John Bulmer

John Bulmer - photograph by Veronika  Lavey

John Bulmer was born in 1938 and still lives in Herefordshire where his grandfather established Bulmer's Cider. He was a pioneer of colour photography in the UK and initially worked for the Daily Express but later became more associated with The Sunday Times Magazine.

Much of his early commissioned work in England covered deprived areas and his acclaimed book "The North" (Bluecoat Press 2021) contains many of his photographs from this time. Whilst much of his photogrpahy at this time focussed on provincial Britain he was also commissioned by The Sunday Times to visit Africa following Harold MacMillan's "Winds of Change" speech. Together with journalist Richard West he visited and photographed fourteen countries in two months reporting on the changing politics as colonial powers lost their grip on the continent. An entire issue of The Sunday Times Magazine was devoted to the report and his photographs. His book "Wind of Change" (Bluecoat Press 2014) recalls this and later work in countries facing challenge and change.

In the 1970's Bulmer changed course and moved into documentary and travel film making for the BBC, National Geographic Magazine and the Discovery Channel among others much of this work took him to unexplored and largely undiscovered parts of the world.

Now in his eighties he is still cataloguing his vast archives and his work has appeared in exhibitions at The Photographers Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art in New York and Bradford's National Media Museum. Recognition may have come late but if you are my age and see the photographs you will probably realise that you have known his work all along!

More here :- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bulmer

Bluecoat Press books can be viewed here :- https://bluecoatpress.co.uk/