66 22 June 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113Legendsof photographyIt’squiteraretoseea
photojournalistchange
thecourseofhistory...
butthat’sexactlywhat
happenedwhenIanBerry
photographedtheSharpeville
MassacreinSouthAfricain
1960.Berrywasworkingfor
theSouthAfricanmagazine
Drumwhenhiseditor,Tom
Hopkinson,askedhimto
gototheblacktownshipof
Sharpevillefollowingreports
ofa shooting.
Hedulywent,andbecause
hewasusedtoworkinginthat
partofAfrica,heignoredthe
advice of guards to vacate theIanBerryarea.Notlongafterwards,
thinkingallwaspeacefulatthe
protestagainstpasslawsatthe
nearbypolicestation,Berry
tooka lastcheckofthescene...
andthentheshootingstarted.
Berryphotographedwhathe
couldwithhis35mmcameras
andrealisedhewastheonly
personleftstandinginthefield.
Thepolicehadshot 69 people
dead,with 249 casualties,
including 29 children.
Berry’simagesofthe
SharpevilleMassacrecouldn’t
bepublishedinSouthAfrica,
sotheyweredistributedbyan
agency in London before beingfaceda firingsquadinKatanga
(inDemocraticRepublicofthe
Congo)beforebeingrescuedby
a Rhodesianmercenary.Butit
is hislongaffiliationwith
Africa– hemovedthere,aged
17 in1952,underthetutelage
ofphotographerRoger
Madden– thatpervadeshis
bodyofwork,particularlyhis
documentationofthe
apartheiderainSouthAfrica.
Twokeybooks–Blackand
Whites:l’AfriqueduSudand
LivingApart– featurethe
mainbodyofhisimageryof
SouthAfrica.
Hehaslongbeena devotee
ofthe35mmformatand,in
particular,hisfavouriteLeica
MPcameras,buthehas
embracedthedigitalera.Ina
2016 interviewwithAPBerry
toldus,‘I’mabsolutelypro-
digital.I’ma 35mmframe
devoteebut,attheendofthe
day,it’stheeyebehindthe
camerathatcounts,notthe
camera.’Giventheclarityand
depthofBerry’sworkit’sclear
thathiseyeis oneofthe
very best in the business.SteveFaircloughexaminesthisiconicMagnum photojournalist’s careerpickedupbyLIFEand
ParisMatch, amongother
publications.BothBerry’s
imagesandhistestimonywere
theonlyindependentrecordof
whathappened– incourtthey
exoneratedtheblacklocals
fromchargesofaffray– and
area hauntingreminderofthe
powerofphotographyandthe
braveryofphotojournalists.
Berrywaslaterbannedfrom
SouthAfricauntilNelson
MandelabecamePresident
ofthecountryin1994.
Twoyearsafterthe
SharpevilleMassacre,Henri
Cartier-BressoninvitedBerry
tojoinMagnumPhotos.He
becamea fullmemberin1967,
andin 1964 hebecamethefirst
evercontractphotographerfor
theObserverMagazine. Berry
travelledtheworldonmany
otherstoriesofpoliticaland
socialstrifeinCzechoslovakia,
China,Ethiopia,theRepublic
ofCongo,Vietnam,Israel,
IrelandandtheformerUSSR.
Hewasarrestedforspyingin
WestAfrica,gothitbya rubber
bullet in Northern Ireland and© Ian Berry/MagnuM Photos
© Réne BuRRi/MagnuM Photos
DhakinShatialburnear
Chittagong,Bangladesh,
2000.Hugetankers
arebrokenupbya
fleetofbarefootand
barehandedmen
and boys