Abstract
In a fascinating interview The Observer's legendary award-winning photographer explains why she told the Queen, "I'm just a newspaper hack" and tells the stories behind some of the favourite pictures along her work. Now 80, Ms Bown still hates being idle: "I'm not taking many pictures now and I'm sorry that I've been lifted above my station. I used to like it when they'd say, 'Can you do a picture for a byline' or something, because I like taking pictures and I'd put as much effort into a byline picture as I would anything else. But that's all gone - I'm sort of fading away from it. Now sometimes I think, "Oh, no" when I'm asked to photograph someone, because I'm not doing enough and it comes as such a shock. What I admire about the Queen is that she just goes on. She does the same thing, but differently every day. Well, I used to be a photographer like that."
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.