Documentary Mik Critchlow Photographer North East of England

[Petach]

Mik Critchlow has passed away aged 68 (frightening.....same age as me!). He documented the hard lives of the working class folk; especially miners, in the north east of the country. He has left a legacy of wonderful material for future historians to look back on and comment "Did people really have to live like this?" Gritty lives, gritty photographs to match. You can say that the way a person lives is etched on their faces. I think with these folk, not just etched but also by a leeching osmosis deep into their bones. Fabulous craftsman with the camera, truly. I urge you to take a look at what he has left behind for us all.

Mik Critchlow - Documentary Photographer

Mik Critchlow - Documentary Photographer based in the North East of England UK

www.mikcritchlow.com

 

[Herman]

Thanks @Petach Peter for the link.

 

[rayvonn]

Yes, thanks for posting, I do recognise a lot of those expressions from that part of the world decades ago when times were different.

 

[DeeJayK]

Wow, what an incredible collection of photographs. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Peter.

This is a pretty great (and relatable) story gleaned from a BBC remembrance:

"'Last Man Out' is a particularly special photograph for us, capturing the last shift at Woodhorn Colliery."

Critchlow described the photograph of the colliery deputy George Miller Davison on the final shift at Woodhorn in 1981 as a near happenstance.

He recalled: "I was taking photographs around the mine shaft of the miners coming out from the cages and I was just taking loads and loads of photographs.
"I thought that was the last people out but the shafts man said 'Well, there's one more guy coming'. I looked at my camera, and had ran out of film on my 35mm camera and had one shot left.

"I strapped a flash on and this guy came out, and the lead image for the exhibition is the result of the picture."

- K