In passing: John Blakemore (1936-2025)

[Paul Hill]

Just received the sad news that my old friend and teaching colleague, the legendary John Blakemore died last night after a short illness. He had been taken into hospital in Derby over Christmas.

Born in Coventry in 1936, he was probably best known for his landscape work, but he had worked in many areas of the medium and was an inspirational teacher, mostly at Derby University. His work has been exhibited all over the world and he has had several acclaimed books published. He has been the recipient of Arts Council awards, a British Council Travelling Exhibition and in 1992 won the Fox Talbot Award for Photography. He was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 1998.

There is so so much more I could say about JB, but that will come later. For now, our thoughts are with Rosalind, his stalwart partner, and his extended family and close friends.

Image: © Paul Hill / This is John leading one of our workshops at The Photographers Place in Derbyshire around 1980.

 

BPH adds: read more about John here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blakemore John's archive is at the Library of Birmingham. see: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50140/photography/1415/john_blakemore/3