastic

[@nigelbiney2742]

I wonder how many watching this, would willingly transport themselves back to this life? See you there guys x

[@saavirov]

Thank you!

[@johnathanryan2117]

Beautiful. Bolton in Lancashire. Worktown was a huge project, notable observers being the author and playwright Bill Naughton ( Alfie, Spring and Port Wine) and Alice Foley, a well known Boltonian who was massively influential in early womens workplace rights. Very proud to be from the town that has its history so well documented. Relatively speaking this isnt that long ago, its (1938) entirely possible that some of the kids in the photos are still alive. Naughtons 4 part biography has an edition called ' Neither Use Nor Ornament" that uses a photo from this collection as its cover, despite his recollections being twenty or so years previous. Superb work.

[@gilles3574]

Merci du partage.

[@SHIPKOT]

Ну прсото очень серьезно все! Спасибо за хорошие фотографии!

[@issness_god]

some of the interor photos from his website were taken in london

[@lensman5762]

The photographs appear to have been taken in the industrial NW England. AS we say up here, life can be grim in the NW. Amazing record of a bygone era.

[@stephenvernon1076]

The photographs were taken in Bolton, Lancashire.

[@adeoguntolasolanke-oguntol5108]

It appears these images were taken with a 35mm and 50mm lenses. Lovely images and thought provoking they are to me.

[@toke7560]

Carlos, have you ever seen the photos of Harold Crompton Robinson. ?

[@carlosdiazphotos]

No, I haven't, I'll check it.

[@hnfhfdhdhd1201]

some of the indoor photos are from London

[@puspenbain45]

motivated....❤️❤️💪